Month: June 2011

Richard shakes our world

Linda J

worldshaker2It was a privilege for our students to have a visit from the author of ‘Worldshaker’, Richard Harland, to our school this week. With his visit, he brought an understanding of the steampunk genre, tips for writers, and inspiration from his workshops with small groups of our writers.

‘Worldshaker’ has had worldwide success, being published in many different languages, and has now been followed by a sequel, ‘Liberator’. It tells the tale of Colbert Porpentine, as he embarks on a journey towards becoming the next Supreme Commander of the juggernaut, Worldshaker.  In a divided world, he lives on the upper deck in a state of privilege (rising from his family inheritance), while down many levels below, a contrasting state exists for the ‘filthies’.

As Col moves toward learning about his future role, he also learns of the world below which he had surprisingly little awareness of. Through his unexpected exposure to an escaped ‘filthy’, Riff, his understanding of life is challenged and impacts on his developing education for his future leadership role.

By examining his book, which many of students had read earlier, Richard was able to focus on some of the elements needed to create a great story. One of his strongest messages was to write from your own experiences rather than from what you have read or seen in movies. ‘Use and adapt your own experiences’: demonstrated, as students worked through episodes in the story, vividly creating their own descriptions.

The enthusiasm displayed by students in the writers’ group reflected inspiration from an enthusiastic and successful writer. Not only were they informed of the workings of the Steampunk genre, but of the rigour required for a solid body of work, the ways to capture the imagination of the reader, and methods for beginning the writing journey. Who knows what works were inspired by this visit.

Richard also spoke about his involvement in a collaboration with other fantasy writers, developed by Isobelle Carmody, in the book ‘The Wilful Eye: Tales From The Tower’ – a collection of retold fairytales. This enabled writers to consider, in a workshop exercise, aspects like where to begin a short story, how to reveal important details and from whose perspective the story might be told. Lots of food for thought for aspiring writers.

As several people also bought copies of ‘Liberator’, I’d also be interested in hearing reviews of the next in the series – any comments? Or any comments about how an author visit impacted on you…

Book Trailers

Linda J

booktrailersMany books are launched these days with more than just a poster in a bookshop. In this multimedia age, many authors (and/or their publishers) are using publishers’ websites, FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube to capture the attention of their potential readers; especially those attuned to some sort of screen during the day. So this is a new way of selecting books which you may be interested in reading.

Thus it is often possible to find a short book trailer being used to launch or further promote a book. Some examples I recently came across included not only newer books like Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and City of Ember by Jeanne du Prau; but also included classics such as Number the Star by Lois Lowry.

I had shown these to a class – to give them ideas for presenting a review of the books they had been reading for Literature Circles. The impact was quite powerful as we discussed some of the elements trailers involved. In short bursts, they learned of several books they had not all read. As one girl commented when leaving the class, the trailers could influence their choice, as much as a powerful book cover – “If I had seen that one (Number the Stars) before choosing my novel, I would have chosen it!”

Of course, this was only a ‘snippetty’ use of book trailers, and a lot more discussion and instruction would need to follow before students could begin to create their own. It’s certainly given food for thought, though at this stage we might spend a bit of time looking and reviewing examples first.

Most certainly, I will need to look into posts like that at Crystal Booth’s blog – http://www.squidoo.com/booktrailers to get started.

Thinking in the digital age

Linda J

resized_9781857885491_224_297_FitSquare‘We are getting both smarter AND more stupid at the same time. We are getting better at thinking quickly but worse at thinking things through properly. We are good at the fast and thin but bad at the slow and deep.’ A quote from a review for ‘Future Minds’ by Richard Watson from publishers Allen and Unwin

Google-eyed, multitasking mayhem, digital immortality, sampling generation, mentally agile but culturally ignorant, jumping around like caffeinated rabbits – these are some of the concepts and concerns raised in this book, as the author considers what life is like for the generation which has never experienced life without computers.

Watson questions the value of multi-tasking, pointing to a need for balance in our lives. He states that ‘We can do more than one thing at once, but we rarely do them well.’ (p. 6) We can find lots of information, are often incapable of ignoring irrelevant information, and the flood of information forces our thinking to become shallow. Thus, he argues that multi-tasking may harm thinking ability.

Also, the consequent demise of the attention span of the ‘net generation’ (or screenagers) means that students now demand shortened versions of texts, with interactivity and may find it hard to deal with difficult texts. Is this a result of practised shallow thinking? Will the students of the future even be able to ‘get’ the hard texts like Shakespeare, if  ‘we (they) have become too soft and our brains and bodies are accepting mush’? (p.38) Will the harder concepts be beyond the level of thinking our students are now practising? Should hard books be compulsory?

