Family loyalties and friendships are also central to the plot and when Lydia is transported into the future she not only meets her brother but also must confront her older self!

Whizziwig
Malorie likes genies that grant wishes in stories, and she decided to take this device and change it for a contemporary audience. Instead of a genie, she uses a space alien, who grants unselfish wishes.

For younger, less experienced readers, 'Whizziwig' is a simply told tale of a friendly furry alien, who has crash-landed on Ben's roof. In order to mend the spacecraft, 'she' must grant 23 wishes, which people wish for someone else. The humour of the story lies in the fact that the recipient does not always appreciate the wishes she grants!

What children say about Malorie
Throughout the programme, children make comments about Malorie.

• 'you can't stop reading her books'
• 'she includes happiness and emotions'
• 'she uses twists and questions which keep you guessing'
• 'she's like a friend'
• 'her books have got short chapters, which help you remember where you are in the story'

Malorie's childhood
Malorie shows us around her old primary school in Lewisham and as she remembers the past, we see the young Malorie in the classroom and playground of almost thirty years ago. She tells us that she was good at English and relatively good at maths and always being told off for laughing and chattering, one school report said that 'Malorie's prone to unnecessary outbursts of laughter'! Malorie doesn't think she's changed much since then because she still talks and laughs a lot!

How Malorie starts writing
1. Start with a simple idea for the plot
2. Make characters believable
(a) write a biography for each character (this could be up to two pages long including their appearance, their likes and dislikes and so on, to make them 'real people')
(b) make sure the characters define the plot
3. First draft chapter breakdown
4. Know where the plot is going by working out the beginning, middle and end