**spoiler alert** Well. Okay. This book was meticulously researched, and beautifully written.
However.
I am not 12. And I don't need to have the emotion...more**spoiler alert** Well. Okay. This book was meticulously researched, and beautifully written.
However.
I am not 12. And I don't need to have the emotion of world war one beaten over my head. This book was ridiculous! It ticked pretty much every 'pull on your heartstrings' box.
Father dies unexpectedly and suddenly. TICK. A character with learning and mental disabilities. TICK. A character so ridiculously grotesque and bullyish one finds it hard to believe anyone in the world could exist like him. TICK. Pre-marital sex and subsequent baby. TICK. Horrific first world war trench scene. TICK. The 'enemy' showing mercy. TICK. The death of one of the leading characters. TICK.
Do yourself a favour, and just start crying now. Right now. Before you have even finished the first chapter. Because that is what Morpurgo must have been planning from the start to finish of this text. As I have a cold lifeless heart, I found it annoying and predictable, rather than emotional and inspiring.
But like I said. I'm not 12. Which is who this text is intended for. Morpurgo can give himself a slap on the back, because I assure you they are all crying whilst reading this book.(less)
Well really this has all the things that I should love about a book. *Dystopian setting. *Zombies (who technically aren't zombies, but whatever, they a...moreWell really this has all the things that I should love about a book. *Dystopian setting. *Zombies (who technically aren't zombies, but whatever, they are.) *A potential kick ass female protagonist.
But it only managed two stars, and here are three reasons why.
1. I wanted more from the world. Granted it got there a little bit towards the end, but overall there are too many questions for me. Why did the powers that be allow the radio's to work for 3 years? Only cutting them off 2 weeks previous to the action we witness? Were the flashbacks at the beginning of each chapter supposed to be random? Or were we supposed to find hidden meaning within them? Was that one particular flashback in which Sherry was really sick a foreshadowing? Is she actually immune from the rabies?
Am I reading too much into her chewing on her pen and ending up with a black mouth? Is this a metaphorical jibe at how death and disease will haunt and follow her everywhere? I THINK I AM!
2. Lord have mercy, there are grotesque, inhumane monsters chasing you but we still have time for romancin'. Which, I know, I know. This is YA. This is what YA does. Don't complain about a genre that is very open and honest about what it is. But really? If we are going to have some romancin' can it at least be a little heart fluttering? Because Joshua cupping Sherry's face multiple times kind of doesn't do it for me. Not only that. Where did it come from?! She kissed him on the cheek once and all of a sudden he likes her like that? It felt contrived and too easy. I can cope with it only because it's not a triangle. But so help me God, if that dude from her past happens to saunter back in and cause havoc for the romancin', I might choke.
(As a side note. I really liked Joshua's character. I think he was the better developed of the bunch, showing a range of emotions and reactions over the course of the novel. Sure, he was clunky at times, and some of the time we were told how he was feeling because Sherry amazingly read it on his face. But I think he was interesting. Sue me.)
3. Sherry herself. I'm actually waiting for the follow up novels before I fully decide. But right now it feels as though Winnacker is trying too hard at making her the kick ass female she wants her to be. Sherry didn't play with dolls growing up, she preferred building blocks! She was a bit of a fighter in her past life, beating up bullies and learning to shoot! She takes care of her parents, because she is so mature! I just don't know. I need to be shown this stuff, not told it. And what I was shown was a female character, who despite hoards of Weepers wanting to kill her, was still concerned about killing these things that had once been human. Her constant moralising on whether it was wrong or right to kill the insane beasts chasing you down, just didn't cut it for me. These aren't ducks we're talking about! You're not out shooting for sport with your father! You're trying to rescue your father! Get with the programme and shoot some zombies in the head already! That would have made her a little more bad ass for me.
Overall I think the biggest twist was left till the end, where it was info dumped on us by the previously voiceless character. It is this twist alone that will keep me reading the series. It won't be because I found anything deep and meaningful and clever in this novel. Because in general, I think it was zombie killing interspersed with romancin'.
