Malorie Blackman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malorie Blackman is a first-generation British-born writer. She has written TV scripts and popular books for children. She has been the subject of much controversy in the media for her exploration of the idea of child suicide bombers.
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[edit] Biography
Malorie Blackman (b. February 8, 1962) went to a grammar school in Peckham. She wanted to be an English teacher.Her parents split up when she was 13. Malorie married Neil, who is Scottish, in the early 1990s and their daughter Elizabeth (Lizzy for short) was born in 1995. Malorie Blackman has been on the receiving end of racism both because she is black and because Lizzy is of mixed race.
'Not So Stupid', Malorie Blackman's first book, was published in November 1990 and she has since written over 50 books, the most well known being the Noughts and Crosses series. She has also written TV scripts including Byker Grove and Whizziwig episodes and the first four episodes of Pig Heart Boy.
Before writing Noughts and Crosses, Malorie Blackman was known for writing novels featuring main characters who were black but whose race was not relevant to the plot of the story, such as Pig Heart Boy. She decided to make black people the dominant, ruling class after needing a plaster one day and being struck that the only ones available were pink, designed to blend into white skin.
Noughts and Crosses was rated number 61 in the BBC's Big Read Top 100 books, making Malorie Blackman the only black author to feature in the top 100.
Noughts and Crosses is dedicated to Elizabeth and Neil, her daughter and husband, respectively.
[edit] Awards and Prizes
1994 WH Smith Mind Boggling Book of the Year Award Hacker
1994 Young Telegraph/Gimme 5 Children's Book of the Year Award Hacker
1996 Young Telegraph/Fully Booked Children's Book of the Year Award Thief!
1997 Excelle/Write Thing Children's Author of the Year Award
1997 Stockport Children's Book of the Year Award (Key Stage 3) A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E
1998 Carnegie Medal (shortlist) Pig-Heart Boy
1998 UKRA Award Pig-Heart Boy
1999 Wirral Children's Book of the Year Award Pig-Heart Boy
2002 FCBG Children's Book Award Noughts and Crosses series
2002 Lancashire Children's Book of the Year Award Noughts and Crosses series
2002 Sheffield Children's Book of the Year Award Noughts and Crosses series
2003 Wirral Children's Book of the Year Award Noughts and Crosses series
2004 Fantastic Fiction Award Noughts and Crosses series
2004 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Silver Award) (6-8 years category) Cloud Busting
[edit] Book List
Not So Stupid! Women's Press, 1990
Elaine, You're a Brat! Orchard, 1991
Girl Wonder and the Terrific Twins (illustrated by Pat Ludlow) Gollancz, 1991
That New Dress (illustrated by Rhian Nest James) Simon & Schuster, 1991
Betsey Biggalow is Here! (illustrated by Lis Toft) Piccadilly, 1992
Betsey Biggalow, the Detective (illustrated by Lis Toft) Piccadilly, 1992
Girl Wonder's Winter Adventures (illustrated by Lis Toft) Gollancz, 1992
Hacker Doubleday, 1992
Trust Me Women's Press, 1992
Betsey Biggalow: Hurricane Betsey (illustrated by Lis Toft) Piccadilly, 1993
Crazy Crocs (with Alexander McCall Smith and Sally-Ann Lever) Longman, 1994
Girl Wonder to the Rescue (illustrated by Lis Toft) Gollancz, 1994
Magic Betsey! (illustrated by Lis Toft) Piccadilly, 1994
My Friend's a Gris-Quok (illustrated by Philip Hopman) Scholastic, 1994
Rachel and the Difference Thief (illustrataed by Kim Harley) Longman, 1994
Rachel versus Bonecrusher the Mighty Longman, 1994
Jack Sweettooth the 73rd Viking, 1995
Mrs Spoon's Family (illustrated by Jan McCafferty) Andersen Press, 1995
Operation Gadgetman! Yearling, 1995
The Space Stowaway Ginn, 1995
Thief! Doubleday, 1995
Whizziwig (illustrated by Stephen Lee) Viking, 1995
A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E Doubleday, 1996
Betsey Biggalow: Betsey's Birthday Surprise (illustrated by Lis Toft) Piccadilly, 1996
Grandma Gertie's Haunted Handbag (illustrated by David Price) Heinemann, 1996
Peril on Planet Pellia (illustrated by Patrice Aggs) Orchard, 1996
