Margaret Atwood, Kasuo Ishiguro and A2 Literature Coursework

http://sawtryenglishlita2cw.blogspot.com/2008/11/margaret-atwood-on-handmaids-tale.html

This is the blog moderated by Ms. Smith for A2 Literature coursework at Sawtry. There are some wonderful ideas about the modern authors Kasuo Ishiguro and Margaret Atwood here, as well as some notes on Tennyson's poetry and some interesting video interviews with Ishiguro and Atwood. Have a look- you'll learn something useful!

Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman- review by Luke Morris, Y11

In this, the second of the Victorian series Pullman has writen we see Sally Lockhart thrust into a world of politics, love and war. She learns about the secrets of the aristocracy, the genocidal plans of the Tsar and how the richest man in Europe: Axel Bellmann has killed and hidden his way to success. She must take her place as the story's protagonist and stop his weapon from reaching completion. Things soon get personal when Bellmann knows her name and seeks to stop her.

The book combines love, hate, revenge and sheer wit. We see how Pullman takes Victorian society and unvails the darker side to it. He provides the reader with a book in which one has to think as well as read. As you go through the pages, the case becomes clears; you feel as if you were there at Scotland Yard trying to figure the whole thing out. Trawling through Patents and past news articles.

Pullman cleverly adds the side plots of a mysterous man who seems to have a history of different woman, however his current love seems to be the daughter of a well known aristocrat. The book advances with the love triangles between the heros and their suspects. Pullman contines to weave a series of different events, past fashbacks and memories until we see the culminated together at the end.

He continues from The Ruby in the Smoke, and allows The Shadow of the North to give birth to a new story. At the end when the story is thought to be over, he delievers his bombshell proving its is nothing more than a calm before yet another storm.

Girls Out Late- a review by Elllie Panter, age 11

Hiya! This book is so great I just had to write about it!!! If you like fun, best mates and a little breaking the rules this book is just for you. It's about a teenage girl called Ellie(like me!) and her two best friends, Magda and Nadine. They are meant to be watching a concert but it was cancelled, as soon as they were about to go home Nadine finds a boy she really likes and so they go back to his flat with Ellie and Magda and this guy's two mates who also live in the flat. When they are up in the flat bad things happen so they have to escape.But does one of the boys catch them? Who are these strangers? Read to find out. If you are between the age of 10 and 15 this book would be great for you. Other books,Girls in Love,Girls under Pressure and Girls in Tears. I hope you read this fab book.I'm over and out,this was Ellie Panter on Girls out Late. Byexxx

The Canterbury Tales- Sex and Thugs and Fol-de-rol...

Priests, peasants, the plague, poverty, pardons and puns about poop.

Sex and thugs and fol-de-rol.

I love Chaucer because he stands for something fundamentally wonderful: namely, that you can get much, much further with scholarship, wit, socio-political insight, beautifully-judged rhetorical figures and jokes about farting than you can with scholarship, wit, socio-political insight and beautifully-judged rhetorical figures alone.

Written in the 1380s, The Canterbury Tales uses a frame narrative (like Heart of Darkness- have a look at my post on that) to present a picture of a bunch of pilgrims from all walks of medieval life having a story-telling competition on their way to the tomb of Thomas Beckett in Canterbury. The pilgrims fuss, feud, fight, flirt, argue, interrupt, correct and engage in nauseating acts of social-climbing suck-uppery throughout their tales. It's rather more than a story made of stories: it's a story about why people tell stories, and the answer is that people tell stories because that's all that people ever do. It's what makes us human (well, that and having hair in odd places).

Don't be put off by the language: Chaucer wrote in Middle English and in rhyming couplets but you can get modern translations really easily- there are loads on the net (try http://www.librarius.com/cantales.htm) . And, if you're still not convinced, have a look at the accompanying video- it's Baba Brinkman, a rapper and medieval scholar, doing a version of the Pardoner's Tale, at Sawtry College as part of our Chaucer Day on October 17th. You can read more about Baba on http://www.babasword.com/or watch some of his videos here in The Library of Babble On: mouseclick the one below, which is from his visit to Sawtry, or the ones in the right sidebar.

