Spindrift

Isn’t this a wonderful story, beautifully told?

Your task is to go home and read Episode 1 again and then answer the following questions.

You can answer them on a sheet of paper or as a comment on this blog. There is a link to the web site on the right hand side of this blog - just click on “Inanimate Alice” under the Blogroll heading.

1. What I did (Explain how you read the story – did your eyes scan each screen from left to right? How did you feel about the sound, images, and words that would appear all at the same time on certain screens?)

2. What I enjoyed (Write about what you liked most about Episode 1)

3. What I found difficult (Write about the most difficult part of reading Episode 1)

4. What really worked (What was the best bit about the story and why)

5. Next time (What will you do when it comes to reading Episode 2? How will you prepare?
What tips might you share with other readers for their first digital story reading experience?)

Now watch episode 2, which will take about 10 minutes. Think about the questions above and be ready to tell us your thoughts on “Episode 2: Italy” at the next Book Club meeting.         Miss Durst

“The True story of Spit MacPhee” by James Aldridge.  

What did you think about this story of a nearly-eleven-year-old boy who, in the minds of some residents of his rural Victorian town, is almost neglected by his odd grandfather? 

There were times when I didn’t find Spit very likable, although I thought he was doing a terrific job of growing himself up. I had a vivid image of his living space, the brightly painted boiler, and could imagine all the other kids in St. Helen envying him for his relative freedom and lack of normal constraints. And while a child this age doesn’t have much in the way of power, whether back in the 1930s or now, this young boy managed to express his desires in very definite ways. I really enjoyed the chapters towards the end with the lawyers and judge - great characterisations, interesting portrayals and fabulous kicker at the end.

When you record your thoughts about this story, I’d also like you to find a couple of words used in the book that were unfamiliar to you. I found one, on page 184, that I don’t think I’ve EVER heard before: armigerous. I looked it up on  The Free Dictionary and found out that it means “bearing arms”. Ha! A new word. Tell us your new words and what they mean.

Miss Durst 

Cathy Freeman has written an engaging book about her life that contains plenty of photos and hand-written captions to explain them. I can really here her voice in these pages and I get a sense of what a gentle yet determined person she is.

I was particularly interested in her retelling of her family life and seeing pictures of her mum and brothers and sister. Her sister is the great motivator in Cathy’s life. And I also appreciated the few pages in the back that gave Cathy’s “Ten hot tips” and her time line.

What did you think?

When Dan’s parents move to Geneva he’s given the choice of accompanying them, going to boarding school or living with his aunt Jacq in Brisbane while he completes his final year of high school. Given that Jacq is only 6 years older than him, is a uni student, plays bass in a band and shares a house with another student, Naomi, this is what Dan opts for.

He discovers that he really doesn’t know much about looking after himself or carrying his load in a share house, but he’s keen to learn. He begins to get quite fond of Naomi, though, and spends time trying to figure out how he can be attractive to a uni student, while still studying calculus, Romeo and Juliet and maintaining ties with his parents.

There are some wonderful moments in this book and terrific characters: there’s the hopeless landlord, Phil, Dan’s eager and pustular mate at school, Chris, and Naomi’s thoughtless boyfriend.

I enjoyed this Nick Earls book (although I find it hard to believe that a 16 year-old would be doing year 12) and now I’d like to see the movie to compare it to.

How many books has this woman written? I think it’s dozens. Her work has been honoured with awards (Australian’s Children’s Book, Human Rights Award and others) and she herself has been given an honorary doctorate and the Dromkeen Medal. One book, “Hating Alison Ashley”, has been turned into a movie, too.

 Choose one of her titles and record your comments.

There is a definite canine theme happening on this blog at the moment, but it’s totally unintended.

This book by Markus Zusak contains the same characters as his earlier title, “Fighting Ruben Wolfe”, although I don’t know that from my own reading. I found it to be complete in itself and I don’t feel I’ve missed anything by not reading the other book first.

It starts on a very lusty note but we soon get a picture of a teenage boy that’s much bigger than those particular thoughts and inclinations. Cameron Wolfe wants to mature, stand up for himself, stand FOR something and be someone. He admires both his older brothers, his father and his mother (who he calles Mrs. Wolfe), and feels some concern for his older sister. At the same time, he doesn’t like the way his brother Ruben treats girls and wonders whether Steve has any doubts about himself. So really, Cam seems to have a pretty realistic view of the members of his family, loving them but seeing their shortcomings too.

Cameron starts writing and this gives him a strong sense of “okayness”, for the first time in his life. And then he meets a girl he likes very much, which also brings a sense of rightness with it.

There’s a dark thread through the story but I reckon that’s a lot like teenage years can be. It’s not an easy book to read, but the language is terrific, the poetry that Cameron writes is moody and fascinating and the characters are totally believable to me.

What did YOU think?

(Photo from www.abc.net.au)

I have just finished listening to “Red dog” by Louis de Bernieres on audio book, and what a fabulous listen it was, too.

The stories in this title are about a dog that apparently lived in Western Australia, travelling around, cadging lifts with people, having adventures, belonging to no-one and to everyone. True dinks! People loved him and looked out for him, across vast distances in that already gargantuan state. The dog was commonly called Red and was known for his farts, his dignity and his freedom-loving personality.

The descriptions of the dog, the people in his life and the land they inhabit bring sharp images to mind and arouse giggles, wonder, anxiety and, on occasion, tears. The author is English, which is very surprising to me since the language is so Australian. The voice of the reader (David Field) is quite Strine but gentle, melodic and soothing, adding so much atmosphere to the stories.

We have the book in our library, although not the audio version. If you decide to read it, I’d like to know what you think of the whole narrative. I wonder if it’s just as fabulous when you read the words…

Welcome to this wide open space to record your opinions and responses to the various books you’ll be reading in the Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (PEGS) Book Club.

We can explore genres, styles, themes, language, preferences and other qualities related to writing and being a reader.

What excites you? What frightens you? How would you like to use this blog?

And what does Spindrift mean, anyway?