Patrice Lawrence named UK children's laureate

Author Patrice Lawrence has been appointed the 14th UK children's laureate, pledging to prioritise vulnerable children and address low reading rates among teenage boys.

• Patrice Lawrence, author of the young adult novel Orangeboy, has become the 14th UK children's laureate, succeeding Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
• Lawrence said she hopes her tenure encourages children who may never have felt seen to understand that their lives and stories are valued.
• Lawrence's debut play Physical Education, which examines teenage masculinity, opened in Swansea last week.
• Lawrence has promised to put the most vulnerable children at the heart of her two-year tenure.