Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Two young people are forced to make a stand in this thought-provoking look at racism and prejudice in an alternate society.

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. In their world, Noughts and Crosses simply don't mix. Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum -- a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger. Can they possibly find a way to be together?

In this gripping, stimulating and totally absorbing novel, black and white are right and wrong.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Chapter Forty Eight Lunch was over, without too much grief -- for once. Jude had come home from heaven only knew where so we'd all eaten together -- which made a change. Mum indulged in small talk, telling us all about what our neighbors and relatives and friends were up to, while Jude was his usual effervescent, scintillating self and didn't say one word. No one was particularly bothered that I didn't have much to say either. Before I'd swallowed my last mouthful, my knife and fork clattered onto my plate and I jumped up. Grabbing my jacket off the back of the sofa, I headed for the door. "Where're you going?" Mum asked with a smile. "The shopping center." Jude leapt up like a scalded cat. "Oh, no you're not." I frowned at him. "I'll go where I ruddy like. Since when is it any of your business where I go?" "Callum, you don't want to go there. Not today," Jude said, nervously. "Jude?" Mum stood up slowly. A tense, watchful atmosphere entered the room like chilling fog. "Why shouldn't I go?" I asked my brother. He didn't answer. "What's going on?" I persisted. I turned to Mum. She was staring at Jude, a stunned look on her face. From her expression, she was obviously well ahead of me. "Don't go there, Callum," Jude told me, pointedly. "But..." And only then did it click. The Liberation Militia were planning something at the Dundale. Something Jude knew about. Something my brother didn't want me anywhere near. And then I remembered. "Sephy's at the shopping center," I said, horror-stricken. "Callum...," Jude began. I didn't wait to hear any more. I ran out of the house, leaving the front door wide open as I raced for the shopping center. Copyright © 2001 by Oneta Malorie Blackman Chapter Forty Nine: Sephy Mother was driving me nuts! In our five long, long hours together, I'd bitten my tongue so many times it'd swollen up to the size of a football and was choking me. If she asked me for my opinion on one more pair of shoes, I couldn't be held responsible for my actions. I sipped my orange juice, grateful for the short but welcome break away from her. She'd gone back to the car park to pack away her various purchases. She was enjoying herself. I'm glad one of us was! "Sephy! Thank God! You have to get out of here." "Callum!" I beamed. "Where did you spring from?" "Never mind that. You've got to leave this place now." "But I haven't finished my drink..." "Never mind your ruddy drink. You have to leave -- now! " I looked at Callum then, really looked at him. He was scared. No...he was terrified. "What's going on?" "Don't argue. Out!" Callum told me grimly. "Come on." Callum dragged me out of my seat and toward the café door. "Excuse me, love, but is this boy troubling you?" a stranger asked as I was dragged past his table. "No! No, he's a friend of mine," I called back. "He wants to show me something..." Callum dragged me out of the café and along the concourse and then every alarm in the world went off, at least that's what it sounded like. "What's going on?" I asked, looking around. "Move it. Come on." And we were running toward the nearest exit. Others around us were looking around and frowning, wondering what was going on. Maybe they saw Callum and me racing for the nearest exit, maybe we started it. I don't know. But it seemed like moments later, everyone was shouting and racing for the exits. We were among the first ones out of the Dundale. We stumbled out into the spring sunshine and still Callum had hold of my hand and was pulling me after him. "Where're we going?" I asked breathlessly. "Run. Come on," Callum puffed from beside me. "I thought I'd never find you. It took me almost half an hour to find you. Move." "Callum, I'm getting a stitch," I protested. "Tough. We've got to keep going." "Callum, enough!" I pulled my hand out of his. "You're -- " Then there was a flash like the very air was alight, followed a fraction of a second later by the most colossal boom. I was blown off my feet and into the air like a dry leaf in a high wind. And even from where we were, I could feel an intense heat on my back. I landed flat on my face, my arms outstretched. There was a strange ringing sound in my ears and it wouldn't stop. For I don't know how long, I lay in a daze. Was I dead? Was this what it felt like to die? I closed my eyes tight and covered my ears, trying to block out the incessant ringing sound -- only it was inside my head, not outside. I swallowed hard and my ears popped, and the ringing stopped. Twisting around, I turned to see what on earth had happened. Billowing smoke shot out of the shopping center. For a moment it was eerily quiet, like the end of the world. I wondered, panic-stricken, if the explosion had deafened me. And then I heard screaming and sirens and all hell was let loose. I turned to Callum, who lay stunned beside me. "Are you okay? You're not hurt?" Callum asked anxiously, running his hands up and down my back and arms. "Y-you knew that was going to happen...," I realized, aghast. "You didn't...Tell me you didn't..." I shook my head. No, that was preposterous. Callum had nothing to do with whatever that explosion was. It must've been a bomb. But Callum didn't do that. He wouldn't. He couldn't . But he knew . "Mother! Oh my God!" I jumped to my feet and raced toward the car park across the street from the shopping center. I was almost across the street when I remembered Callum. I turned around. But he was gone. Copyright © 2001 by Oneta Malorie Blackman Excerpted from Naughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 8-11-In this first volume of the series by British writer Malorie Blackman (S & S, 2005), the story opens on two childhood friends: Callum, a lower-class nought, and Sephy Hadley, a member of the privileged Crosses, England's ruling class. Noughts are white-skinned and Crosses are black. Callum's mother works for the Hadleys, and Sephy and Callum have practically grown up together. As teens, they fall deeply in love, but in this alternative English world, noughts and Crosses do not mix. As Callum and Sephy move painfully towards the sad and terrible realization that they can never be together, they struggle futilely against the forces threatening to tear them apart. While their families and friends drive the two lovers apart, Callum and Sephy's unshakeable devotion to each other remains a beacon throughout the story. Indeed, it is the only shard of light in this relentless tale of star-crossed love. Expertly read by two stage actors, Syan Blake and Paul Chequer, the story is told in brief alternating scenes. The pair deliver a gripping performance set against the backdrop of segregation, racism, and terrorism. While this is not a tragedy for the fainthearted, the production will appeal to fans of taut drama and gripping suspense.-Celeste Steward, Alameda County Library, Fremont, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

(High School) In the mirror-image but recognizably British world of Noughts & Crosses, dark-skinned ""Cross"" Sephy lives a life of wealth and privilege while her best friend, Callum, a light-skinned ""nought,"" struggles to escape his social, intellectual, and financial impoverishment. An accelerating sense of menace, seething racial tensions, and doomed love climax when a bomb explodes in a shopping center, with fatal consequences. Blake's portrayal of Sephy's transformation from giggly innocent to anguished questioner is accomplished, while Chequer steeps Callum's words in a painful brew of rage, terror, and resignation. Despite a few glitches (one highly audible flip of a page; occasional confusion over who is speaking), this is a gripping production, one that will provoke both strong emotions and interesting discussions. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

MALORIE BLACKMAN has written over fifty books and is acknowledged as one of today's most imaginative and convincing writers for young readers. 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'. Malorie Blackman is the Children's Laureate 2013-15.