The Mellion Moon Mystery (illustrated by Patrice Aggs) Orchard, 1996
The Quasar Quartz Quest (illustrated by Patrice Aggs) Orchard, 1996
The Secret of the Terrible Hand (illustrated by Patrice Aggs) Orchard, 1996
Computer Ghost Hippo, 1997
Don't Be Afraid Ginn, 1997
Out of This World (contributor; includes 'Contact' short story) Dolphin, 1997
Pig-Heart Boy Doubleday, 1997
Space Race (illustrated by Colin Mier) Corgi, 1997
Aesop's Fables (retold with illustrations by Patrice Aggs) Scholastic, 1998
Fangs (illustrated by Tony Blundell) Orchard, 1998
Lie Detectives Hippo, 1998
Words Last Forever Mammoth, 1998
Animal Avengers (illustrated by Stik) Mammoth, 1999
Dangerous Reality Doubleday, 1999
Dizzy's Wak (illustrated by Pamela Venus) Tamarind, 1999
Forbidden Game Puffin, 1999
Hostage (illustrated by Derek Brazell) Barrington Stoke, 1999
Marty Monster (illustrated by Kim Harley) Tamarind, 1999
Peacemaker and Other Stories (illustrated by Peter Richardson and David Hine) Heinemann Educational, 1999
Whizziwig Returns (illustrated by Stephen Lee) Puffin, 1999
Tell Me No Lies McMillan Children's Books, 2000
Anansi and the Rubber Man Longman, 2001
I Want a Cuddle! (illustrated by Joanne Partis) Orchard, 2001
Noughts & Crosses Doubleday, 2001
Snow Dog (illustrated by Sami Sweeten) Corgi, 2001
Dead Gorgeous Doubleday, 2002
Jessica Strange (with Alison Bartlett) Hodder Children's Books, 2002
The Monster Crisp-Guzzler (illustrated by Sami Sweeten) Corgi, 2002
An Eye for an Eye (novella) Corgi, 2003
Sinclair Wonder Bear (illustrated by Deborah Allwright) Egmont, 2003
The Amazing Adventures of Girl Wonder (illustrated by Lis Toft) Barn Owl, 2003
Cloud Busting Doubleday, 2004
Knife Edge Doubleday, 2004
Checkmate Doubleday, 2005
The Deadly Dare Mysteries (contents: 'Deadly Dare'; 'Computer Ghost';, 'Lie Detectives'; illustrated by Neil Chapman) Random House Children's Books, 2005
Whizziwig and Whizziwig Returns (re-published in one volume) Random House Children's Books, 2005
[edit] Noughts and Crosses Series
The Noughts and Crosses series is set in a world where black people (Crosses) are dominant over the white people (Noughts). The books' world is quite similar to ours, but racism and prejudice is much more apparent than it is today. The series tells the story of several characters from two interlinked families with very different positions in society.
[edit] Noughts and Crosses
A Book of Love
Persephone Hadley is a Cross, while Callum McGregor is a nought. As best friends, their relationship is frowned upon by society, a secret to Sephy's mother, and not approved by Callum's family.
Callum starts at Heathcroft, Sephy's posh, private school, previously inaccessible to noughts. Although he is two years older, Sephy is overjoyed to find him in her class. But the majority of her classmates will not accept that she, the daughter of a leading politician, wants to associate with a nought.
Their friendship goes from strength to strength as Callum's brother and father join the Liberation Militia, a violent organisation aimed at promoting equality between the two races, and Sephy becomes addicted to alcohol. They develop a more intimate connection.
However, after Callum's elder brother, Jude, and father, Ryan, are accused of terrorism, Callum is expelled and Ryan faces the gallows. Forunately, with the help of a lawyer Sephy hired, he escapes the hanging but must serve a lifetime in jail. Sadly, Ryan tries to ecape and is killed.
Sephy finally convinces her mother to allow her to go to Chivers. As she has not heard from Callum for a week, she writes him a letter, asking him to run away with her, and sends it with Sarah, the housemaid. Callum has decided to join the LM and does not read the letter until just before she leaves. Sephy is convinced that their friendship is no longer as important to him as she thought it was, oblivious to the fact that Callum attempted to catch up with her as she is driven away.
She returns from Chivers boarding school nearly 3 years later. Callum is now deep into the LM as part of the deadly Stiletto unit. He is reunited with his brother who joins the unit, charged with organizing a mission.
