Malorie Blackman

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Malorie Blackman (born 8 February 1962) is an award-winning British author of literature and television drama for children and young adults. She has used science fiction to explore social and ethical issues. Her critically and popularly acclaimed Noughts & Crosses series uses the setting of a fictional dystopia to explore racism.

Biography

Malorie Blackman was born on 8 February 1962 in London.[1] While at grammar school, in Peckham, she wanted to be an English teacher but grew up to become a systems programmer instead.[2][1] She earned a Higher National Certificate at Thames Polytechnic and is a graduate of the National Film and Television School.[1][3] Blackman married her Scottish husband Neil in the early 1980s and their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1995.[2] Blackman has described herself, "I'm just Malorie Blackman – a black woman writer."[1]

Blackman's first book, Not So Stupid, was a collection of horror and science fiction stories for young adults, published in November 1990.[4] Since then she has written more than fifty children's books, including novels and short story collections, and also television scripts and a stage play.[4][5] Her work has won more than fifteen awards.[5][6] Blackman's television scripts include episodes of the long-running, children's drama Byker Grove, as well as television adaptations of her novels Whizziwig and Pig-Heart Boy.[5] Her books have been translated into Spanish, Welsh, German, and French.

Blackman's award-winning Noughts & Crosses series, exploring love, racism, and violence, is set in a fictional dystopia. Explaining her choice of title, in a 2007 interview for the BBC's Blast website, Blackman said noughts and crosses (tic-tac-toe) is "...one of those games that nobody ever plays after childhood, because nobody ever wins..."[7] In an interview for The Times, Blackman said that before writing Noughts & Crosses her protagonists' ethnicites were never central to the plots of her books.[2] She has also said, "I wanted to show black children just getting on with their lives, having adventures, and solving their dilemmas, like the characters in all the books I read as a child."[1] Blackman eventually decided to address racism directly.[2][7] She reused some details from her own experience, including an occasion when she needed a plaster (adhesive bandage) and found they were designed to be inconspicuous only on white people's skin.[2] The Times interviewer Amanda Craig speculated about why the Noughts & Crosses series hasn't been published in the United States: "though there was considerable interest, 9/11 killed off the possibility of publishing any book describing how someone might become a terrorist."[2]

Noughts & Crosses was #61 on the Big Read list, a 2003 BBC survey to find "The Nation's Best-Loved Book", with more votes than A Tale of Two Cities, several Terry Pratchett novels, and Lord of the Flies.

Works

Published works

Novels for young adults

  • Not So Stupid!: Incredible Short Stories, The Women's Press, 1990, ISBN-10: 0704349248
  • Trust Me, Livewire, 1992, ISBN-10: 0704349310
  • Words Last Forever, Mammoth, 1998, ISBN-10: 074972983X
  • The Noughts & Crosses series
    • Noughts & Crosses,[8] Doubleday, 2001, ISBN-10: 0385600089
    • An Eye for an Eye,[9] Corgi Children's, 2003, ISBN-10: 0552549258
    • Knife Edge, Doubleday, 2004, ISBN-10: 0385605277
    • Checkmate, Doubleday, 2005, ISBN-10: 0385607733
    • Double Cross, Doubleday, 2008, ISBN-13: 9780385615518
  • The Stuff of Nightmares, Doubleday, 2007, ISBN-10: 0385610432
  • Unheard Voices: An Anthology of Stories and Poems to Commemorate the Bicentenary Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, editor Malorie Blackman, Corgi Children's, 2007, ISBN-10: 0552556009

Short stories for young adults

  • "Humming Through My Fingers" in the multi-author collection Shining on: A Collection of Stories in Aid of the Teen Cancer Trust, Picadilly Press, 2006, ISBN-10: 185340893X
  • Short story in the multi-author collection The Crew and Other Teen Fiction, Heinemann Library, ISBN-10: 0431018758

Novels for children

  • Hacker, Doubleday, 1992, ISBN-10: 0385402783
  • Operation Gadgetman!, Doubleday, 1993, ISBN-10: 0385403372
  • Jack Sweettooth the 73rd, Viking Children's Books, 1995, ISBN-10: 0670855391
  • The Space Stowaway, Ginn, 1995, ISBN-10: 060226393X
  • Whizziwig (illustrated by Stephen Lee), Viking Children's Books, 1995, ISBN-10: 067085705X
  • Thief!, Doubleday, 1996, ISBN-10: 0552528080
  • A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E, Doubleday, 1997, ISBN-10: 0552528390
  • Pig-Heart Boy, Doubleday, 1997, ISBN-10: 0385406819
  • Animal Avengers (illustrated by Bill Greenhead and Stik), Mammoth, 1999, ISBN-10: 0749735570
  • Dangerous Reality, Doubleday, 1999, ISBN-10: 0385406800
  • Don't Be Afraid [10] (illustrated by Bob Harvey), Ginn, 1999, ISBN-10 0602275490
  • Forbidden Game, Puffin Books, 1999, ISBN-10: 0141303212
  • Hostage [11] (illustrated by Derek Brazell), Barrington Stoke, 1999, ISBN-10: 1902260120
  • Tell Me No Lies, Macmillan Children's Books, 1999, ISBN-10: 0333726456
  • Whizziwig Returns (illustrated by Stephen Lee), Puffin, 1999, ISBN-10: 0141304588
  • Dead Gorgeous, Doubleday, 2002, ISBN-10: 0385600097
  • Cloud Busting, Doubleday, 2004, ISBN-10: 0385607962
  • The Deadly Dare Mysteries (contents: "Deadly Dare", "Computer Ghost", "Lie Detectives"; illustrated by Neil Chapman), Corgi Children's, 2005, ISBN-10: 0552553530
  • Whizziwig and Whizziwig Returns [12] (illustrated by Stephen Lee), Corgi Children's, 2005, ISBN-10: 044086657X

