book cover

Endgame

by Malorie Blackman

Interest age: 14 to 17
Reading age: 14+

Published by Penguin, 2021

  • Thriller

About this book

Malorie Blackman's iconic and groundbreaking Noughts and Crosses is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021 – and with it comes Endgame, the electrifying final book in the series.

Newcomers to Noughts and Crosses would be advised to start at the beginning as Endgame draws heavily on what has come before, not least the murder of gangster Dan Jeavons and the kidnapping of Troy and Libby.

It's an action-packed instalment full of close calls, shocking killings and treachery, as the characters question who they can trust –  and it will keep readers guessing right to the end, too.

But there's plenty of time for emotion as well, as Blackman expertly weaves together all the threads from the series to form a satisfying if bittersweet conclusion.

The story is interspersed with news articles based on contemporary issues, which highlight just how relevant the world Blackman imagined in 2001 still is today. And as with all the books in the series, there's plenty of food for thought about race, politics, class and society.

Endgame is a fitting end to an incredible series, and will make readers want to return to the first book all over again.

Note: The book does include some swearing and violence.

About the author

Malorie Blackman is acknowledged as one of today's most imaginative and convincing writers for young readers.

The novels in her Noughts & Crosses sequence have won several awards, including the Children's Book Award, and she has won many other awards for her books for the Random House list. Both Hacker and Thief! won the Young Telegraph/Gimme 5 Award – Malorie is the only author to have won this award twice – while Hacker also won the WH Smith Mind-Boggling Books Award in 1994.

Her work has appeared on screen, with Pig-Heart Boy, which was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, being adapted into a BAFTA-award-winning TV serial. Malorie has also written a number of titles for younger readers. 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 was then honoured with an OBE for her services to Children's Literature. She was the Waterstones Children's Laureate for 2013-2015.

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