Book Week Dress Up Day

As promised, here's today's dress up efforts.

Can I tell you that suit was like wearing a doona and I BAKED most of the day, despite it being cold and rainy.

My year 12s found it hard to take me seriously when I was discussing Anti-American Imperialist discourse dressed as Tigger.

bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!

Book Week!

Yes it's Book Week and that means lots of fun activities at school, culminating in a dress up day tomorrow.

The theme, as you can see is Book Safari and here you can dress to the theme OR come as your favourite character. I will be combining the two and dressing as Tigger (photos tomorrow.) Do you remember parading as your favourite character when you were a kid? And who would you choose now?

On Friday the winners of the CBC awards will be announced. Have you read any of these?

D.M. CORNISH Monster Blood Tattoo Book Two: Lamplighter (Omnibus Books, Scholastic Australia)

Anthony EATON Into White Silence (Woolshed Press, Random House Australia)

Jackie FRENCH A Rose for the Anzac Boys (Harper Collins Publishers)

Melina MARCHETTA Finnikin of the Rock (Viking Penguin Group Australia)

James MOLONEY Kill the Possum (Penguin Group Australia)

Shaun TAN Tales from Outer Suburbia (Allen & Unwin)

My guess, and it would be a complete guess, is Melina Marchetta. I haven't read it though... just going on her cred.

So, happy Book Week and happy tales,

Barking Owl

cheating at reading/ self imposed spoliers

There's a funny article over at the Guardian about cheating at choose your own adventure stories. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Cute, hey?

So this got me thinking about whether you're the sort of reader who will peek at the ending of the book, or do you prefer to let the tale take you there?

I can't look. In fact I'm never even tempted. There are times that I don't make the ending, but that's different; if I don't care enough about the characters or the narrative to finish, then what happens at the end really isn't of much concern either.

Then there are the books that you don't want to finish, because then you won't be reading them anymore!

Here's a list of books that would have been completely ruined if I had known the ending prior to reading: (don't worry, no spoilers here!)

• There's A Monster At the End of This Book by Jon Stone
• The Life Of Pi by Yann Martel
  
• Storm Boy by Colin Theile
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Which ending has surprised you the most? Or satisfied you the most? Do you self-impose spoilers?

happy tales,
barking owl

The Dreaded Class Novel OR how to kill reading pleasure.

At my school, we are in the process of deciding which novels to teach next year, 2010, which sounds like a date from the FUTURE to me, something from a science fiction text!

We run a class novel in every year group, with varying degrees of success. It always breaks my heart when students are casually discussing how little of these books they actually read. Some of them get by on classroom discussion, reading the bare minimum and hoping for the best.

It is always a trying process to find novels that all the teachers want to teach, that have some literary merit, aren't too adult and (as you might have gathered from my blog tagline) have strong, feisty teenage girls as central protagonists. There are lots of other criteria too: like some issues to discuss, the writing needs to be tight and the narrative satisfying. You're probably thinking it's a miracle that we find anything at all.

We had a lovely lot of books on appro from Westbooks and have enjoyed reading some of the latest YA ficiton. BUT nothing has leaped out yet.

What is your most hated class text?

Mine was taught by the most fearful headmistress, you know the kind: aging but still intimidating, formidable stare, terrifying habit of calling on you when you were dozy or unprepared. The novel was Bel Ria (something about a dog and a monkey apparently!) and her lessons consisted of reading a chapter out loud then setting questions that we would do for homework for her next lesson the following week. ALMOST killed my love of English, only saved by my regular teacher (think Miss Honey from Roald Dahl's Matilda.)

As a result, I try really hard not to kill a book with endless comprehension questions, and I try REALLY hard not to let teen apathy kill a book for me. My tens are struggling through To Kill A Mocking Bird right now, and I'm thinking of fun ways to teach it.

Ok, let me know which books were crucified for you by a teacher. Have you gone back to read it later? Or will it always be dead to you?

happy tales :)

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Meme

Here goes:

1) What has been one of the highlights of blogging for you?

I am such a newbie at this. I guess I've enjoyed the reflection on my reading, choosing the texts and thinking about what effect my comments might have on readers. I like the compliments on my writing too :)

2) What blogger has helped you out with your blog by answering questions, linking to you, or inspiring you?

My friend Sarah put me onto the joys of blogging in the first place, and gave me the confidence and kick in the pants that I needed to get started.

3) What one question do you have about BBAW that someone who participated last year could answer?

Which blogger inspired you the most?

Looking forward to the week!

Book Hoot #12 Jasper Jones

Jasper Jones tells the story of Charlie Bucktin and the insular mining town of Corrigin in the 1960s. Charlie and his friend Jeffery Lu are outsiders, but not to the same extent as Jasper Jones, a 'mixed race' boy who seems to be the town scapegoat for every misdemeanour. When Jasper knocks on Charlie's louvered windows one night, nothing will be the same for either of them again.

Craig Silvey's coming of age story makes many intertextual references that younger readers might not understand. The love interest, Eliza Wishart is obsessed with Breakfast At Tiffany's, Charlie voraciously consumes Twain, and Harper Lee's classic To Kill A Mockingbird makes many appearances throughout the text. Sometimes this is a bit forced to be honest.

I was reading Jasper Jones with teaching in mind, and it would make an excellent bridge between Mockingbird and Atonement. I feel it is important for WA students to read a text published by a West Australian, set in their home state. We tried Sorry by Gail Jones for this reason, to an underwhelming response. JJ has a much more engaging plot and more accessible themes. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps... I do have a few content and language concerns.

Jeffery Lu is the standout character in this text. He is a witty, quirky boy who will make you laugh out loud. (Sometimes I wondered if his voice would ring true with adolescent readers; there is an early conversation about superheroes that I found far too 'adult'.) In any case, he is memorable for his questions, and the cricket game is one of the best underdog performances I've read for a long time.

Jeffery Lu's best question: would you rather wear a hat made of spiders, or have penises for fingers?

Well, what would you prefer? ( And yes the spiders are venomous.)

Happy reading :)

Fantastic Mr Fox

How very cool does this look?

@ Yahoo! Video