The book also spends a fair bit of time discussing the hurriedness of the digital life and its impact on our thinking. When surveying when and where people do their deepest thinking, a range of different places were suggested, though digital technology was hardly mentioned at all. Locations included:

  • alone
  • in bed
  • in the shower
  • in the car
  • when I’m reading a book/magazine/newspaper
  • outside
  • when I’m jogging/running

In a similar conversation with our Writers’ Group recently, students talked of inspiration 1). after a dream, 2). while doodling (in another language) and 3). taking themselves outside of the real world. While recognising the benefits of using technology to then share and communicate ideas, much of ‘the inital spark (always) came when people were disconnected’. (p. 96) 

Taking the time to ponder, either from a room with a view, or even outdoors, and joining the movement for slow thinking and single tasking, is going to become even more valuable in the future. Watson even suggests a need for all of us to reap the benefits of boredom and spend a whole day doing nothing!’ No conversation, no telephone calls, no email, no instant messaging….(p149) Imagine that! (Even Bill Gates escapes for weeks of solitude each year…)

Leading on from this, consider the value of a physical book in contrast with online reading which lies very much in its tactile nature. It is often a more relaxed process – not one where we jump around foraging for facts, but one where we are more likely to take the time to reflect and imagine.

There is much to consider in the book, ‘Future Minds’. Watson concludes:

‘Deep thinking is important because it changes things. It makes the world  better place. But there is another reason why it matters. Deep thinking is personally fulfilling.’ (p. 160)

Don’t we owe that to (our students and) ourselves?

Past – Forgotten

Linda J

Forgotten

Imagine waking up every day and having no memory of what happened the day before!  What about the idea of having to write yourself notes at the end of the night to make sure you know what to wear, what to take to school, what you are expected to be doing the following day? How would you feel if time passed by, and if you didn’t even remember the daily routines that helped you get through the things that others take for granted?

Does this sound a bit like the movie ’50 First Dates’? Well, you need to expand on this idea a bit, and add into it a character, London Lane, who is also able to ‘remember’ the future – a gift she is unsure of, and a gift her friend, Jamie, is keen she keeps to herself. Jamie does not want to be told about the outcome of her flirtation with a school teacher; nor will she heed the warnings of London, who naturally doesn’t want her friend to get hurt.

However, London is happy to know that, according to her future memory, Jamie will remain her friend in the years to come. She is not happy that she is not be able to ‘see’ and therefore, ‘remember’ the flat-out gorgeous guy who keeps turning up in her study periods at school. Since she doesn’t ‘remember’ Luke from the future, she thinks something must happen to him to wipe him from her life.

The lack of a memory is an interesting concept, and how it might impact on your life would be something for all to consider as you read through the troubles London faces – many of which teens might identify with, even without a memory problem! And many would love to have to have a supportive parent like London’s mum (in spite of her own struggles) and a very understanding, new boyfriend, like Luke. The seeming lack of awareness shown by her teachers is perhaps shown from London’s point of view, as there are no major consequences of her memory loss, and coping with daily class tasks doesn’t seem to be a problem; matters which don’t really surface too much.

This aside, ‘Forgotten’ is a compelling read, and author Cat Patrick has you guessing what may lie ahead. What could be the possible consequences for the things London forgets, her attempts to change the future, and her pursuit of her family history? With many twists and turns, you may never guess… And it will have you thinking long after the final chapter.

For more about American author, Cat Patrick and what inspired the writing of this,  her debut novel see: http://www.catpatrick.com/about/ 

People are already asking for a sequel! What do you think?

The Life of a Teenage Body-snatcher

Linda J

life of a teenage body-snatcherThomas wants to grant his grandfather’s last wishes – those which none of his family agreed to. Thus he finds himself in the dark of night, at his grandfather’s newly turned grave… to dig up his body and deliver him to help advances in medical science .

But he is not alone. He is watched, critiqued and finally assisted by a strange man, known as Plenitude.

Doug Macleod’s latest young adult novel is a black comedy set in England in 1828. It is filled with interesting and amusing characters. There is the mad gypsy who follows Thomas around to display her body of tattoos at the strangest moments. Mrs Timewell, Thomas’ mother, floats through the day on a cloud of laudnum, while haranguing their poor Scottish maid mercilessly. At school, Mr Atkins makes life miserable for his mathematics class, and especially for Charles, Thomas’ best friend, for whom he stand up against Mr Atkins.

By night, due to his reluctant involvement in more grave-robbing adventures, Thomas meets even more gruesome characters – none of whom he feels he can trust. He even comes to doubt the things that Plenitude shares with him – so he is always on the defensive, ready to spring from one misadventure, in this dark world, to the next.

Born a gentleman, with a potential for intelligence and quick thinking, Thomas navigates the daytime troubles of home-life with a befuddled mother, along with the nighttime adventures of macabre mysteries and back-stabbings. Thrown into this mix is an infatuation with a young girl, who is also not what she seems to be at first glance.

In a tale filled with meat cleavers, decapitated bodies, engulfing fires and visits by the Grim Reaper, Thomas survives. As the unlikely hero, he uncovers much of his family history, and at the same time, learns some intriguing information about medical sciences in this dark period of time.

‘The Life of a Teenage Body-snatcher‘ is also strangely funny at times – or is it a wicked sense of humour that the author has? You be the judge.

Nominated for the CBCA awards for Young Adult Readers this year (2011). What do you think?

Other reviews available at:

The Gathering

Kids Book Review