Short stories for children

  • "Contact" in the multi-author collection Out of This World: Stories of Virtual Reality (chosen by Wendy Cooling), Dolphin, 1997, ISBN-10: 1858816025
  • Aesop's Fables (retold by Malorie Blackman, illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Scholastic, 1998, ISBN-10 0590543822
  • "Dare to be Different" (illustrated by Jane Ray) in the multi-author collection Dare to be Different, Bloomsbury Publishing, 1999, ISBN-10: 0747540217
  • "Peacemaker" in the multi-author collection Peacemaker and Other Stories (illustrated by Peter Richardson and David Hine), Heinemann Educational, 1999, ISBN-10 0435116002

Books for new readers

  • The Betsey Biggalow stories:
    • Betsey Biggalow the Detective (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1992, ISBN-10: 1853401633
    • Betsey Biggalow is Here! (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1992, ISBN-10: 1853401722
    • Hurricane Betsey (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1993, ISBN-10: 1853401994
    • Magic Betsey (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1994, ISBN-10: 1853402370
    • Betsey's Birthday Surprise (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1996, ISBN-10: 0590558641
  • The Girl Wonder series:
    • Girl Wonder and the Terrific Twins (illustrated by Pat Ludlow), Orion Children's Books, 1991, ISBN-10: 0575050489
    • Girl Wonder's Winter Adventures (illustrated by Lis Toft), Orion Children's Books, 1992, ISBN-10: 0575053836
    • Girl Wonder to the Rescue (illustrated by Lis Toft), Gollancz, 1994, ISBN-10 0575057742
    • The Amazing Adventures of Girl Wonder (illustrated by Lis Toft), Barn Owl Books, 2003, ISBN-10: 1903015278
  • The Puzzle Planet adventures:
    • Peril on Planet Pellia (illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN-10: 1852139358
    • The Mellion Moon Mystery (illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN-10: 1852139366
    • The Secret of the Terrible Hand (illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN-10: 1860393705
    • Quasar Quartz Quest (illustrated by Patrice Aggs) Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN-10: 1852139382
  • The Longman Book Project (with translations to Welsh):
    • Rachel versus Bonecrusher the Mighty, Longman, 1994, ISBN-10: 0582121515
    • Rachel and the Difference Thief (illustrated by Kim Harley), Longman, 1994, ISBN-10: 0582121523
    • Crazy Crocs (with Alexander McCall Smith and Sally-Ann Lever), Longman, 1994, ISBN-10: 0582122082
  • Elaine You're a Brat! [13] (illustrated by Doffy Weir), Orchard Books, 1991, ISBN-10: 1852133651
  • My Friend's a Gris-Quok (illustrated by Philip Hopman), Scholastic, 1994, ISBN-10: 0590558641
  • Grandma Gertie's Haunted Handbag (illustrated by David Price), Heinemann, 1996, ISBN-10: 0434972258
  • Space Race (illustrated by Colin Mier), Corgi Children's, 1997, ISBN-10: 0552545422
  • Fangs (illustrated by Tony Blundell), Orchard Books, 1998, ISBN-10: 1860397344
  • Snow Dog (illustrated by Sami Sweeten), Corgi Children's, 2001, ISBN-10: 0552547034
  • The Monster Crisp-Guzzler (illustrated by Sami Sweeten), Corgi Children's, 2002, ISBN-10: 0552547832
  • Sinclair, Wonder Bear (illustrated by Deborah Allwright), Egmont Books, 2003, ISBN-10: 140520589X

Picture books

  • That New Dress [14] (illustrated by Rhian Nest James), Hodder Wayland, 1991, ISBN-10: 0750004428
  • Mrs Spoon's Family (illustrated by Jan McCafferty), Andersen Press, 1995, ISBN-10: 0862645824
  • Dizzy's Walk (illustrated by Pamela Venus), Tamarind, 1999, ISBN-10: 1870516419
  • Marty Monster (illustrated by Kim Harley), Tamarind, 1999, ISBN-10: 1870516427
  • I Want a Cuddle! (illustrated by Joanne Partis), Orchard Books, 2001, ISBN-10: 1841218235
  • Jessica Strange (with Alison Bartlett), Hodder Children's Books, 2002, ISBN-10: 0340779632
  • Contributed to A Christmas Tree of Stories, Scholastic Press, 1999, ISBN-10: 0439011922

