Malorie Blackman, the acclaimed author of more than 70 books for children and young adults, has been made a dame for services to literature in the King's Birthday Honours. The writer, known for her groundbreaking Noughts And Crosses series, has been inspiring readers for over 25 years.
Recognition in the King's Birthday Honours
Dame Malorie, 64, served as the Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015. Her popular Noughts And Crosses series explores a society divided by racism, where Sephy is a Cross (dark-skinned ruling class) and Callum is a Nought (a 'colourless' underclass member once enslaved). The series was adapted into a BBC television series, while another of her books, Pig-Heart Boy, became a Bafta-winning six-part TV series.
Early Life and Career
Born in London in 1962 to parents from Barbados, who came to Britain as part of the Windrush generation, Dame Malorie published her first book, Not So Stupid!, a collection of horror and science fiction stories for young adults, in November 1990. In June 2013, she succeeded Julia Donaldson as Children's Laureate, during which she helped establish the first UK Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC).
In 2018, she made history as the first non-white writer for Doctor Who, joining the show as a writer. In 2022, she became the first children's and young adults' writer to receive the PEN Pinter prize. English PEN chairwoman Ruth Borthwick praised her for transforming young adult writing, stating, 'Her work never talks down, and her readers have responded by taking her to their hearts.' She was made an OBE in 2008 for services to children's literature.
