Checkmate (Noughts And Crosses)

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Enter Jude McGregor. Jude teaches Callie about her real family history, and the more she learns the more he persuades her where her loyalties really lie. In the world of Noughts & Crosses, racism is not ‘fixed’ – it is simply inverted. Photograph: Ilze Kitshoff/BBC/Mammoth Screen To be perfectly honest, this book did not have as much of an effect on me as the previous two books in the series, Noughts & Crosses and Knife Edge, Apart from the ending that is, which is quite literally explosive and incredibly tense, paving the way for a potentially devastating final book in the series. I loved Callie Rose as a character and could see a lot of her mother in her young self but found myself becoming quite frustrated with Sephy at times as her wariness around her daughter was truly heart-breaking to read. I loved the way that this novel was told from the perspective of multiple characters once again, this is one of my favourite ways to read as I feel it gives you a much deeper insight into the mind of certain characters, especially ones where you can't quite accept their motives. Say no more....apart from please start this series if you haven't already and let me know what you think! The Noughts & Crosses series are still my favourite books of all time and showed me just how amazing story-telling could be' STORMZY

And another groundbreaking children's novelist R.J Palacio, author of Wonder, shares her own childhood favourite in The Book I'd Never Lend. Exhibit B - Putting speech in capital letters is cheating. It's text speak. There's a reason adverbs were invented.

The ‘Noughts & Crosses’ series provides us with an explicit flip and twist on both the history and current political and cultural demographic of British society – where racial politics is turned on its head and power structures are completely reversed.

She has been awarded numerous prizes for her work, including the Red House Children’s Book Award and the Fantastic Fiction Award. Malorie has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. In 2005 she was honoured with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her contribution to children’s books, and in 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children’s literature. She has been described by The Times as ‘a national treasure’. Sephy Hadley was one of the guests that night. Haunted by the idea that she didn't do enough to stop the death of her first love, Callum McGregor, Sephy will not sit quietly and wait for accusations to fall on her now. She has her children to protect. I'm also personally taking charge of the planning of a major event which will act as a devastating blow to the so-called authorities. It will take place the day before the election. We are all going to play our part in ensuring that this government is toppled.' There is quite a bit of dotting about in the timeline, indicated with statements such as 'Callie Rose is seven', and we gradually see how the child develops from a happy trusting child who has been taught to love the father she has never known, without being told what really happened to him, into a disillusioned, confused and embittered teenager who is vulnerable to being groomed by Jude on behalf of the organisation for which he works.

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This series is drastically deteriorating. It's not that the story is that bad - on the contrary the story and the layout of jumping through the timeline kept me intrigued - but that I really did not like the writing.