Checkmate Synopsis
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...
About This Edition
About Malorie Blackman
Children's Laureate 2013-2015
Malorie Blackman had a variety of jobs before she became a full time writer and spent many years working as a Database Manager for Reuters travelling extensively within Europe and the United States.
After 82 rejection letters, her first novel, Not So Stupid!, was a selected title for the 1991 Feminist Book Fortnight, and Malorie participated in the first BBC TV Black Women’s Screenwriting Workshop in 1991. She has written a number of books for young readers including the Whizziwig series, which have been dramatised successfully for children’s television.
Her dystopian novel series Noughts and Crosses has won the Children’s Book Award, and she has twice won the Young Telegraph/Gimme 5 Award (for Hacker and Thief!) – the only author to have done so. Malorie writes across a range of subjects for children and teens, addressing diverse and sensitive issues.
In her spare time, Malorie likes going to the cinema, the theatre and watching TV, enjoys playing computer and board games, and reads absolutely everything...except Westerns.
In the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2008 Malorie received an OBE for her contribution to children’s literature and was awarded the prestigious Eleanor Farjeon award in 2005.
Malorie was selected as the Waterstones Children's Laureate in June 2013 taking over from Julia Donaldson. She will remain in the post for the next 2 years. The title of Children’s Laureate is awarded to an acclaimed author or illustrator in acknowledgment of their outstanding contribution to their field, and Malorie is the eighth recipient of this honour.
She lives in South London.
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