Baba says the Pardoner reminds him of Kid Rock and his tale reminds him of Fifty Cent's first album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin'. I'm not nearly hip enough to argue, although for older readers I may as well mention that the Pardoner's Tale reminds me of The Treasure of Sierra Mardre, Reservoir Dogs and every movie Sergio Leone ever directed. The Miller's Tale, which Baba also performed for us, reminds me of the Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson TV show Bottom, but as it is ill-advised of me even to admit to awareness of such pop-culture vulgarity on an intellectual blog such as this I should probably just recommend that you read a bit of Chaucer and leave a comment if you liked his wonderfuly witty and sophisticated gags about blowing off in people's faces...

lovereading4schools

BUY SOME BOOKS!

See the link below? If you click on it, you get to the Sawtry Community College pages for lovereading4schools. It's an online book-shop like Amazon but better- you get to read extracts first (try before you buy- always a good idea) and some of the money goes back to us at school.

Here's how you use the site:

Go to http://www.lovereading4schools.co.uk/

Go to the red ‘for parents’ registration column on the right. Click on the box marked ‘If you are a parent, register here’

Fill in the details on the registration screen- first name, surname, email and a password.
Lovereading4schools will then send you an email with a link in it to verify your account. Follow the instructions in the email.

You’re now a member of Lovereading4schools. However, there are a couple more steps to take if you want to take advantage of the Sawtry Community College part of the site, which gives you bespoke reading lists created by the English department and means 5% all your purchases will be donated to the school in the form of book vouchers.

In the blackboard box titled ‘Search’ on the left on the lovereading4schools screen, enter ‘Sawtry’ and click ‘search’. This will take you to a list of schools. Find and click ‘Sawtry Community College PE28 5TQ’ You will then betaken Sawtry’s own page. There is a password to enter these pages as an extra layer of security. The password is ‘readallaboutit’

You are now ready to browse the lists, download reviews and extracts and purchase titles at reduced prices, with the added satisfaction of knowing you are benefiting the school. You will also find a link here where you can contact me directly at school should you wish to have a personal consultation about the suitable books for your child.

Buy your books from us- cheap as Amazon, and you're supporting education!


http://www.lovereading4schools.co.uk

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

Tomasau is a small and shy child that belongs to a religious group called the Hidden. They are a completely war free race and devote their time to their god. But the tribe's tranquil existance is shattered when the evil warlord, Iida Sadamu, massacres everyone in Tomasau's villiage. Everyone except Tomasau, who is saved by the mysterious Lord Otori Shigeru. Tomasau is told to change his name and becomes Takeo.

His quest for revenge takes him to places he has only thought of in his wildist dreams. He learns of magic powers he swore couldn't exist. Also he discovers more about his unique abilities such as: preternatural hearing, invisibility, and the ability to be in two places at once. Ultimately, though, it is a journey that will lead Takeo to true love, revenge in Sadamu's Black Castle and his destiny witin the walls of Inuyama.

A fantastic piece of Japanese influenced literature with an exquisite story and relatable characters. Be warned though, as it is also filled with adult laanguage, gore and, shall we say, rather raunchy scenes!!! A brilliant book by Lian Hearn.

Question: What is your view on war/adventure stories like this one and how does it compare?

Next time: I do a review on Grass for His Pillow, the second book in the Otori chronicles.

Indie Kidd by Karen McCombie

http://www.karenmccombie.com/Default.aspx?tabid=101

Have a little look at Karen McCombie's blog!

This is a great book about tree frogs, missing eyebrows and being a grown up! Suddenly Indie doesn't want to be a grown up any more, its much more fun being 10 and being able to do what you want most of the time!!!!!! Tell me waht you think.

Love Tillyxx