It was a quick, mostly enjoyable read. It didn't annoy me greatly and I think there are even a few glimpses of greatness in some of the flashbacks to Sherry's literal other life. But I was kinda' hoping for more.(less)
Page 182 - Why is this book taking me so long to read? Why? WHY?!
Completed: Oh right. That's why.
Let's get down to it, you guys. This is self publish...morePage 182 - Why is this book taking me so long to read? Why? WHY?!
Completed: Oh right. That's why.
Let's get down to it, you guys. This is self published. I love the idea of self published, it calls to my grass roots, fight against the man ideals. But please, someone point me to a piece of good self published writing, because this certainly ain't it.
There seems to be a lot of complaints about the mundane concept; girl finds out she's not human and promptly goes on the adventure of her life, whilst falling in love along the way. Don't get me wrong, this was the concept. But, I think Hocking was clever in that this fantasy, dream world actually turned out to be pretty dire. I thought this was a nice take on the typical girl-gets-everything-she-has-ever-dreamed-of.
So my complaints with this story are rooted solely in the abysmal representation of women. Let's break it down, and here is where there may be some spoilers, for those of you that still want to chance reading this book.
Human mother/Kim: Is crazy. Here is your mad woman in the attic character, wild hair, crazy eyes, foaming at the mouth. Okay, not foaming at the mouth, but really now. I love a mad woman in the attic character. I think they are often the most complex and interesting. And I believe the same for Kim. But this poor woman was given a bad time! As it turns out she was completely justified in believing that Wendy wasn't her daughter! BECAUSE SHE WASN'T! Because of this, and because it is a woman's desire in life to have children and be all maternal and shit, Kim just couldn't take the strain and went insane. Yes I rhymed for you.
Troll mother/can't remember her name/whatever: The polar opposite to Kim. She is completely lacking in any mothering skills. She is cold, and hard, and harsh, and completely unlikeable. Because these are the two extremes we are allowed to see when it comes to mothers. Crazy with maternal love vs. lacking in maternal love. There is no inbetween here, you guys. Women, take note, you should either have children and do it right, or just not do it at all.
Which leads me to my biggest issue with this story, darling Wendy: On thinking back about the story, it soon became clear that Wendy did absolutely nothing. She got hit. She fell down. She didn't even bother to use/learn more about her powers. She got rescued continually by our man of the moment, Flinn. She bit her tongue so often and seemed so un-bothered by having no answers provided to her, I just wanted to be able to shake her up. She left her brother and aunt behind with barely a second thought. She was so inordinately selfish I'm unsure how anyone would warm to her as a protagonist!
I'm bowing out of this series here. I can see where it is heading already: Lot's of love triangles. My poor brain can't cope with it all. I can put up with much if I have an interesting, semi-independent female lead. But that is not Wendy, so I am not reading!(less)
As a bit of a Buffy purist (read: loving the earlier seasons best) I had mixed feelings about this series. I guess my stars echo that also.
On the one...moreAs a bit of a Buffy purist (read: loving the earlier seasons best) I had mixed feelings about this series. I guess my stars echo that also.
On the one hand: OMG! BUFFY! IT CONTINUES! AND JOSS WHEDON IS DOING IT! *Cue fangirl squealing*
And on the other: Oh gosh. Just let it die. Season 6 and 7 were pretty dire. The plot lines were contrived, all the love between the scoobies had disappeared and Buffy was interminably annoying.
But I cracked it open anyway, and was pleasantly surprised. This really is Buffy with no budget. There's a flying Willow. And guns. And a whole team of slayers. AND NOT ENOUGH GILES. Ahem.
My complaint is that whilst I felt the the portrayal of friendship between the scoobies was better than it had been in the final eps. It still didn't match up to the sensitive, heart warming moments that seemed to be lost around season 4 or so. But maybe that is because this is a graphic novel, and I really can't have my cake and eat it at the same time.
