NEW LONGMAN LITERATURE 11-14 - Böcker

Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean and lonely businessman who despises the meaning of Christmas until one Christmas Eve when he is visited by the ghosts of his past, present and future…

What are the themes?

Relationships, individual vs. society and responsibility.

Teaching points

Many excellent passages which are good models for students' writing.

Extracts from: Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice.

Each story falls into one of five categories. Pre-1914, football, ghost stories, war stories and multicultural stories, ensuring there is material to appeal to all boys, and a match to the new Key Stage 3 Curriculum.

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What's the hook?

Action and tongue-in-cheek humour grip even the most reluctant reader.

What are the themes?

Moral dilemmas, the nature of heroism and individual vs society.

Teaching points?

Exciting action sequences, convincing dialogue and cinematic imagery make Stormbreaker ideal for modelling and storyboarding.  Allows for exploration of the thriller genre and comparison work with Fleming's James Bond.

What's the hook?

A fascinating and moving autobiographical novel. 

What are the themes?

Different cultures, families/generations, friendship, school life and the individual vs society.

Teaching points?

Excellent for multicultural work, as it is set against a background of life in Japanese occupied China.  Ideal for exploring narrative structure as it is told simply as a series of snapshots.  Comparative work opportunities as it includes the original story of Cinderella that originated in the Tang dynasty (AD 618-908).

What's the hook?

A jaw-dropping novel by popular children's novelist Anne Fine.

What are the themes?

Family and friendship raise PSHE issues such as reasons and the effects of bullying and peer pressure.

Teaching points?

Many excellent passages which are good models for pupils' writing.

What's the hook?

Entertaining and highly original, this novel appeals strongly to all young readers.

What are the themes?

Bereavement, family, grown up, self discovery, responsibility, relationships, social conscience and money and its power to corrupt!

Teaching points?

Many opportunities for studying framework objectives relating to humour, dialogue, characterisation and openings.

Sixteen-year-old Chanda Kabelo, living in sub-Saharan Africa, knows only too well the truth behind the secret people are trying to keep hidden: that all around her people are dying because of AIDS.  When her young stepsister dies, Chanda takes charge, organising the funeral for her grief-stricken mother.  But Chanda remains a girl like any other, with hopes, worries and secrets of her own.  Can she stay strong while helping her family to survive in the face of this tragedy?

When Francis Cassavant returns to his home town, his face horribly disfigured during World War II, he is tormented by memories of the conflict. People believe him to be a teenage war hero, not realising that his act of ‘heroism’ was in fact a suicide attempt. Back home, Francis has a mission – to get revenge on the youth leader he idolised, but betrayed him. And he’s prepared to do whatever it takes.

What are the themes?

Heroism, conflict, struggle against evil, guilt, forgiveness, loneliness, loyalty.

Teaching points

This short novel, with its gripping plot and engaging themes, is accessible to a wide range of abilities. Provides excellent opportunities for exploring structure and narrative viewpoint.