Malorie Blackman needs little introduction. She is one of Britain's greatest writers for children and young adults, celebrated for imaginatively exploring serious issues. Yet Blackman's path to glory was long and hard.

Blackman was born in South London. Her parents had immigrated from BarbadosAn island nation in the Caribbean. Most of its inhabitants are the descendants of slaves who were traded under British rule. as part of the Windrush GenerationThousands of people who migrated from the Caribbean to Britain between 1948 and 1971 are known as the Windrush Generation. The first boat to arrive in 1948 was called the HMT Empire Windrush. . As a child she faced racist abuse at school. She remembers being told to "go back to where you came from".

Age 13, her father left home. The next day, Blackman's family was evicted. They lived in a rat-infested homeless shelter. She and her four siblings lived on water and cream crackers. As Blackman recalls: "We were one step up from sleeping on park benches".

Books were her escape. She loved comic books, fairy tales, myths and legends. She admired Charlotte BronteAn early 19th Century English novelist. The eldest of the three Bronte sisters. , Daphne du MaurierAn English novelist and playwright, born in 1907. One of her best known novels is Rebecca. and Agatha ChristieAn English writer known for her dozens of detective fiction novels, and the detectives Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. . Blackman says: "I used to get told off for daydreaming so often, which is ironic, because that's how I make my living!"

Blackman wanted to become an English teacher. Yet a careers advisor told her "Black people don't become English teachers". She became a programmer instead.

As an adult Blackman still faced huge adversity. She suffers from sickle cell diseaseA group of inherent disorders that cause unusually shaped red blood cells in sufferers. . After it caused her to collapse, she overheard a doctor say: "She's going to be dead before she's 30".¹

Blackman decided to make every day count. She began writing. It was not easy: she received 82 rejection letters. But she kept trying. "If you hope things can be better," she says, "that's when you try and make things better. Hope is the spark." In 1990, she finally released her first short story collection.

Her hope and effort paid off. Throughout the 90s she released a string of bestselling novels. Hackers (1992) explored the then-new world of computer hacking. Whizziwig (1995) starred a wish-granting alien. And Pig-Heart Boy (1997) tracked the prejudice faced by a teenager saved by an unexpected organ transplant.

As a child Blackman had found almost no stories featuring Black protagonistsLeading characters.: "I still remember feeling I was totally invisible in the world of literature". She decided to change this.

In 2001 she published Noughts & Crosses. It imagines a racially segregated society where the powerful Black Crosses rule over the White Noughts. An honest and brutal look at how societies can be dominated by racism, it was a huge hit. It has since had eight sequels and been adapted for the stage and television.

The honours have come thick and fast. Blackman was children's laureateSomebody who has been honoured for art or science. from 2013 to 2015. She has won numerous awards and received an OBEThe Order of the British Empire, a lesser honour than a CBE.. She has some famous fans. StormzyA British rapper and songwriter. once rapped: "I'm Malorie Blackman the way I sell books."

Blackman is frustrated that racism continues today. But she takes heart that her books have inspired children to think and read. "If I have served any purpose on this planet, I think - I hope - it's been to switch a few people on to reading and maybe even turn a few people into writers as well."

Yes: Hope can have a powerful effect on our lives. Look at the placebo effect, where people recover from sickness despite being given a fake pill or treatment. Living without hope can lead us to despair.

No: A need is something that is essential for our lives. And although hope is very important for our happiness, we can live without it. Our greatest needs are physical ones: food, water and shelter.

Or... Hope is a very powerful thing. But it must be backed up with real possibility of change. It can lead to unrealistic expectations. A hope defeated can be more devastating than no hope at all.