Malorie Blackman

Blackman was born in London, England, to Barbadian immigrants. As a kid, she wanted to be an English teacher, but she initially attended college to become a systems programmer instead. She later graduated from the National Film and Television School. Since starting to publish in 1990, Blackman has published a number of novels for adults and children, short stories, picture books, and early chapter books. She has also written for film, radio, and the stage. In terms of her novels, Blackman is best known for the Noughts & Crosses series, which consists of six novels and three companion novellas. The first in the series, Noughts & Crosses, was voted number 61 on BBC’s 2003 “Big Read” list, ranking ahead of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities and some of Terry Pratchett’s novels. She also made history by being the first Black person to ever work on the television show Doctor Who. She received an OBE in 2008 for her contributions to literature, and from 2013 to 2015, she was named the Waterstones Children’s Laureate (a position recognizing outstanding children’s authors or illustrators). She lives with her husband and daughter in Kent, England.