Product Description

Can the future ever erase the past? Rose has a Cross mother and a nought father in a society where the pale-skinned noughts are treated as inferiors and those with dual heritage face a life-long battle against deep-rooted prejudices. Sephy, her mother, has told Rose virtually nothing about her father, but as Rose grows into a young adult, she unexpectedly discovers the truth about her parentage, and becomes determined to find out more, to honour both sides of her heritage. But her father's family has a complicated history - one tied up with the fight for equality for the nought population. And as Rose takes her first steps away from Sephy and into this world, she finds herself drawn inexorably into more and more danger. Suddenly, it's a game of very high stakes that can only have one winner...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2058 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

From the Back Cover
Can the future ever erase the past?

Callie Rose has a Cross mother and a nought father in a society where the pale-skinned noughts are treated as inferiors and those with dual heritage face a life-long battle against deep-rooted prejudices.

Sephy, her mother, has told Rose virtually nothing about her father, but Rose unexpectedly discovers the truth about her parentage, with potentially devastating results. As Rose takes her first steps away from Sephy and into her father’s world, she finds herself drawn inexorably into a dangerous, deadly game – a game of very high stakes that can have only one winner . . .

The dramatic and intensely moving third novel in the award-winning Noughts & Croses trilogy.

‘Blackman is a terrific thriller writer’ Evening Standard

‘A brilliantly imagined world’ Publishing News

‘A perfect end to an important and thought-provoking trilogy’ The Bookseller

NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNGER READERS

About the Author
Malorie Blackman worked as a database manager and systems programmer before becoming a full-time writer. Her reputation has steadily grown and she has been awarded a number of prizes including the WHSmith's Mind-Boggling Books Award and the Young Telegraph/Gimme 5 award for HACKER, the Young Telegraph/Fully Booked award for THIEF! and, more recently, shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for PIG-HEART BOY. She was voted Voice/Excel Children's Writer of the Year in 1997. Her novel NOUGHTS AND CROSSES has won both the Children's Book Award and the Lancashire Children's Book Award 2002. THE TIMES recently described her as 'a bit of a national treasure.'

Customer Reviews

Touching and memorable
This third book in the fantastic "Noughts and Crosses" trilogy proves to be a tense and thought-provoking conclusion. If you have read and enjoyed the previous two novels in Malorie Blackman's much-acclaimed series, "Noughts and Crosses" and "Knife Edge", then there is absolutely no doubt that you will love "Checkmate" too. The story follows "Nought" (white) Callum and "Cross" (black) Sephy's mixed-race daughter Callie Rose as she grows up and discovers all about her disturbing past, while struggling to fit in in a severely prejudiced society. Blackman really manages to move the reader and sustain interest throughout the novel, and I for one continuously wished for racist attitudes to be wiped from the planet as I was reading this book. I was so engrossed in the story that I found myself finishing the novel within a day of purchasing it, which undoubtedly speaks for itself. As in "Noughts and Crosses" and "Knife Edge", the plot is disturbing and touching, and if you have read either of the afore-mentioned novels, you will not have discovered everything about Callum and Sephy's story until you have devoured the final page of the brilliant "Checkmate". I highly recommend this book for teenagers and adults alike.

Unbelievable
This book is one of the best I've ever read. It is the third in a fantastic trilogy, about racial prejudice. It's an emotional rollercoaster, telling the story of the childhood of Callie Rose, daughter of Persephone. Callie Rose is a sixteen-year-old girl, commonly deregarded by society because she has a white, or blanker, father. The plot is original and gripping, and the emotion is breathtaking. This book was long awaited after the impressive 'Noughts and Crosses'and 'Knife Edge' from earlier on in the series, which show Sephy and Callum (Callie's father) growing up, and showing the extent of the prejudice.
This really is an amazing book, and i don't want to say any more about it for fear of giving away some of the plot, but it's a stunning novel, and i really would advise it.

Breathtaking
If you like bad guys, this is the book for you!
Apart from the Sephy/Callum story that still dominates this book, there is one character who is to die for.
His name? Jude.
Just read the book- it's brilliant.