I think fan fiction is the way most writers start, and the same goes for music and design. Malorie Blackman More Quotes by Malorie Blackman More Quotes From Malorie Blackman I started reading seriously at seven or eight, books about myths and legends, the Narnia series. By the time I was 11, I had read all the children's books in my local library, so I moved on to 'Jane Eyre.' What I loved about Jane Eyre was that she didn't rely on her looks but her character. She had a spirit nobody could break. Malorie Blackman library time character children When life knocks you down, keep getting up. Malorie Blackman down up you life History should belong to all of us, and it needs to include people from different cultural backgrounds. Otherwise, it risks becoming irrelevant to children, who could then become disenchanted with education. Malorie Blackman education history children people I remember, when I was at school, we would have a 10-minute storytelling session where we'd all sit on the floor cross-legged, and the teacher would read. It became something we all really looked forward to. That was part of the reason I grew to love stories. Malorie Blackman remember teacher love school I remember being in a history lesson and saying to my teacher, 'How come you never talk about black scientists and inventors and pioneers?' And she looked at me and said, 'Because there aren't any.' Malorie Blackman me you teacher history Teenagers are some of the most passionate, dynamic and creative people I know. Yet, too often, this creative spark is left to flicker precariously and sometimes fade entirely. Malorie Blackman know creative sometimes people There is a saying: 'The child is parent to the adult', which means whatever happens to you as a child or teenager affects the adult you become. You are forged in your history. And fiction is an incredibly important force in shaping children, and that's why fiction needs to be diverse. Malorie Blackman you parent history children Books allow you to see the world through the eyes of others. Malorie Blackman eyes see you world I believe each individual can have a say and make a difference. Malorie Blackman make-a-difference difference believe Life isn't about quantity, it's about quality. Malorie Blackman about quantity quality life What I would like to do is make sure every primary school child has a library card, so where parents don't get their children library cards, we'll see if we can get schools to step in and make sure that every child has one. Malorie Blackman step parents library children We had a few non-fiction books at home, but my dad was of the opinion that fiction was a complete and utter waste of time because it wasn't real - so what was the point of reading it? Malorie Blackman dad reading home time I would like to use stories as a springboard for children to make their own creative responses. I would like to encourage them to express themselves using music, art, film or whatever, and upload it to a website having been inspired by particular stories. Malorie Blackman music creative children art Part of my job as Children's Laureate is to visit schools and talk about my love of books and stories and encourage them all to do it as well - to read, to write, to never be afraid of their own voice. Because we all have something to say. Malorie Blackman job voice love children I suppose I've always lived in my own head. I didn't discover boys till sixth form. Then suddenly it was, 'Oh! Boys!' Malorie Blackman head own always my-own I believe we need more culturally diverse books - about disabled characters, though not about their disability, about people with different sexual orientations, or a boy who is a cross-dresser. We need to reflect the diversity of our society. Malorie Blackman boy society believe people I work in my attic, and the view is next door's chimney stack. Malorie Blackman door view next work A film of my life would never happen! Malorie Blackman happen my-life never life I remember going into a bookshop, and the only book I saw with a black child on the cover was 'A Thief in the Village' by James Berry, and I thought, 'Is this still the state of publishing?' Then I thought, 'Either I can whine about it or try to do something about it.' Malorie Blackman child village black remember I wanted to have a body of work behind me before I wrote about racism. Malorie Blackman me body racism work
