Children have limited power to shape their own lives, but when they can experiment with possibilities through books, their optimism can be recharged and kept alive. Morris Gleitzman alivebookchild Change image and share on social
I've always been interested in setting my stories against a big event, the importance of which my younger readers are slowly becoming aware of as they move into their teens. Morris Gleitzman awarebigevent Change image and share on social
Because kids are physically smaller, there's an assumption by people who haven't read a kids' book for a long time that their ideas and themes and problems and ambitions must be commensurately smaller and less important. I would venture that sometimes the opposite is true. Morris Gleitzman ambitionassumptionbook share on social
Although my stories are all very different on the surface, I like to write stories about characters struggling with big problems. I'm always reminded, no matter how different from me one of my characters is from me on the surface, how we're all pretty much the same underneath. Morris Gleitzman bigcharactermatter share on social
In all of my books, I'm taking them on an emotionally challenging and sometimes physically dangerous process with a bit of fun and anarchy along the way. With the power comes responsibility. Morris Gleitzman anarchybitebook Change image and share on social
Because of my poor writing posture, I started walking in the forest every day, and I found it a potent place to be creatively. It changed me in that it was a new way of doing my creative process, and I realised how much I liked being among tall trees. Morris Gleitzman changecreativecreatively share on social
Boys, particularly, like stories where they can have images in their imagination, where they can go to scary places and experiment with what can happen. Morris Gleitzman boyexperimenthappen Change image and share on social
I like to write stories where young people have a strong feeling about something being fair or unfair, right or wrong, cruel or kind, and they act on the basis of that - often in the face of the prevailing limits of behaviour. Morris Gleitzman actbasisbehaviour share on social
Kids who are nine, 10 and 11 are pretty sophisticated readers; they know that there isn't always a good outcome every time and that problems don't always have solutions. Morris Gleitzman goodkidoutcome Change image and share on social
Halfway through primary school, I realised that I was not as physically strong or fearless as many kids. So, in situations of conflict, I quickly learned that it worked better for me to get out of situations or maybe kind of, you know, prevail in a conflict situation by using humour than by trying to punch somebody out. Morris Gleitzman conflictfearlesshalfway share on social