Sephy is a Cross, one of the privileged in a society where the ruling Crosses treat the pale-skinned noughts as inferiors. But her baby daughter has a nought father - Callum. Eaten up with bitterness, Callum's brother Jude, blames Sephy for the terrible losses his family has suffered. Now Jude's life rests on a knife edge. Will Sephy be forced, once again, to take sides?
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Knife Edge . . . is relentless in its pace . . . It is devastatingly powerful. - The Guardian
Fast-paced and full of incident, Knife edge will be devoured by the many fans of the first book - TES
A powerful story of race and prejudice - The Sunday Times
The story never flags, and characters develop. . . . I repeatedly looked up from the pages, thinking 'What would I do?' and this is the redeeming strength of Knife Edge- its moral heft. - Daily Telegraph
'...this shocking, powerful and important novel has been well worth waiting for.' - Waterstones Books Quarterly
A genuine literary achievement - Books for Keeps
Malorie Blackman is writing a disturbing trilogy that should be read because it is important. And a gripping yarn as well. - The School Librarian
'It is really a cautionary tale about choice and the danger of nursing anger. This makes it a humane story that will help the cause of tolerance. . . . It is written with apssion, does not condescend and will appeal to teenagers who want to understand grown-up emotions.' - The Sunday Times
'Knife Edge is the long awaited sequel to Noughts and Crosses . . . . [it] certainly has commercial credibility, and Blackman continues her powerful social commentary' - The Bookseller
Full page interview with the author - The Times
A supercharged novel . . . The dislocation from reality lends her writing an unsettling quality which keeps the reader constantly alert and often uncomfortable - Scottish Sunday Herald
A worthy successor with a cliffhanger of an ending - Suffolk Free Press
Two page interview with the author - The Independent
Interview with the author about why she chose to write the trilogy - Time
A powerful and brutal story that gives the reader no respite - www.writeaway.co.uk
Full page article and review with the author. Also mentions Noughts and Crosses at the end of the review. - South London News
Stunning sequel . . .a brilliant and multi-facted story . . . A roaring good read. - Chichester Observer
Article about the event at the Newham bookshop to promote Knife Edge - Newham Recorder
Article about the event at the Newham bookshop to promote Knife Edge - Tower Hamlets Recorder
'Checking the reviews on Amazon of Malorie Blackman's Knife Edge (Doubleday £12.99), the mid-point of a trilogy that began with Noughts & Crosses, it is no surprise to find they are all five-star raves.' - The Scotsman
'A plot-powered book, with a real cliff-hanger of an ending.' - Booktrusted News
[In Jude] Blackman has created a figure of truly awe-inspiring malevolence. - The Irish Times
'Noughts and Crosses was brilliant and this sequel is as good, if not better. . . . The reader is forced to confront issues of racism in our society in a unique way. . . but this is incidental as the tale is so compelling.' - Carousel
Great hard-hitting fiction for older teenagers with a message that can never be overlooked. - INK
'The second in the trilogy, this read offers no happy endings but cleverly focuses on life's simple truths.' - The Good Book Guide
The writing is fluent and has a vigorous sense of pace - www.cool-reads.co.uk
Superbly plotted - Inis
Article about shortlist for Berkshire Book award - Reading Evening Post
'Heartfelt...excellent.' - YARN (Sheffield)
'Just as gripping as Noughts and Crosses - I could not put it down...this book definitely deserves 10/10.' - Feedback (Plymouth)
Malorie Blackman worked as a database manager and systems programmer before becoming a full-time writer. Her reputation has steadily grown and she has been awarded a number of prizes including the WHSmith's Mind-Boggling Books Award and the Young Telegraph/Gimme 5 award for HACKER, the Young Telegraph/Fully Booked award for THIEF! and, more recently, shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for PIG-HEART BOY. She was voted Voice/Excel Children's Writer of the Year in 1997. Her novel NOUGHTS AND CROSSES has won both the Children's Book Award and the Lancashire Children's Book Award 2002. THE TIMES recently described her as 'a bit of a national treasure.'
