The Latest Breaking News from Malorie Blackman

Nine political books to inspire young people – chosen by experts

Amid a cycle of divided parties, political fragmentation and the UK going through a record number of prime ministers in recent years, young people could be forgiven for tuning out of politics altogether. Our experts have recommended nine books to strike teenagers and young adults’ interest in thinking politically.

The Conversation · Sep 23

The Guardian view on Patrice Lawrence: a children’s laureate for our times

Editorial: The author of the bestselling young-adult novel Orangeboy is ideally suited to address the crisis of teenage masculinity and reading

The Guardian - UK · Jul 12

‘I presumed kids’ books were written by people who were white and dead’: new children’s laureate Patrice Lawrence

The author of Orangeboy, Indigo Donut and Is That Your Mama? plans to use her two-year term to ensure children isolated from reading get involved

The Guardian - UK · Jul 7

Thousands of authors publish ‘empty’ book in protest over AI using their work

About 10,000 writers including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman join copyright campaign

The Guardian - UK · Mar 10

Malorie Blackman on Noughts & Crosses at 25: ‘It’s even more relevant today’

Her YA classic was inspired by racism in 1990s Britain. A quarter of a century later, she talks about success, death threats and getting shoutouts from Tinie Tempah and Stormzy

The Guardian - UK · Mar 7

The Guardian view on 25 years of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses: a love story that changed an industry

Editorial: Publishing has failed to deliver on its promises after Black Lives Matter. True diversity requires a lasting shift

The Guardian - UK · Mar 6

Queen and Paddington Bear share marmalade sandwiches at star-studded reception

Camilla thanked the bear for attending the event, celebrating the final of the BBC 500 Words, a children’s story writing competition.

Evening Standard · Feb 25

‘It’s about making reading as natural as breathing’: Malorie Blackman backs the National Year of Reading

The Noughts & Crosses author is among the starry ambassadors for the campaign – one of the initiatives aimed at addressing the reading crisis

The Guardian - UK · Jan 22

Booker prize launches £50,000 children’s award

Children will help judge the new prize along with children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce

The Guardian - UK · Oct 23, 2025

Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses uses critical dystopia to challenge us to build a better future

Between 2013 and 2015, Malorie Blackman was Britain’s first black children’s laureate. Her young adult series Noughts and Crosses (2001-21) at once challenges and plays with the prevailing racial ordering of western life and thought.

The Conversation · Oct 9, 2025