Sephy receives a letter asking her to meet Callum. She does so, on an isolated beach - Callum kisses her, but then she realizes it is a trap and the LM capture her for ransom.
During her imprisonment, Sephy knows that she will not get out alive... On the night that the terms are to be met, Callum is to guard Sephy, making sure she doesn't escape. But he soon realizes that he was not able to destroy all those feelings he had for her and they make love.
Callum can no longer stand to see her captured and helps Sephy escapes. He then runs away himself, for fear of being caught. But a few months later, Callum hears that she is pregnant, and returns to see her. After meeting in the rose garden, and deciding on a name for the baby, Callum is captured for he is thought to have raped Sephy. Sephy says it isn't true, but no one will listen to her protests and Callum is sentenced to be hanged.
Sephy father gives her a choice; to have an abortion and Callum will be in prison for a long time, or Callum will be hanged. Sephy feels if she has an abortion it'd be giving in to everything she stood for and denying her love to Callum, so she refuses.
While in prison, Callum has many thoughts such as a wish that Sephy will keep her child. He also writes a letter to Sephy.
On the day of Callum's hanging, Sephy chooses not to be present, but changes her mind, declaring her love for Callum as he drops from the rope. Hearing Sephy's shouts of love, he replies with an "I love you too," though Sephy isn't certain if she heard the too. The book ends with the announcement of the birth of Sephy's daughter, Callie Rose.
[edit] Knife Edge
A Book Of Hate
The second of the Noughts and Crosses trilogy. Sephy has now had Callum's daughter, Callie Rose, but Callum's brother Jude is determined to destroy Sephy's life - by any means necessary. He meets a Cross, Cara, and befriends her in order to have access to some money. Meanwhile, Sephy is living with Meggie and begins to become increasingly fond of Callie Rose. She begins to tell Callie Rose about her father, Callum, until one day, Sephy is given a letter from Callum, before he died, that says he always hated her. Although Meggie refuses to believe the letter, Sephy becomes extrememly depressed. Sephy meets Jaxon, a hot-tempered man who formed a band, the Midges. He offers Sephy a singing part (because she is a cross), however, she is put down by the noughts because of who she is. Soon, she begins to neglect Callie Rose.
Meanwhile, Cara starts spending a lot of time with Jude. Although he loathes all crosses, we can see that he begins to fall in love with her. Cara is unsatisfied with the relationship and can see Jude in unwilling to open up to her, so she confronts him. Frustrated with the feelings he has for Cara, Jude abuses her, and she later dies because of this. When Jude is convicted of murdering Cara, Sephy must make a decision. She would never ascossiate with Jude, due to the fact that he shot her sister previously, Minerva. However, she struggles to let Meggie lose the last of her family, keeping in mind that Lynnette, Callum and her husband have all died. Sephy decides to be Jude's alibi for Meggie's sake. Despite the fact that Sephy helped Jude, he still holds a grudge against her.
Sephy's life begins to fall apart, for now both races hate her. The Crosses, because she helped Jude escape, and the Noughts, because she didn't come to his aid right away. So, she begins to suffer from post-natal depression - which results in her hugging Callie Rose too tight, nearly killing her.
[edit] Checkmate
A Book Of Hope
The third and final book of the trilogy. Callie Rose struggles with growing up as a 'halfer', and when she learns the truth about her nought father's life from her friend Tobey, she grows angry with Sephy for hiding the truth and decides to follow Callum's path. Sephy feels trapped and rejects an offer from her boyfriend Sonny when he asks to marry her, causing Callie to withdraw into Jude's clutches, where he starts to groom her into being a suicide bomber, in order to murder Sephy's father, Kamal Hadley. Jasmine Hadley, Sephy's mother, does what she can to bring Callie and Sephy closer together but develops breast cancer and struggles with her life. In a moment of weakness she drinks a glass of wine, breaking her vow to never drink alcohol again. Eventually, Sephy is given a letter that was written by Callum before he was hanged. It is the real letter, while the letter Sephy received in the second book was an attempt at getting Sephy to move on. In this letter, it is revealed that Callum did, indeed, love her more than anything. In the end Sephy and Callie Rose rekindle their relationship, whilst Jude and Jasmine die together because Jasmine set off a bomb in order to prevent Jude from hurting Callie and Sephy any more.
[edit] An Eye For An Eye
A short novella that gives an insight to the events in Knife Edge and why they happen. Written for national bookday but still managed to claim an award and is also well liked as a short story by many.
