#45 in Dystopian
Noughts & Crosses
- 400
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
Affiliate link: buying through it supports BookRank at no extra cost to you.
Our view
“Noughts & Crosses” uses one simple reversal, a society where black Crosses rule and white noughts serve, to make prejudice newly visible. Malorie Blackman tells it through Sephy, a privileged Cross, and Callum, a nought, whose bond strains against everything around them. Some readers value the perspective it gives on real injustice even when the love story is not to their taste; others do not take to the writing or the characters.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
. . they were pacey, exciting, rich. What Malorie Blackman has always done so brilliantly is put the minority front and centre, both in society and politics.' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS 'The most original book I've ever read' BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH "Malorie Blackman is absolutely amazing ... [Noughts & Crosses] really spoke to me, especially as a woman of dual heritage." ZAWE ASHTON _ 'Stop it! You're all behaving like animals! Worse than animals - like blankers!' Sephy is a Cross: she lives a life of privilege and power. But she's lonely, and burns with injustice at the world she sees around her. Callum is a nought: he's considered to be less than nothing - a blanker, there to serve Crosses - but he dreams of a better life. They've been friends since they were children, and they both know that's as far as it can ever go. Noughts and Crosses are fated to be bitter enemies - love is out of the question. Then - in spite of a world that is fiercely against them - these star-crossed lovers choose each other. But this is love story that will lead both of them into terrible danger . . . and which will have shocking repercussions for generations to come. Voted as one of the UK's best-loved books, Malorie Blackman's Noughts & Crosses is a seminal piece of YA fiction; a true modern classic.
Reading order · Noughts & Crosses
Full order & progress →- Noughts & CrossesThis book
7.77.7 / 10 - Knife Edge
–Not ranked yet - Checkmate
–Not ranked yet - Double Cross
–Not ranked yet
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.7 across 100 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 40% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Dystopian average of 7.7. That is how 7.7 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.3 | 22 | 22% |
| Hardcover | 7.5 | 78 | 78% |
Frequently asked
How long is Noughts & Crosses?
It has 400 pages — longer than 56% of the ranked books in Dystopian.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Dystopian — with scores between 7.3 and 8.2, closest to this book.
