What I wanted to do was use literature and different kinds of stories and poems as a springboard, tapping into the creativity of our teens - I wanted teenagers to come up with their own creative responses to literature - using books themselves as a starting point.

Malorie Blackman

Categorized in : Own Literature Creative Creativity

But remember this if nothing else: I love you more than there are words or stars. I love you more than there are thoughts and feelings. I love you more than there are seconds or moments gone or to come. I love you.

Malorie Blackman

i-love-you-more stars feelings

Never, ever allow yourself to feel. Feelings kill.

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses feelings feels

I hadn't fully realized just how powerful words could be before this. Whoever came up with the saying 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me' was talking out of his or her armpit.

Malorie Blackman

powerful hurt talking

People are people. We'll always find a way to mess up, doesn't matter who's in charge.

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses matter people

Sometimes the things you're convinced you don't want turn out to be the thing you need the most in this world.

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses world needs

The status quo is never news, only challenges to it.

Malorie Blackman

status-quo news challenges

You're a Nought and I'm a Cross and there's nowhere for us to be, nowhere for us to go where we'd be left in peace...That's why I started crying. That's why I couldn't stop. For all the things we might've had and all the things we're never going to have.

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses cry might

Why was it that when noughts committed criminal acts, the fact that they were noughts was always pointed out? The banker was a Cross. The newsreader didn't even mention it.

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses criminals bankers

But the Good Book said a lot of things. Like 'love thy neighbor' and ' do unto others as you would have them do unto you'. If nothing else, wasn't the message of the Good Book to live and let live? So how could the Crosses call themselves 'God's chosen' and still treat us the way they did?

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses like-love book

D'you ever wonder what it would be like if our positions were reversed?' I ask. At Jack's puzzled look I continue. 'If we whites were in charge instead of you Crosses?' 'Can't say it's ever crossed my mind,' Jack shrugs. 'I used to think about it a lot,' I sigh. 'Dreams of living in a world with no more discrimination, no more prejudice, a fair police force, an equal justice system, equality of education, equality of life, a level playing field.

Malorie Blackman

dream justice thinking

That just the way it is. Some things will never change. That's just the way it is. But don't you believe them.

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses believe way

Dear God, please let him have heard me. Please. Please. If you're up there. Somewhere.

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses dear-god heard

A backup plan means somewhere in my head, I think I might fail and that word is not in my vocabulary. Plus I'm too talented to fail.

Malorie Blackman

vocabulary mean thinking

Because my mum and dad brought me up to believe that people are different but equal. And that I should treat everyone, no matter who, with the same respect I'd like to be shown.

Malorie Blackman

dad believe people

The news lies all the time. They tell us what they think we would want to hear.

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses lying thinking

The truth isn't going to bend itself to suit you.

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses suits-you suits

The point is, you have family and friends who love you. You have a world out there just waiting for you to conquer it. You have a life that will be anything you make it. That's the point.

Malorie Blackman

family-and-friends waiting love-you

And just like that, I'd been assessed and judged. Nurse Fashoda didn't know the first thing about me but she'd taken one look at my face and now she reckoned she knew my whole life story -- what had gone before and what was yet to come.

Malorie Blackman

taken nurse looks

So why did you want to kiss me?" "We're friends aren't we?" Callum shrugged. I relaxed into a smile. "Of course we are." "And if you can't kiss your friends who can you kiss?" Callum smiled.

Malorie Blackman

kiss-me kissing want

And things go unsaid soon get forgotten

Malorie Blackman

noughts-and-crosses unsaid forgotten