Numbers (Versione italiana)

by Rachel Ward, Simona Mambrini (Translator)

Overview

Fin da quando è nata, a Jem capita una cosa strana: intravvede una serie di otto numeri negli occhi delle persone. Anche in quelli della mamma, 10102001. Per anni non dà importanza alla cosa, pensa sia solo una fantasia di bambina... Quando però sua madre muore il 10-10-2001 capisce tutto: quei numeri corrispondono alla data di morte di chi le sta intorno. Da quel momento la sua vita cambia, non è più una ragazza come le altre, ora ha un terribile segreto. E isolarsi dagli altri sembra l'unica soluzione per nasconderlo. Solo Spider, un compagno di scuola, si rifiuta di lasciarla sola e per lui Jem comincia a provare qualcosa di più che semplice amicizia. Un pomeriggio decidono di fare un giro sulla ruota panoramica di Londra, ma quando Jem si rende conto che tutte le persone in fila possiedono la stessa data di morte, che è proprio quello stesso giorno, intuisce che sta per accadere qualcosa di terribile... Prende la mano di Spider e insieme a lui scappa, mentre una bomba esplode. Ora lei e Spider non possono far altro che nascondersi perché la polizia pensa che i terroristi del London Eye siano proprio loro...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788858502150
Publisher:	EDIZIONI PIEMME
Publication date:	11/30/2010
Series:	Numbers Series , #1
Sold by:	EDIZIONI PIEMME - EBKS
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years
Language:	Italian

About the Author

Rachel Ward first won a writer’s award at a regional arts festival, and her prize-winning short story turned into the opening chapter of Numbers, which is her debut novel. She is currently working on the sequel. Rachel lives in Bath, England, with her husband and their two children.

Editorial Reviews

Fifteen-year-old Jem has a singular and terrifying ability—looking people in the eye reveals to her the date they will die. Needless to say, she avoids eye contact. Her mother overdosed; she's on her umpteenth foster home; and school (when she goes) is a dead-end special education class. But school also brings her closer to Spider, a gangly bundle of raw energy who genuinely likes Jem—and who she knows has just weeks to live. Their bittersweet courtship becomes terrifying when their first date ends in a terrorist bombing at the London Eye. Jem escapes with Spider moments before the blast, but witnesses report their flight and suddenly they are persons of interest in a police investigation. It's a gritty tale, unsparingly told, and debut novelist Ward demonstrates exceptional control of her material. Her characters remain true to themselves and their bleak circumstances, making for some excruciating moments. This is not an easy read, but it isn't entirely hopeless either. Despite its supernatural premise, Jem's story shines a stark and honest light on the lives of teens on the fringe. Ages 14–18. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 8–10—10102001. That's Jem's mother's number. Jem saw it whenever she looked into her mother's eyes, but it wasn't until four years after the woman's fatal heroin overdose when Jem was 11 that she realized that the number was the date her mother would die. And it's not just that number that the teen sees—she knows when everyone will die by looking into their eyes. Isolating herself from the rest of humanity seems to be the only solution until Spider, a freakishly tall, twitchy mess of a boy, refuses to leave her alone. In spite of the fact that she knows his death date is only months away, she can't resist his overtures of friendship. One afternoon, while ditching school, they head for the London Eye tourist attraction. When Jem realizes that several people standing in line are fated to die that very day, she panics and takes off. Newspapers and television pick up the story, and Jem and Spider, targeted as the terrorists responsible for destroying the Eye, or at least witnesses, are on the run in a stolen car. Ward's debut novel is gritty, bold, and utterly unique. Jem's isolation and pain, hidden beneath a veneer of toughness, are palpable, and the ending is a real shocker. Teens who read Charles De Lint, Holly Black, and Melvin Burgess will take to this riveting book and eagerly await the upcoming sequel.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

School Library Journal

Jem's been bouncing between foster homes since her mother overdosed when Jem was only six. Now she's a typical troubled teen, skipping her special-ed classes almost as often as she goes. Though she's not entirely typical, as most troubled teens don't see the death dates of every person they meet, floating in eight stark numerals over each head. 10102001, her mother's number. 07142013, her foster mother's. And 12152010, Spider's. Spider is the gangly, twitchy, stinky classmate who's the first person ever to try to be Jem's friend. When the two of them are seen running away from a massive terrorist attack in London-Jem had warning of the deaths, hadn't she?-they flee the police investigation and run away into the country. If only December 15 weren't closing in fast, Jem could even be happy with her new romance. Their journey is filled with heartwarming encounters with helpful but realistically wary strangers feeding their bodies and touching their hearts. A lovely, bittersweet tearjerker about living life to its fullest. (Fantasy. 13-15)

Kirkus Reviews

Whenever fifteen-year-old Jem looks into the eyes of other people, she learns a lot about them—and discovers the very day they will die. She avoids personal relationships in order to protect herself from the inevitable pain until she meets Spider. Spider is an outgoing boy who dares to talk to her and does not take no for an answer. Soon Jem realizes that she has broken her personal rule and has fallen into a relationship with him. Both already considered to be troubled outsiders, they decide to run away after Jem notices a suspiciously large group of people with the exact same death date. Now the police want to know why they fled from the scene minutes before the deaths took place. Set in current-day London, the story moves along smoothly, the pace altering much like the chase in which Jem and Spider are involved. Although the story could take a seemingly depressing turn, the result is actually uplifting. As the story focuses on the importance of quality of life and company kept, readers watch Jem and Spider learn to trust, to live, and what it means to genuinely love one another. Reviewer: Renee Farrah Vess

Children's Literature - Renee Farrah Vess

It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Rebellious fourteen-year-old Jem looks into someone's eyes and sees much more than a soul. What she sees are numbers that translate into the date when that person will die. To escape the burden of her knowledge, Jem has retreated from human contact. In foster care after the death of her drug-addict mother, she skips school and avoids making friends. It is only when she meets strange and gawky Spider, an outsider, that Jem feels a connection to another human being, even though she has seen his number, too. When the two play truant to visit London, one terrifying event at the London Eye changes the world forever, turning Jem and Spider into fugitives from the law. In her debut novel, Ward manages to combine a gripping and action-packed narrative of a flight through the English countryside with the careful delineation of the interaction of two remarkable characters. From her gently sardonic description of two urban youth encountering and ultimately sleeping with a herd of cows to her absolutely stunning and unexpected epilogue, "Five Years Later," this writer never puts a foot wrong. Readers who grab this novel based on its eye-catching cover design featuring a red eye staring at a jumble of numbers will be hooked from the first page. Reviewer: Jamie S. Hansen

VOYA - Jamie S. Hansen