Caught in the Crossfire

by Alan Gibbons

Set in a northern town where right-wingers are determined to stir up hatred and racial prejudice, six teenagers' lives are woven together by a series of shocking and tragic events. A British Muslim brother and sister, two Irish brothers who take different sides, and two lads out looking for trouble: all of them get caught in the crossfire. Inspired by the Oldham riots and the events of September 11th, this is a chilling account of current events in Britain, but written with humor and understanding.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, School, Romance, Historical Fiction, Childrens

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Alan Gibbons is an author of children's books and a Blue Peter Book Award. He currently lives in Liverpool, England, where he used to teach in a primary school. His father was a farm laborer, but was hurt in an accident when Alan was eight years old. The family had to move to Crewe, Cheshire where Alan experienced bullying for the first time. He began to write for his pupils as a teacher, but never tried to get any of his work published.

Gibbons trained to be a teacher in his mid-thirties and starting writing short stories for his students. Later, he began to write professionally. In 2000, he won the Blue Peter Book Award in the category "The Book I Couldn't Put Down" category for Shadow of the Minotaur. He was a judge for the 2001 Blue Peter Book Awards. He was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2001 and 2003 and shortlisted twice for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also won the Leicester Book of the Year, the Stockport Book Award, the Angus Book Award, the Catalyst Award, the Birmingham Chills Award, the Salford Young Adult Book Award and the Salford Librarians' Special Award.

Reviews

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although officially billed as a children's book, the issue of racial prejudice and discrimination that is central to this novel is a rather adult one, so much so that I would advise against putting this in front of children of primary-school age. It is, however, an eminently suitable theme for an adult reader. Nor is the delivery of the story such that an adult would find this book boring or a waste of time, Gibbons presents very solid characters with complex backgrounds who could easily be representative of real Brits in a setting that could easily pass for any Northern town with a mixed-race community. The plot too is presented and paced in a very readable way, with Gibbons taking the time to explain things for his younger readers, but not going into such belabouring detail that an older reader would switch off.

With this book Gibbons is clearly trying to promote an agenda of tolerance, but unlike many books that seek to deliver a particular message, he does not do so by trying to ram his point of view down your throat. Instead he does it by pulling you in, making you care about the characters of his excellent story and then demonstrating how not following the ideology he is trying promote makes a huge negative impact on their lives. It makes for an excellent and sobering read, one that will hopefully speak powerfully to anyone who picks it up.

[Amina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuk-in hellll! Mike dieeess! I wanna cryyyy. I mean.. why? what the Hell?Show us reality but don't make it this heart-shattering :'( I loved mike.. he n rabia made such a beautiful couple.. I guess this is wat hatred n stupidness does. i cant blv dis writer.. he's so good.

I had a good feeling about liam frum the begining.. i actually started crying at the graveyard scene. Creed is a fukin racist asshole n stone is just bullshit. Liams dad is full of shit. And tahir, tho an idiot, is hawt lol.

All in all an awesome story tho it showed muslims rong wen rabia goes wats rong wid hving a bf.. wich Is against our relegion. But.. umm, strong emotions. Axtually made me cry :p

[Laila · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing. soo sad, i cried. about love between two completely different races.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had an interesting statement of prejudice.....on both sides.

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just fab!! Defo one for keeps!! A must read.

[Bat Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this when i was in year 9 so i dont remember much except that it was agood book and i cried reading it, i know some of the reviews say it would be better if it was more subtle but racism isn't always subtle even if it can be an uncomfortable thing to read about sometimes that's what its like a lot of the time in real life

[Claire Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, the book took a while to get into, but after reading around a quarter of it, I starting to be interested. Although Alan Gibbons is classed as an author who writes for younger teens, I, an 18-year-old, found the book very enjoying for a light and easy read when I have nothing really else to do. I read this book back in year 8 but didn't really enjoy it, but this book did help me get back into my reading habit.

One of the main things I liked about this book was that you get to see the point of views from the different characters within the story. This intrigues me as I feel like you get a more in depth knowledge on how each character sees things and how they feel rather then just guessing how they feel from one main character's point of view.

