17 June 2013
Malorie Blackman has been appointed the Waterstones Children's Laureate for 2013-2015, and has vowed to get children reading more as well as to continue the support for libraries shown by her predecessor Julia Donaldson. Blackman said: "I am honoured to have been chosen as the eighth Children's Laureate. A love of books has opened so many doors for me. Stories have inspired me and taught me to aspire. I've been a professional author for over 20 years, so I feel now is the time to give something back. I hope to instil in every child I meet my love and enthusiasm for reading and stories."