Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
US Hardback cover [2]
Author(s)	Ally Carter
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Gallagher Girls
Publisher	Hyperion Books for Children
Publication date	October 2, 2007[1]
Media type	Print (Paperback and Hardback)
Pages	236 [1]
ISBN	978-142310005-8
OCLC Number	154698592
Preceded by	I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
Followed by	Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy is a young-adult fiction novel written by Ally Carter. It is the sequel to I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You (2006) and is the second book in the Gallagher Girls series. It was published on October 2, 2007.^[1] The cover was released on January 30, 2007,^[3] The title was announced at the end of a code breaking competition on November 22, 2006.^[4]

Plot

The novel begins with Cameron (Cammie) Ann Morgan and her mother, the headmistress of the Gallagher Academy, a girls' spy school, in Washington, D.C. Cammie is 'debriefed' about her relationship with Josh in a top secret underground location at the center of the Smithsonian Pentagon City Mall.

When Cammie returns to school, she and the other girls are frustrated because the East Wing is off-limits. Fumes from the chemistry lab have contaminated the area making the girls have to walk around the wing adding ten minutes to their walk back to their rooms.

While walking with Macey, Cammie overhears her mother and Mr Solomon outside the school library discussing "Black thorn." When Cammie remembers that there is no ventilation access from the chemistry labs to the East Wing, her roommates decide to investigate. During dinner with her mother Cammie finds a photo of her father and Mr Solomon. In the photo Mr. Solomon is wearing a shirt that says "Blackthorne Institute for Boys". The denied access to the East Wing and the cryptic conversations about "black thorn" suddenly becomes clear.

The next day on a CoveOps mission at the National Mall the class must get to the ruby slippers exhibit by five o'clock practicing counter-surveillance. Only one girl in the class succeeds in the mission. Cammie fails when Zach, whom Cammie believes to be a teenage boy, follows her from the elevator. After the failed mission fifteen boys, Zach being one of them, and their teacher Dr. Steve from the Blackthorne Institute, come to the Gallagher Academy and they take up residence in the East Wing.

Cammie meets Josh again during an exercise in Roseville, VA and finds out that he is dating DeeDee. For Cammie the incident confirms her mother gave Josh the special memory wiping tea. During a CoveOps/Culture and Assimilation cumulative exam Cammie and Zach dance together. Cammie has a slight wardrobe malfunction and she tries to leave via a passageway where Zach is waiting. A Code Black^[vague] occurs and Cammie gets blamed when Zach mysteriously disappears.

Cammie, Liz, Bex, and Macey decide to investigate the Blackthorne boys, but the covert listening devices in the boys rooms, and the tracking systems/trackers in their shoes, don't give them any information. Then Cammie goes on a study date with Zach.

On a Saturday trip into Roseville, Cammie and Zach are walking around town together, and Zach tries to kiss Cammie while knowing that Josh and DeeDee were watching. Cammie suddenly becomes aware of this and seeing that she hurt Josh, doesn't let Zach kiss her. On the same trip, the Gallagher girls have to come back early when Zach lies about seeing a trailer before. The girls arrive at the mansion to a massive security breach – a disk containing the information about all the alumni of the Gallagher Academy has been stolen.

Using a secret passage, the girls get out of the mansion and follow trackers that Bex and Liz planted on the Blackthorne boys. Macey comes across them outside in a Gallagher Academy van she "commandeered" and they follow the tracking devices. They meet up with the boys outside an abandoned manufacturing plant owned by the school. Zach convinces Cammie that he and the boys are innocent and they team up to get the alumni disk back from Dr. Steve, who stole it. They succeed in stopping Dr Steve from getting away when Bex puts him in a choke hold, and it is revealed that the recovery of the disk was a test to see if the girls could accomplish the mission with the boys.

At the end the Blackthorne boys have to leave and Zach kisses Cammie telling her "I always finish what I start" referring to the Saturday trip to Roseville.^[5]

Main characters

• Cameron "Cammie" Ann Morgan: Mainly known by her nickname. Cammie’s mother is the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Woman's headmistress. Cammie uses the codename "Chameleon", inspired by her gift as a pavement artist. When faced with a problem, she looks to her friends for help and advice.

• Rebecca "Bex" Baxter: One of Cammie's best friends. Bex is the first Gallagher girl in history to not be American. Her parents are active agents in England's M16. Bex is tough and very dramatic. Bex is always Cammie's right hand woman when it comes to missions.

• Elizabeth "Liz" Sutton: Also one of Cammie's best friends. Liz is the Gallagher Academy school brainiac. One of the few Gallagher girls without parents that are active, or former members of the nation's secret services. Liz is quite clumsy and is known to say "oopsie daisy" when she falls or knocks something over.

• Macey McHenry: The newest member of the Gallagher Academy. Macey is a fashion and boy expert. Her father is a senator and her mother owns a cosmetics company. She is a rebellious teenager and only accepted into Gallagher Academy because she is a descendant of the founder, Gillian Gallagher.

• Zachary "Zach" Goode: A student of a school newly discovered by the Gallagher girls. Zach is a hot boy who always seem to flirt with Cammie. He attends Blackthorne School for Boys and is a mystery for most of the book. He can be kind and caring but can also be a complete jerk.

• Mr. Joseph "Joe" Solomon: The newest teacher at Gallagher academy, Mr. Solomon was hired to be the new Covert Operations teacher the summer before Cammie's sophomore year. He takes his job seriously, and prepares Gallagher girls for life as a secret agent.

• Rachel Morgan: As a retired agent of the CIA, Mrs. Morgan makes the perfect Headmistress for Gallagher Academy. Although she knows how to kill people in seconds, and has lived most of her life as a covert operative, Mrs. Morgan doubles as a great mother for her daughter, Cammie.

• Dr. Steve Sanders: the chaperoning teacher from the Blackthorne Institute for Boys. He is fond of saying "excellent". He cooperates with Cammie’s mother and Mr. Solomon to test the Gallagher girls and Blackthorne boys by pretending to steal the alumni disk.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls)". Disney Hyperion. http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/board/displayBook.asp?id=1868. Retrieved 2010-01-13. 
2. ^ Carter, Ally. "Synopsis". http://www.allycarter.com/books/cross-my-heart-and-hope-spy/synopsis. Retrieved 2010-05-28. 
3. ^ "Cross My Heart—the cover!". Ally’s Diary. 2007-01-30. http://www.allycarter.com/2007/01/cross-my-heart-cover.html. Retrieved 2010-01-13. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "And the title is...". Ally's Diary. 2006-11-22. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20080531070006/http://www.allycarter.com/2006/11/and-title-is.html. Retrieved 2010-05-28. 
5. ^ Carter, Ally (October 2006). Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy. Disney Hyperion. pp. 240. ISBN 978-142310005-8. 

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