Interview: Lauren Child

13-year-old detective Ruby Redfort is a whiz at cracking codes, but for her creator, Lauren Child, a passion for maths came disappointingly late...

Teach Primary: Where did you go to school?

Lauren Child: I went to several different infant and primary schools, the last of which was Lockeridge primary in Wiltshire. I moved to this school because my mum, who was a primary teacher, was worried that I wasn’t learning enough maths. She was right! When I first arrived at Lockeridge they realised I was a bit out of my depth.

TP: Were the other schools bad?

LC: There were good things about the other primary schools, but they were less structured. They were ‘arty’ and did things as they came up – it was in the days before everything was terribly assessed – but I liked the sense of surprise.

TP: As an arty person, how did you feel about the more structured approach at Lockeridge?

LC: I loved the more structured environment; you can love both things. I found the previous school quite difficult when I first arrived because it was so fluid and I think children like to know what they’re doing. I didn’t have bags of confidence and I was only seven, so it was disconcerting. It was only later on, when my confidence grew, that I found it liberating. Things changed when I made friends with a girl who I thought was great. The people in your class make an enormous difference. But I liked the discipline of my new school and working in a structured way, too. It wasn’t like it is now – there wasn’t the same pressure and emphasis on homework. I just enjoyed that you had to be reading every day, and that you did maths every day.

TP: What are your overwhelming memories from your time at school?

LC: I have a lot. It’s the beginning of your life so those memories are very strong; it’s the first time you’ve been in particular situations. The memories can be profound because often you don’t have much control over your life. Getting in trouble for things felt like it could be the end of the world and I remember how teachers could sometimes overreact in such a pointless way. I remember having to go to the headmistress after I skived off school with my friend. “Didn’t you think you’d get caught!?” she asked. But of course we thought we’d be caught! It was obvious. Ten of us skived off two different lessons. As a child you’re thinking about the initial gain, you’re not thinking about how awful it’s going to be when you’re found out. The way my Latin teacher dealt with it was so much better. He just said, “It’s really disappointing.” It was so crushing. I skipped class for a good reason, though. I couldn’t stand my maths teacher; I felt he was a bit of a bully. I was always getting into trouble because I didn’t understand the way he taught.

TP: How’s your maths now?

LC:I think it’s OK. The funny thing about it, which I’ve learnt over the years, is that we all have different brains and different ways of learning. The sad thing about the way we teach is that, generally, we only use one method. If you can’t learn maths using that method then you’re not going to get it. That was the sadness for me – that I never did very well in maths. It was only in my second year of O Level maths that I had this amazingly inspirational teacher. She taught maths in a completely different way so that I could see it. I really began to understand and love it, but it was too late for me to do well. I am aware of that now with my own daughter, who goes to a Montessori. I look at how they teach with such envy.

TP: You worked with Marcus du Sautoy to develop the secret codes found in the Ruby Redfort books. It must have been interesting to see into his mathematical brain?

LC: Meeting Marcus was very exciting for me. I love the logic involved in problem solving and puzzles and I think that’s what Marcus is trying to pioneer – getting children interested and excited by maths, rather than terrified by it. I think it’s a brilliant thing. I was watching my god daughter trying to do her maths holiday homework and I felt such sympathy for her. I couldn’t bear it because I thought there’s no need for this child to be struggling. She doesn’t get the traditional way of teaching maths.

TP: Are you good at cracking codes?

LC: I can’t crack the codes in the same way as Marcus, but it’s interesting to think what your strengths might be. I remember one Christmas we had these anagram puzzles and I was finding them really easy. I suddenly realised that it was because my mind is very good at jumbling things up and seeing a pattern in them. It made me realise that we get worried about things – as though there are some people who can do everything – but there are very few people who can do everything well. That’s why writing about Ruby is fun, because she is one of those people who can do nearly everything.

TP: How do you expect children will react to a character like Ruby who can do nearly everything?

LC: Ruby Redfort originally appeared as a fictional character in one of my Clarice Bean books and I think most children can relate to Clarice and that yearning to be better – more confident, or popular, or courageous. These are things we all feel from time to time. But Ruby is an exceptional hero; you look at her and wish you were her. I think we all need those characters in our lives.

TP: Did you have any role models like that when you were at school?

I suppose I did. There’s a book called Grimble by Clement Freud. It’s a comedy in which a boy comes home and finds a note from his parents saying they’ve gone off to Peru, or somewhere like that. There are various other notes around the house with information about where he can find sandwiches and other supplies. What I liked is that he’s nonplussed; he just gets on with it. I liked Pippi Longstocking for a similar reason, she’s someone who takes charge of her own life. Perhaps I saw it as a way of managing my own world.

TP: So Ruby Redfort is about children’s desire for independence?

LC: Absolutely. Ruby comes from films like Bugsy Malone and some of those early Jodie Foster movies like Freaky Friday – I love the early 70s Disney films. They were so good at understanding that children want to see a child’s eye view of the world, to get rid of the adults.

TP: What do you hope children will get from reading the Ruby Redfort books?

LC: Primarily I just want them to really enjoy reading. Ruby Redfort became a fictional character in the Clarice Bean stories because I wanted Clarice to have a book that her uninspiring teacher would really disapprove of, because she doesn’t feel it has any real educational content. I wanted Clarice to prove that not everything has to be about that, about writing the perfect book, or reading a book that’s beautifully written. There are other things we get from reading, like being able get away from your problems and escape into another world. We need to learn to enjoy reading just because it’s enjoyable. I think there’s too much talk about what it is ‘right’ for children to read, but I think it’s right to read anything you love.