
Dead Negative
Nick Manns(Author)
Hodder Children's Books (Publisher)
Published on 13. February 2003
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-340-85566-9 (ISBN)
Description
Elliot's father was a war photographer acclaimed for always 'shooting the truth'. He was shot dead by an unknown killer in Paris three years before. Told by Elliot, the story interweaves two threads - Elliot's anger at his mother's efforts to sell his father's photographs, and his friendship with Jaspreet, who comes from a strict Sikh family. Jaspreet's father's belief in upholding the law leads to Jaspreet's persecution at school, beginning with casual racism and name calling, but escalating swiftly to greater violence. When Elliot's mother makes a press announcement that his father's photograph collection will be auctioned, it stirs up unexpected interest from the Bosnian embassy, ostensibly looking for evidence of war criminals. Elliot begins to explore his father's photographs, leading ultimately to clues about his father's death, and a growing awareness of the parallels between Bosnia and other ethnic conflicts...
Reviews / Votes
"Control-Shift: 'The writer reveals a talent for the atmosphere of the ghostly real as the past permeates the present.' - Books for Keeps, no. 127, March 2001; 'Nick Manns is on to a winner herel' - School Librarian, v.48, no.4, Winter 2000; '...if this impressive work is anything to go by, (Nick Manns) is one to watch...well-written, suspenseful and a true pagetumer, Control-Shift is an uncompromising novel that will leave readers wide-eyed and breathless.' - Amazon.co.uk; 'A challenging and thought-provoking read, which handles time shifts and complex issues with courage and originality.' Bol.comMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Hachette Children's Group
Target group
Young adult
Interest Age: From 4 to 12 years
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
187 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-340-85566-9 (9780340855669)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
While Nick Manns was growing up, his father was in the RAF. Every two years his family would pack up and move to another RAF base - but one of the things that stayed firm during his childhood were the stories he could fetch from the local library. Even in some remote desert outpost, there was alway a book to transport him to other worlds. He has written stories and poems every since. Formerly a secondary school English teacher, he is now a curriculum coordinator for Leicester College. A published writer of books about teaching, Control-Shift was his debut novel, shortlisted for the North-East Book Award and the Branford Boase Award, longlisted for the Camegie Medal, and nominated for the Stockton Award.