Checkmate

Malorie Blackman has written over seventy books for children and young adults, including the Noughts & Crosses series, Thief and a science-fiction thriller, Chasing the Stars. Many of her books have also been adapted for stage and television, including a BAFTA-award-winning BBC production of Pig-Heart Boy and a Pilot Theatre stage adaptation by Sabrina Mahfouz of Noughts & Crosses. There is also a major BBC production of Noughts & Crosses, with Roc Nation (Jay-Z’s entertainment company) curating the soundtrack as executive music producer. In 2005 Malorie was honoured with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the world of children’s books. In 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children’s literature, and between 2013 and 2015 she was the Children’s Laureate. Most recently Malorie wrote for the Doctor Who series on BBC One, and the fifth novel in her Noughts & Crosses series, Crossfire, was published by Penguin Random House Children’s in summer 2019.

"Thought-provoking brilliance" The Sunday Times "Complex but beautifully crafted ... dramatic, intensely moving ... it truly ensnares the reader" Carousel "A perfect end to an important and thought-provoking trilogy" -- Sarah Harbon The Bookseller "Checkmate once again explores the lasting impact of prejudice, discrimination and the legacy of traumatic family history on the next generation in the author's brilliantly imagined world. Readers will not be dissapointed" Publishing News "There is no mistaking the genuine grassroots passion with which Checkmate, the final part of Malorie Blackman's trilogy, has been anticipated among young teen readers ... Blackman is a terrific thriller writer, driving her plots forward with skill and tenacity" -- Dinah Hall Evening Standard