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Malorie Blackman on Noughts and Crosses: ‘I knew it would make people uncomfortable’

How Malorie Blackman holds up a mirror to Brexit and Trump in ‘Crossfire’

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How Malorie Blackman takes aim at Brexit and Trump in ‘Crossfire’

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Penguin Readers Level 5: Boys Don't Cry (ELT Graded Reader)

Penguin Readers introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Boys Don't Cry, a Level 5 Reader, is B1 in the CEFR framework. Seventeen-year-old Dante is waiting for his exam results. If they are good, he'll go to university. But Dante's plans have to change when he hears that he is the father of a baby girl. With the help of his father and brother, Dante must learn how to be a single father.

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series, for teenagers and young adults learning English as a foreign language. 
· Carefully adapted text. 
· Accompanying audio with the print edition, accessed securely online. 
· The series includes popular classics, bestselling modern fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
· The eight levels of Penguin Readers are mapped to the CEFR, and Lexile measured. 
· Beautiful new illustrations for levels 2 to 6. Starter and level 1 titles in graphic novel format, for beginner learners. 
· Language practice exercises in every book, additional activities and lesson plans online. 
· Each book contains a glossary, with definitions of key vocabulary. 
· A digital version accompanies the print edition, available securely online. 
· Visit the Penguin Readers website for more information. 
· Boys Don't Cry, a Level 5 Reader, is B1 in the CEFR framework. 
· The Level 5 text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing present perfect continuous, past perfect, reported speech and second conditional. 
 
Seventeen-year-old Dante is waiting for his exam results. If they are good, he'll go to university. But Dante's plans have to change when he hears that he is the father of a baby girl. With the help of his father and brother, Dante must learn how to be a single father.

Malorie Blackman has written over seventy books for children and young adults, including the Noughts &amp; 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 &amp; Crosses. There is also a major BBC production of Noughts &amp; 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 &amp; Crosses series, Crossfire, was published by Penguin Random House Children's in summer 2019.

Chasing the Stars

'I walked over to him and took his hand . . . We were at the heart of our very own universe' 
 
Olivia and her twin brother, Aidan, are heading alone back to Earth following the virus that completely wiped out the rest of their crew, and their family, in its entirety. 
 
Nathan's ship is heading in the opposite direction. But on the journey it is attacked. Only a few survive. 
 
Their lives unexpectedly collide. Nathan and Olivia are instantly attracted to each other, deeply, head over heels. 
 
But not everyone is pleased. Surrounded by rumours, deception, even murder, is it possible to live out a happy-ever-after...?

'Full of nail-biting adventure, interstellar conflict and then passion . . . keeps us guessing to the last' - Sunday Times 
 
 
A combination of Star Trek, Ten Things I Hate About You, and a murder mystery. What's not to like?' - Guardian 
 
 
'I walked over to him and took his hand . . . We were at the heart of our very own universe' 
Olivia and her twin brother, Aidan, are heading alone on their ship back to Earth following the virus that completely wiped out their crew, and their family in its entirety. 
 
 
Nathan's ship is heading in the opposite direction, but on the journey it is attacked. Only a few survive. 
When their lives suddenly collide, Nathan and Olivia are instantly attracted to each other, deeply, completely head over heels. 
 
 
But not everyone is pleased. Surrounded by rumours, deception, even murder, is it possible to live out a happy-ever-after...? 
 
 
'The former Children's Laureate is never afraid to tackle challenging issues . . . a thrilling love story' - Mail on Sunday

Malorie Blackman has written over seventy books for children and young adults. Many of her books have also been adapted for stage and television, including a major BBC production of Noughts &amp; Crosses. Malorie has been awarded the Eleanjor Farjeon award, received an OBE, and served as Children's Laureate.

Pig-Heart Boy

All Cameron wants is a 'normal' life - friends, swimming, school, family. 
 
 But most normal thirteen-year-olds don't desperately need a new heart because theirs doesn't work properly. 
 
 One doctor offers hope. Cameron could - if he and his parents agree - take part in a radical and controversial procedure involving the transplant of a pig's heart into his human body. It's risky. And it's never been done before . . . 
 
 While Cameron comes to terms with the idea, he finds the world around him is much, much less accepting. But surely everyone will understand that it's better to have a pig's heart that works than a human heart that doesn't - won't they . . .?

A powerful story about friendship, loyalty and family around this topical and controversial issue' - Guardian 
'An engrossing story' - Daily Telegraph 
 
'That's all I ever did - watch and listen. I was always a spectator, never a participant. I didn't call that living. I was alive - but that was all.' 
 
Cameron is thirteen, and all he wants is a 'normal' life - friends, swimming, school, family. 
 
But his life is far from normal. Not every thirteen-year-old desperately needs a new heart because theirs doesn't work properly. 
 
 
Finally, one doctor offers hope. 
Cameron could - if he and his parents agree - take part in a radical and controversial procedure involving the transplant of a pig's heart into his human body. 
 
It's risky. And it's never been done before . . . 
 
While Cameron comes to terms with the idea, he finds the world around him is much less accepting. 
 
But surely everyone will understand that it's better to have a pig's heart that works than a human heart that doesn't - won't they . . .? 
 
'A sensitive and informative story that provides a vivid insight into transgenics and xenotransplantations and still manages to squeeze in the inevitable guinea-pig and piggy in the middle jokes' - Independent

A powerful story about friendship, loyalty and family around this topical and controversial issue

A sensitive and informative story that provides a vivid insight  into transgenics and xenotransplantations and still manages to squeeze  in the inevitable guinea-pig and piggy in the middle jokes

Malorie Blackman has written over seventy books for children and young adults. Many of her books have also been adapted for stage and television, including a major BBC production of Noughts &amp; Crosses. Malorie has been awarded the Eleanor Farjeon award, received an OBE, and served as Children's Laureate.

