Malorie Blackman is a renowned British author of children's and young adult’s literature and television dramas, which highlight social issues such as racism, bullying and poverty.

Blackman was born in 1962 in Clapham, London. Though she hoped to become an English teacher, she changed career path and opted for computer science. She received a Higher National Certificate from Thames Polytechnic and earned her graduate degree from the National Film and Television School. She worked as a system programmer before embarking on her writing career.

At the age of 28, she published her first literary work and she has since authored over 60 books, many of which can be found in our school library. Blackman’s computer science background played an instrumental role in her creation of interesting plots for her stories. In addition to story writing, Blackman has a keen interest in composing music, playing piano and poetry writing.

Malorie Blackman was recognised as an influential writer when in 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children's literature, and when appointed as the Children's Laureate in 2013.

Find out more about Malorie Blackman here: Malorie Blackman