Another thing I loved about this book is it tackles racism within modern days. Since the book is set after 9/11, it shows how there is more of an unseen war between Muslims and white people due to the terrible attack. The intentions behind the book, all while somehow building a love story around it is very clever to me.

The plot however did seem to differ for me. I felt as if it was kind of all over the place due to the constant changes between the point of views of the story, for example, at one point your in a meeting about building a wall, very Trump like, and then next you're in a peaceful Muslim home. Due to this, the story was quite hard to grasps at time and I had no clue what was going on at times.

Overall, the book is a very nice and easy read just for the sake of it. It does show the consequences and causes of racism and how it can escalate, at sometimes being emotional for me. The book conveyed a very important message and I am glad that some schools have this on their curricula as I feel like it teaches an important lesson to children that are still influential.

[Brooke Shelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overly simplistic, whilst i understand the importance of the point the author is trying to make it is so obvious what that point is from the first few pages and then has nothing else to say.
Even characters of whom were supposed to be likeable felt one-dimensional and like a brick wall, the story is not engaging and falls short in so many ways. A book like this tries to cover such a broad topic in such a simple way that it feels cheap. Even the "morally grey" character of Liam feels so scripted and such an obvious symbol of how those around you can influence you. This tried to convey such a powerful message about the divide between races in Britian and just executed it so poorly, a much more low-key route could have been taking whilst still giving the same message yet making it more tolerable ,and less like someone trying to spoon-feed you their point. I was not emotionally attached to any of the characters within this, i also felt it jumped around far too much yet still managed to feel slow.

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A YA tale of boy meets girl against a backdrop of suspicion and prejudice has been done numerous times, notably by Joan Lingard in an Ulster setting, yet Gibbons brings a freshness to the cliche. His pacing means that the reader is gripped by the feeling of events spinning out of control as the urban tension rises.

A rounded examination of the myths and misunderstandings that drive racism and extremism, the book challenges us all to stand up and be counted.

[Nate Rawdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been given this book as I gift I was highly doubtful that I would enjoy, though having finally gotten around to reading it I realised how fantastic a book can be from start to finish. The characters all had their own gripping story-lines, and all faced their own issues. The plot touches at various important issues, from alcoholism to racism. The plot was excellent, and makes you want to continually keep the pages turning. Despite having expected the novel to be a considerably bore, it instead turned out to be one of my all time favourite reads.

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I just choose this book because it was one of the choices in my English Class. Normally I never really liked book I've read in English, so I didnt think this would be any different. I was wrong. I didn't have problem finishing this book. It was very good. First I was unsure what was going on, as every few paragraphs would be a new characters POV and I got confused, but I got used to it and it was very worth it. I hope this becomes a movie one day. I would reccomend it to anyone who needs a good read (or has the choice to do it in English)

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting subject matter--dealing with racial tensions in Britain, but it in the end it was too simplistic. Midway through, I found it engaging, but then it lost its integrity as it became predictable. The third person perspective did not lend itself to intimacy with the characters. There were too many statements produced from "on high". It might work with in the classroom, but it is not going to be one of those memorable books.

[Kim Trusty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm so sick of these YA novels that deal with "issues". It's all plot, with the narrative driving you towards an obvious denouement. In fact, "obvious" is a great word to describe this novel. I wish that Gibbons and his ilk would write nuanced, believable, realistic characters and explore 'issues' through them. Subtlety is a good thing people! Don't be afraid to use it.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good book. It was easy to follow and all the characters were woven together perfectly. This would have gotten a four stars if it wasn't for what happened at the end. But it was really worth the read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

The theme of racism in Britain is obvious from the start, the characters are one-dimensional, and the plot is predictable. Would probably work for kids who struggle to read as the chapters are short and the language is simple.

[Sara Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story written in five days by its author, Alan Gibbons, tells the tale of the dangers of radicalisation in all cultures. A Romeo and Juliet for modern and multicultural times; this novel is a must read for anyone concerned by the divisive nature of today's society.

[Gee]

Read with school was a alright book but was a bit boring

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book showing how quickly distrust can spin into hatred between different ethnic groups. Great read for adults and tweens.

[Cora Tea Party Princess]

Read December 2003, GR deleted review.