Hacker

Life changes completely for Vicky when she arrives home from school one day to find that her father has been arrested, accused of stealing over a million pounds from the bank where he works. 
 
 But Vicky knows for sure her dad is innocent and she is determined to prove it. 
 
 Using all the computer skills her dad taught her, she decides she's going to attempt to break into the bank's computer files. An amazing hacker she might be but she's going to have to find the cyber-thief and stop them before they find her . . .

THIS IS THE SYSTEM OPERATOR. 
WHO IS USING THIS ACCOUNT? PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF... 
 
Vicky's life is completely normal. Maybe even a little boring. 
 
But all that changes when her dad is accused of stealing a million pounds from the bank where he works. 
 
Vicky knows for sure that her dad is innocent, and is determined to prove it. 
 
Luckily for him, she is a seasoned computer hacker. Using the skills he taught her, she's going to attempt to break the bank's files. Should be simple, right? 
 
But it's a race against time to find the cyber-thief, before they find her . . . 
 
'A page-turner' - Sunday Express 
 
'Accept the expertise and race along with the plot' - Observer

Refreshingly new . . . Malorie Blackman writes with such winsome vitality

Accept the expertise and race along with the plot

Penguin Readers Level 4: Pig-Heart Boy (ELT Graded Reader)

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Pig-Heart Boy, a Level 4 Reader, is A2+ in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing more complex uses of present perfect simple, passives, phrasal verbs and simple relative clauses. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly. 
 
Cameron Kelsey is 13 years old. He is not well and needs a new heart. Doctors want to give him a pig's heart. Cameron cannot decide if he wants the pig's heart, and some groups are very angry about doctors using animals in this way.

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. 
 
Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. 
 
The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. 
 
Pig-Heart Boy, a Level 4 Reader, is A2+ in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing more complex uses of present perfect simple, passives, phrasal verbs and simple relative clauses. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly. 
 
Cameron Kelsey is 13 years old. He is not well and needs a new heart. Doctors want to give him a pig's heart. Cameron cannot decide if he wants the pig's heart, and some groups are very angry about doctors using animals in this way. 
 
Visit the Penguin Readers website 
Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.

The final book in the groundbreaking series, Noughts & Crosses

Endgame

Cross &amp; Nought . . . 
 Years have passed since relationships between Crosses and Noughts were forbidden, but the secret, life-changing love story of Sephy Hadley and Callum McGregor has never been forgotten. 
 
 Black and White . . . 
 In many ways, people are more divided than ever. Aggressive lines are drawn on race, politics, class. Powerful dark corners of society have friends in high-up places. The media can't be trusted. 
 
 Life and Death . . . 
 The first Nought Prime Minister, Tobey Durbridge, has been framed for murder. He is determined to shift suspicion to one of the other people there the night of the crime. But one of them is Sephy herself, meaning Callie-Rose Hadley must now clear the names of her former boyfriend and her mother. 
 
 Love and Hate . . . 
 As they search for the truth, they unearth a lot more than they expected - including the fact that the murder is linked to the kidnapping of the teenagers in their lives. As they struggle to trust even each other, it is difficult to tell whether the truth will have terrible consequences, or bring peace, and maybe even hope for the future . . . 
 
 
 'The Noughts &amp; Crosses series are still my favourite books of all time and showed me just how amazing story-telling could be' STORMZY

The first Nought Prime Minister, Toney Durbridge, is about to go on trial for the murder of notorious ganglord, Dan Jeavons. Tobey insists he is being framed. 
 
There were ten seats at Dan's dinner party the night he was killed and each guest had their own reasons for wishing him dead. 
 
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. 
 
It's time that the truth is uncovered. Time for the endgame. 
 
It's been 20 years since Malorie Blackman's groundbreaking series began with Noughts &amp; Crosses, which charted the deeply forbidden romance between Sephy (a Cross) and Callum (a nought) - a love affair which had repercussions for their families for generations. 
 
Endgame, the breathtaking conclusion to the series, influenced by the unprecedented global events of recent years, is full of twists and turns. 
 
Are you ready for the Endgame?

Malorie Blackman

My Life In Words

The long-awaited autobiography of one of the world's greatest children's writers, and an empowering and inspiring account of a life in books. 
 
Malorie Blackman OBE is one of Britain's best loved and most widely-read writers. For over thirty years, her books have helped to shape British culture, and inspired generations of younger readers and writers. The Noughts and Crosses series, started in 2000, sparked a new and necessary conversation about race and identity in the UK, and are already undisputed classics of twenty-first-century children's literature. 
 
She is also a writer whose own life has been shaped by books, from her childhood in south London, the daughter of parents who moved to Britain from Barbados as part of the Windrush Generation, and who experienced a childhood that was both wonderful and marred by the everyday racism and bigotry of the era. She was told she could not apply to study her first love, literature, at university, in spite of her academic potential, but found a way to books and to a life in writing against a number of obstacles. 
 
This book is an account of that journey, from a childhood surrounded by words, to the 83 rejection letters she received in response to sending out her first project, to the children's laureateship. It explores the books who have made her who she is, and the background to some the most beloved and powerful children's stories of today. It is an illuminating, inspiring and empowering account of the power of words to change lives, and the extraordinary life story of one of the world's greatest writers.

Malorie Blackman

Malorie Blackman reacts to fan messages

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The cast of Noughts and Crosses answer fan questions

School resources

Primary school resources

Secondary school resources