Patrice Lawrence chosen as new children’s laureate

Patrice Lawrence has been named the new Waterstones children’s laureate, and is planning to use her appointment to highlight how reading helps communities “connect and cohere” in “times of fragmentation”.

Lawrence, known for her YA novels including Orangeboy and Needle, succeeds Frank Cottrell-Boyce in the role. She was presented with the laureate medal by Cottrell-Boyce at a ceremony hosted by poet and broadcaster Lemn Sissay at London’s Barbican Centre on Tuesday.

Launching her two-year tenure, Lawrence said stories could help children “feel seen, understood and, most importantly, valued”, adding: “We are living in a divided world where many people feel isolated – we need this now, more than ever.”

Her laureateship will focus on the potential for shared reading to foster belonging and community, particularly for children who feel marginalised. She also plans to celebrate the “unsung heroes” who nurture readers.

Speaking to the Guardian, Lawrence said she wanted to build an evidence base demonstrating the impact of books on children’s lives, particularly those in care, refugee children, and the children of prisoners.

Lawrence, 59, has become one of Britain’s most celebrated children’s authors since Orangeboy won the Waterstones children’s book prize and the Bookseller YA book prize in 2017. She has since published 16 books spanning picture books and young adult novels, including People Like Stars, Is That Your Mama? and Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush, winning an MBE for services to literature in 2021 and election as a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature two years later.

Born to Trinidadian parents in Sussex, her writing often centres on foster care and contemporary Black British life, growing out of an absence she felt as a young reader.

Lawrence’s appointment “gives a much-needed voice to the vulnerable children pushed to the edge of our society,” said Diana Gerald, CEO of BookTrust, which manages the laureate role.

“Patrice is recognised as an essential voice in children’s literature, and booksellers love to recommend her work,” added Nick Campbell, children’s campaign manager at Waterstones. “Her irresistibly compelling novels illuminate the lives of today’s young people.”

Outgoing laureate Cottrell-Boyce spent his time in the role highlighting the way that reading for pleasure can transform children’s outcomes, in tandem with the UK’s National Year of Reading.

Other past laureates include Quentin Blake, Michael Morpurgo, Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Rosen, Julia Donaldson, Malorie Blackman, Lauren Child and Cressida Cowell.