Product Description

Award-winning author Malorie Blackman tackles the issues of racism and prejudice in a world set in an alternate historical reality

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #724 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-08
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Malorie Blackman is a fine, award-winning author whose work is always inclined to provoke debate amongst her readers, and indeed her peers. With Noughts and Crosses she surpasses expectation not only with her subject matter, but with the execution of a stimulating and provocative plot line that often leaves the reader chilled to the bone.

Sephy and Callum have been best friends since childhood, and now they are older and they realise they want more from each other. But the harsh realities of lives lived in a segregated society are beginning to take their toll: Callum is a nought--a second-class citizen in a world dominated by the Crosses--and Sephy is a Cross, and the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the country. The barriers they would have to cross to be together at first seem little more than minor obstacles to the two idealistic teenagers, but soon those barriers threaten not only their friendship but their lives.

Noughts and Crosses is written with the passion of an author who has a personal message about the perception of the past, present and future, and Blackman has used the clever device of turning preconceived ideas of racial prejudice upside down to make sure that her point is well and truly made. Deeply disturbing and totally absorbing this novel is intriguing from the outset, with a shocking climax that packs an unforgettable punch. (Age 11 and over) --Susan Harrison

Synopsis
Sephy is a Cross - a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a nought - a 'colourless' member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood. But that's as far as it can go. Until the first steps are taken towards more social equality and a limited number of Noughts are allowed into Cross schools...Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity by Noughts, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum - a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger...

From the Back Cover
I had to make a choice. I had to decide what kind of friend Callum was going to be to me. But what surprised and upset me was that I even had to think about it...

Callum is a nought - a second-class citizen in a world run by the ruling Crosses. He is also one of the first nought youngsters to be given the chance of a decent education by studying at a school for Crosses...

Sephy is a Cross, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the country - a man doing his best to keep power in the hands of the Crosses. Friends with Callum since early childhood, hoping for something more to develop, she is looking forward to Callum's arrival at her school...

But in their world, noughts and Crosses simply don't mix. And as hostility turns to violence, can Callum and Sephy possibly find a way to be together? They are determined to try. And then a bomb explodes...

Set in an alternate reality, in a world where black and white are right and wrong, Noughts and Crosses is a gripping, stimulating and often provocative novel in which two young people attempt to make a stand for their beliefs regardless of the horrifying cost to their hopes and desires.

Customer Reviews

DOES LOVE REALLY CONQUER ALL?
as i work in a bookstore, on the children's department, i was told to read this over and over by collegues and customers...it then became apparent that it was on the school reading lists and then it all started if pupils were told to read it then it must be good. from the very first page u are drawn to to the charcters.

TH FIRST IN THE TRILOGY.welcome to the world where noughts and crosses don't mix, the noughts are white 2nd class citizens (so to speak) and the crosses are black 1st class citizens.

sephy and callum are the two characters that dictate the story. having grown up together and been torn apart by their families (an incident occurs in the prologue) the best friends have been secretly meeting up and a strong love between them grows. sephy is naive to the real world and callum is anything but. the first kiss is innocent and sweet but they know they can't be togther in a world full with prejudices. both their worlds are falling apart without the other knowing, which leads to the crossroad where the REAL story unravells.

sephy's mother is a drunk who pays no attention to either her or her sister and requests to be sent off to boarding school (with the added fact that the bond between sephy and callum has severly deteriorated) and so is sent off leaving a letter for callum behind, to see if he really wants to be with her then to meet him so they can run away together.

callum, on the other hand comes from a loving close nit family that deals with devestaing situations that results in the late arrival of sephy's letter and so joins his brother jude in the liberation militia (a terrorist group- that want to eliminate the ruling class: jude sees them as 'freedom fighters')

as several years pass by, both sephy and callum have changed, sephy still carries a tourch for callum but assumes he doesn't feel the same otherwise they would've been togther, whilst callum has become so involved in the L.M that he has closed off any feelings he has at all. the L.M plot to kidnap sephy as her father is a man of the government and hold her for ransom, but when the kidnap is done and both callum and sephy meet, both their feelings are reignited. callum realises his love for sephy and with a twist of fate sephy with his help escapes. several days later sephy's sister minerva realises her constant vomiting and a revelation is made.

with yet another devestaing twist callum mcgregor is prisoned for rape, the charges determine whether he spends his days in prison or sent to hang. sephy's news doesn't go down well with her high authoritied father and is blackmailed into either having an abortion which in turns determines callums life is saved or keep the baby and he is left to hang. the book ends on one of the best climaxes ever! malorie blackman's ability as an author is credible to say the least there really is never a dull moment in this book my emotions ran wild between the two characters you become so involved and the results are powerful. M.blackman has opened the eyes of young adults to the unfainess of society and the idea to reverse the sterotypical ideals of white and black is by far effective. please note to younger readers and parents concidering this trilogy for their children, the is one strong scene where sephy and callum are extremely intimate. i read noughts and crosses and knife edge in two days a piece i have just started checkmate and i'm on the edge of my seat!!!no other trilogy will compare to this thought provoking and brutally honest set.

Best book in the whole world
I could sum up my whole review in those six words. Best-book-in-the-whole-world. Everyone should be forced to read it. I advise you to not read the prologue though (not because its bad) but because it could give a wrong impression about what the book is about. I truly loved this book. There is legendary parts of the book that is so great. like the time when Callum said....and then he....and they did. Or even the time when Sephy...and then he....her. It was beautiful.

Amazing read!
The thing about this book is that it tackles such a difficult topic. And the book really manages to bring to reality what it can be like to live in such a racist world.

You really feel connected with the characters and I became completely absorbed in the story. I found that all three times I've read it, I've just had a few hours where I couldn't stop reading until I'd finished it!

I first read this when I was 13 but now I'm older, I still find it a powerful read so don't be put off that it's a "kid's book".

I wouldn't necessarily say it's the best book I've ever read but certainly one of them. I've recommended to countless people this book and they all loved it!