Who is Malorie Blackman?

She’s the current Children’s Laureate (for a few more weeks at least). She is a well known name amongst both teens and the education sector. As an English teacher I was bursting with joy to see her talk of the highlights of her career both as a writer and as Children’s Laureate. She did not fail to please.

Not only was she funny, she addressed key issues that affect teachers, children and parents. There was a distinct focus on reading for pleasure which Blackman freely advocates as being the most important developmental feature in teenagers. One of the key ideas to enable this more freely across the board is through the use of libraries. Again, Blackman is an advocate of libraries, stating how ‘libraries are mandatory in prisons but not in schools’ with the tone of shock and disdain. The other idea freely exposed is parental engagement with children’s reading, especially in terms of male reading role models.