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Type of bind: Hardcover
EAN num: 9781416900160
ISBN number: 1416900160
Label: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 400
Printing Date: May 31, 2005
Publishing house: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Age index: Young Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 121772
Studio: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
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Product Description:
Callum is a naught, a second-class citizen in a society run by the ruling Crosses. Sephy is a Cross, and daughter of the man slated to become prime minister. In their world, white naughts and grey Crosses simply don't mix -- and they certainly don't fall in love. But that's exactly what they've done.
When they were younger, they played together. Now Callum and Sephy meet in secret and make excuses. But excuses no longer cut it when Sephy and her mother are nearly caught in a terrorist bombing planned by the Liberation Militia, with which Callum's family is linked. Callum's father is the prime suspect...and Sephy's father will stop at nothing to see him hanged. The blood hunt that ensues will threaten not only Callum and Sephy's love for each other, but their very lives.
In this shocking thriller, UK sensation Malorie Blackman turns the world inside out. What's white is black, what's grey is white, and only one thing is clear: Assumptions can be deadly.
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Rated by buyers -
If your ever i the mood for a thriller/ gripping romance pick up this book.It was basically the human version of twilight. Sephy has this unconditional love for Callum and she doesn't even give up that love when Callum along with the Liberetion Malitia take her hostage. I also loved the fact that she wouldn't give in and have an abortion. Even though her father told her too and she would be in alot of trouble with alot of people for her choices. This is a down to earth novel that shows what could really have happened to our world if the roles were switched and shows that us caucasins may take our luxuries like the colour of our band-aids for granted. I would recomind this book to any one. It should be read by everysingle person when they get old enough to understand it.
Rated by buyers -
I thought this book was amazing, one of the best I've read. I'm a kid, fourteen, so it's not what I'd normally read, and I admit that I chose it only because I didn't understand completely what it was about and wanted to find out more....It's so sad and scary that this was so real in our history, even now. The book does an excellent job to capture Callum's simultaneous hate and love of Sephy, love for her and hate for what she was brought up to be, Sephy's ignorance in knowing just how bad things were, and her hunger to please Callum and help, and both character's emotions in general. This book made everything real, and I appreciate it knocking more sense into me.
Rated by buyers -
In NAUGHTS & CROSSES, the author creates a very believable alternate world that is almost like our own--but the main difference is a major one. Everything you think you know about race relations and prejudice holds true, but is switched. The ruling class to which Sephy Hadley's family belongs are the grey Crosses, named for their supposed closeness to God. The other, the white Naughts, like Callum and his family, are second-class citizens. In this world, it's unacceptable for a Naught and a Cross to be real friends, and unthinkable for them to fall in love. Callum and Sephy are breaking all the rules of the society they live in.
The two have known each other from a very young age, when Callum's mother worked in the Hadley household. Even after she loses her job, though, Sephy and Callum remain secretly close. They meet in secrecy, forced to tell lies and make up excuses, but they never stop seeing each other, no matter how difficult it is. Soon, though, they'll see each other every day--but that's not as good as it sounds. A new law has been passed, and a limited number of Naughts will now be allowed to attend Cross schools. Callum has been accepted into Sephy's school, and Sephy's excited to see her best friend more often. Callum, however, knows that letting their friendship be public could prove very dangerous for both of them. Things continue to get worse when Sephy and her mother are nearly caught in a terrorist bombing. Sephy's life is saved when Callum pulls her out of the building just in time, but nobody's fooled--that's no coincidence. Suspicion falls on Callum's family.
Callum's father is the prime suspect in planting the bomb, supposedly on the orders of a radical Naught terrorist group, the Liberation Militia, or L.M. They're devoted to their goals of rights for Naughts, and they'll go to any length to achieve them. This world even has a parallel to Martin Luther King, Jr.; Alex Luther is an activist whose goal is to achieve equality peacefully. Callum's mother is a supporter of his, but Callum's father and brother don't believe that Alex Luther's way of doing things will actually get anything done. The events that unfold after the bombing threaten not only Sephy and Callum's relationship, but their very lives and the lives of those around them.
NAUGHTS & CROSSES is a fantastic story, and one that will keep your mind occupied long past the final pages. The world created in Malorie Blackman's novel is one that is much like our own, and inspires a lot of "what if?" questions. What if that was our world? It's not so far off to imagine. How would our lives be different? They almost certainly would be. You wouldn't be where you are now. You wouldn't be who you are now; everything would be remarkably different, but still so much the same.
Malorie Blackman's writing does plenty to draw you in and keep your attention with the story, not bothering with the excessive and often boring detail used by some authors. It's definitely a page-turner! Sephy and Callum are very well-developed main characters, and the secondary characters are quite believable, as well. The story is told in alternating chapters narrated by Sephy and Callum, which really adds a lot to it. Sephy and Callum are remarkable people, showing the strength that love can have, the bridges it can cross, and the determination to see past what's on the outside. That last quality is one that is, sadly, not as common in our world (or Sephy's and Callum's) as it should be. Sephy and Callum also show how willing children are to love, regardless of the prejudices of their world, before their minds are poisoned by their elders. Sephy and Callum became friends at a young age and, remarkably, they stayed that way (and became more), despite the prejudices of their society. NAUGHTS & CROSSES is a remarkable book, one that you won't want to put down once you've started reading.
Reviewed Author name: Jocelyn Pearce
Rated by buyers -
oh my i love this book, i didn't want it to end!
this is a very deep and meaning ful book, with alot of dramas and deaths. it really opened my eyes, and the story line of the book stayed with me for weeks after reading it.
however doesn't like this book either have a bad taste in books or cant read!
Rated by buyers -
Although written for teens this book will capture the interest of adults. The characters are well-developed and you become instantly attached to them and worry about how they will survive their trials and tribulations. I could not put book the down and finished reading it over a weekend.
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