Television scripts

  • Episodes of Byker Grove
  • Episodes of Whizzywig
  • Episodes of Pig-Heart Boy

Stage plays

  • 2002, The Amazing Birthday

Awards and nominations

Body of work

  • 1997, Excelle/Write Thing Children's Author of the Year Award.[5]
  • 2005, Children's Book Circle's Eleanor Farjeon Award.[6]

Novels

For Hacker (1992)

  • 1994, W.H. Smith Mind Boggling Book of the Year Award.[5]
  • 1994, Young Telegraph/Gimme 5 Children's Book of the Year Award.[5]
  • 1995, Birmingham/TSB Children's Book Award (shortlist).[6]

For Thief! (1996)

  • 1996, Young Telegraph/Fully Booked Children's Book of the Year Award.[5]

For A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E (1997)

  • 1997, Stockport Children's Book of the Year Award (Key Stage 3 category).[5]
  • 1997, Stockton-on-Tees Children's Book Award (shortlisted).[6]
  • 1998, Sheffield Children's Book Award (highly commended).[6]
  • 2001, Stockport Schools Book Award (shortlisted).[6]

For Pig-Heart Boy (1997)

  • 1998, Carnegie Medal (shortlist).[5]
  • 1998, UKRA Award.[5]
  • 1999, Lancashire Children's Book Award (shortlist).[6]
  • 1999, Wirral Paperback of the Year Award.[5][6]

For Tell Me No Lies (1999)

  • 2000, Stockport Children's Book Award (shortlisted) (Key Stage 4 category).[5][6]

For Dead Gorgeous (2002)

  • 2003, Calderdale Book of the Year (shortlist).[6]
  • 2003, Salford Children's Book Award (shortlist).[6]

For books in the Noughts & Crosses series

  • 2002, Lancashire County Library Children's Book of the Year Award.[5][6]
  • 2002, Red House Children's Book Award.[5][6]
  • 2002, Sheffield Children's Book Award.[5][6]
  • 2003, Wirral Paperback of the Year Award.[5][6]
  • 2004, Fantastic Fiction Award.[5]
  • 2005, Berkshire Book Award (shortlist).[6]
  • 2005, Lancashire Children's Book Award (shortlist).[6]
  • 2005, Redbridge Teenage Book Award (shortlist).[6]
  • 2006, Lancashire Children's Book Award (shortlist).[6]
  • 2006, Staffordshire Young People's Book of the Year.[6]

For Cloud Busting (2004)

  • 2004, Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Silver Award) (6-8 years category).[5]
  • 2005, Redbridge Children's Book Award (shortlist).[6]
  • 2005, Stockport Schools Book Award (shortlisted).[6]
  • 2006, Nottingham Children's Book Award (shortlist) (10-11 years category).[6]
  • 2006, West Sussex Children's Book Award (shortlist).[6]

Television adaptations

For Pig-Heart Boy

  • 2000, BAFTA (British Academy Television Awards) Best Drama.[5][6]
  • 2000, Race and Media Best Drama Award.[5]
  • 2000, Royal Television Society Award (Children's Drama category).[5]
  • 2001, Chicago TV Festival (shortlist).[5]
  • 2001, Prix Danube Children's Jury Prize.[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Blackman, Malorie, Malorie Blackman, Penguin UK Authors, Penguin Books Ltd., 1995–2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-23
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Craig, Amanda, Malorie Blackman: the world in photographic negative, The Times, Times Newspapers Limited, 2004-01. Retrieved on 2007-03-27
  3. ↑ Malorie Blackman, 40 artists, 40 days, Tate Online, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-03-28
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Full Record, British Library Integrated Catalogue, The British Library Board. Retrieved on 2007-03-28
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 Malorie Blackman, Contemporary Writers, British Council, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-23
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 Awards and Prizes, Kids at Random House, Random House Children's Books. Retrieved on 2007-03-23
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Malorie Blackman - Children and Young People's Writer, Blast, BBC. Retrieved on 2007-03-23
  8. ↑ Also published as Black & White, Simon Pulse, 2007, ISBN-10: 1416900179
  9. ↑ Also published in Noughts & Crosses, Corgi Children's, 2006, ISBN-10: 0552555703
  10. ↑ Originally published 1997
  11. ↑ Also published as 4u2read.ok Hostage, Barrington Stoke, 2002, ISBN-10: 184299056X, and as a "Close Look, Quick Look" photocopiable version for teachers, Barrington Stoke, 2004, ISBN-10: 1842992368
  12. ↑ Originally published separately as Whizziwig, 1995, and Whizzywhig Returns, 1999
  13. ↑ Also published as Ellie, and the Cat!, Orchard Books, 2005, ISBN-10: 1843623919
  14. ↑ Also published as A New Dress for Maya, Gary Stevens Publishing, 1992, ISBN-10: 0836807138

External links

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