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Description edit
Two young people are forced to make a stand in this thought-provoking look at racism and prejudice in an alternate society. Sephy is a Cross -- a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a Nought -- a “colourless” member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Persephone Hadley (Sephy): Sephy is a cross, and is one of the superior race. Daughter of a powerful Cross, Kamal Hadley.
- Callum McGregor: Callum is a nought, and is one of the degraded race. Best friends with Sephy, to start off with, he ends up falling in love with her.
- Meggie McGregor: Mother of Callum, Lynette and Jude. Ex-Best-friend of Jasmine Hadley. Nanny to Sephy when she was younger before getting fired.
- Jude McGregor: Callum's older brother, the one who gets Callum involved with the Liberty Millitia in the first place.
- Jasmine Hadley: Mother of Sephy and Minerva. She is married to Kamal Hadley.
- Lynette: Callum's sister his nickname for her is Lynny. She has some mental issues, resulted from an accident three years prior.
- Minerva: Sephy's older sister. Sephy calls her Minnie. Minerva is defined as snobby and she likes fashion.
- Mr. Jason: History teacher
- Mr. Stanhope: Add a description of this character.
- Sarah: Jasmine Hadley's security
- Mrs. Paxton: Callum's math teacher who does not define a person by their skin color. Yet she is a cross. She seems like a kind, open-minded person.
- Ryan Mcgregor: Callum's dad, condemed to death, but end up killed during an escape attempt. He is a nought.
- Leila: A member of the LM and works with Callum. She is a nought.
- Andrew Dorn: The general of the LM right hand man. Suspected traitor.
- Pete: Head of a L.M. cell
- Kelani Adams: Kelani is a famous cross lawyer who takes on Ryan's case
- Jack: Prison Guard
- Kamal Hadley: Sephy's dad
- Carter
- Lola
- Mr. Pingule
- Joanne
- Mr. Costa
- Mr. Stoll
- Karl
- Mrs. Bawden
- Harry
- Alex Luther
- Giustini
- Judge Anderson: A judge
Quotes edit
-
“"I hadn't fully realized just how powerful words could be before this. Whoever came up with the saying 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me' was talking out of his or her armpit."”
Sephy -
“If you can only have one, which one means more to you? Being someone or making a difference?”
Lynette -
“She's just smoothing out the rough edges.”
Callum -
“An apple never falls far from the tree.”
Callum -
“Love was like an avalanche, with Sephy and I hand-in-hand racing like hell to get out of its way--only, instead of running away from it, we kept running straight towards it.”
Callum -
“I love you too.”
Callum -
“Just remember, Callum when you’re floating up and up in your bubble, that bubbles have a habit of bursting. The higher you climb, the further you have to fall”
Lynette -
“I’m a Nought who’d dared to fall in love with a Cross”
Callum -
“Stay away from her, Callum, or she’s going to be the death of you.”
Jude -
“And I lost more of myself as I did so. But that was OK. Because the Callum Ryan McGregor who loved to sit on the beach and watch the sun go down didn’t exist anymore. He’d been taken and I’d been left in his place. A poor trade, but an inevitable one.”
Callum -
“Stop it. You’re all behaving like animals. Worse than animals – like blankers.”
Sephy -
“His eyes were a lot older than fifteen. My eyes were different – they reflected my exact age, less than one month away from my fourteenth birthday”
Sephy
Setting & Locations edit
First Sentence edit
'Honestly, Mrs Hadley,' said Meggie McGregor, wiping her eyes. 'That sense of humour of yours will be the death of me yet!'
Glossary edit
- Noughts: the slave race, white; aren't allowed to even pray to God because he wouldn't listen anyway to people of different color
- Crosses: the ruling race, dark-skinned; claim they are the chosen ones since God is like them
- Daggers: insulting nickname for the Crosses
- Blankers: insulting nickname for the Noughts; one character claims they are called that because they are blank, like their color: no, idea, no thoughts and they deserve to be slaves
- Liberation Militia: extremist group of the noughts fighting for their rights
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1 of 6 in Noughts and Crosses. (standard series)
Followed by An Eye for an Eye.
This is book 61 of 200 in BBC 'Big Read' Top 200 Novels, 2003. (authoritative list)
This book is in 100 Fantabulous Book Challenge. (community list)
This is book 61 of 82 in BBC "Big Read" Top 100 Novels. (authoritative list)
This is book 970 of 986 in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. (authoritative list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Malorie Blackman (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Doubleday
Country: England
Publication Date: 2001
ISBN: 0385600089
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Doubleday
Country: England
Publication Date: 2001
ISBN: 0385600089
Page Count: 448
Awards edit
- BBC's Big Read (April 2003, #61)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 823.914
Notes for Parents edit
Reading Level: Young AdultsContains kissing and a scene of undressing eachother... hmmm
Subjects edit
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