Last week, I wrote about Maya Angelou in celebration of Black History Month in literature, so this week the focus is on another influential black author, Malorie Blackman.
Malorie Blackman OBE was born in Clapham on 8 February 1962 and her parents are both from Barbados. She is a British writer who held the position of Children’s Laureate from 2013 to 2015. She primarily writes literature and television drama for children and young adults and has used her novels to explore social and ethical issues. At school, Blackman wanted to become an English teacher, but she grew up to become a systems programmer instead, before becoming a writer at the age of 28! Since then she has written many books and scripts, including several episodes of Byker Grove, Whizziwig and Pig-Heart Boy, and she has also written original dramas for children’s television.
From my point of view, Malorie Blackman is a very important inclusion in the school library as she has produced over 50 books, the vast majority of which are children’s and young adults’ novels, early-reader books and picture books. Most of Blackman’s characters, like herself, are black, but until the publication of ‘Noughts and Crosses’ in 2001, Blackman chose not to push the issue of race and ethnic identity to the foreground in her plots, but rather to depict black characters simply living their lives, whether in ordinary or unusual circumstances, without an overt focus on their race. In a 2004 interview in The Times she said,
“I wanted a black person on the cover, but plots that had nothing to do with race per se.”
Some of Blackman’s books contain an element of science fiction and fantasy too. In Year 5 at Barrow Hills the children all read ‘Thief!’ in class together. It tells the story of Lydia, who is wrongly accused of stealing, and struggles to deal with the pain and anger this arouses. Lydia goes on to encounter her future self – bitter, twisted and hard-hearted – and is thus jolted into taking responsibility for her own reactions. In this book, Blackman was motivated by something that happened to her when she was a child, when she was falsely accused of something, and used this to explore the possibility that individuals can rise above the effects of negative experiences.
Another classic older children’s book by Blackman is the very real story of ‘Noughts + Crosses’ which is about how racism and class collide, exploring an interracial relationship in a black supremacist version of England that she calls, Albion. This is highly recommended for stronger readers.
Once again I am pleased to have in the Library some key works by Malorie Blackman for your children to read and borrow, including ‘Double Cross’ and ‘Thief!’, as well as a dyslexia friendly copy of ‘Hostage’.
Mrs Emmett, Librarian