The final story in this volume is the one I found closest to old school Buffy. It was carefully and beautifully depicted, and I really felt like it got to the heart of why so many of us fell in love with this kick-ass show in the first place.
I'll be reading the rest of the volumes for sure. (less)
I just remembered why I took so long to get around to reading a book I'd had on pre-order for a few months before it's release. I had a terrible feelin...moreI just remembered why I took so long to get around to reading a book I'd had on pre-order for a few months before it's release. I had a terrible feeling it would go this way, but I carried on regardless. But I can deny it no more. This... this book. It's... well, it's a fracking love story!
1 Star = Good job, you wrote a book and managed to get it published. 2 Star = I love Xander. I kind of liked Indie. Some of the writing was beautiful.
I'm not a fan of book 1, but I still can't get over the fact that this is supposed to be a young adult dystopian novel. These things are written for me, you guys. I love them. And I went into this one hoping some of the unending, unanswered questions left from the first instalment would finally be answered.
I think Condie has a beautiful, poetic writing style. It is perfect for writing a love story. When you read her words you can do nothing but let them envelop you in their gentle beauty. Unfortunately the enveloping was a little too heavy and I mostly had to try to keep my eyes open through this book.
It's pages and pages contemplating love, what love is, who loves who, how to write a poem about love, and OH MY GODS - cut me some slack. My favourite character wasn't even IN this book.
Xander, bless his heart, was cut ruthlessly out of this novel, and instead I was forced to read the inner dialogue of Cassia and Ky CONTEMPLATING Xander. I don't want to contemplate him! I want him in the novel, in all his cheeky glory!
And if we're going down the character route, let's discuss. The new kids? For the most part bland, boring, yawn. But maybe that is because they all sound the same. Condie struggles to give her characters a unique sense of voice. On more than a few occasions I was confused about the use of feminine/masculine pronouns the narrator was using because I genuinely didn't know which character I was reading.
On the plus side, for a while there I thought Ky was going to surprise us with some gay tendencies. WHICH. HELLO? Where *are* all the gays in this place? Surely that would be an interesting avenue to explore in a society that takes all free will away from its members.
Don't even talk to me about Vick. Just. Don't. I can't even handle the manipulative way in which Condie used his character in order to force some sense of feeling out of the readership. I can't EVEN.
Ky? I guess he's semi-interesting. His reason for not liking The Rising made no sense to me though. Where was he planning on going? What did he think would happen? Him and Cassia were just going to wonder around The Carving for the rest of their days?
AND WHILE WE'RE HERE. Did they, or did they not have The Sex?? (See, I can capitalise too.) REALLY now, you guys. They had 'just one night'. They made a big deal out of having 'just one night'. So did they really just hold hands and kiss on their 'just one night'? I NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS. There was a kind of flashback memory on Cassia's part, when she remembers him touching her in different body parts. But it just isn't clear to me.
Cassia? I can take or leave her. I appreciate Condie's attempt at creating a female character that is strong, and smart and blah blah blah. But I do not appreciate the anvilicious attempted feminist overtones. Just because you have a boy narrating at how strong the female is - doesn't mean she is any different to any other love-lorn female protagonist out there. In fact, I would go so far as to say I have some issues with a female character being summed up and idealised by a male character.
I felt like I was running a relay race that required full dexterity in order to dodge the flying anvils.
Was the point of this book? That they had reached that part of their relationship where they had to realise neither one of them isn't perfect? Where they had to overcome that stage in which they place one another on a pedestal? Was that it? Thinking about it, maybe that was it. Because, after all, this is a love story with a side of dystopia.
I still haven't got answers. Are The Enemy and The Society one and the same? Is The Society sending out all the anomolies to die, and ultimately killing them their selves? Why are The Rising just as controlling and gross as The Society? They finally found it and were still told exactly where they had to go and do! Why don't the tablets work on everyone? WHY the hell are the blue tablets poisonous? What is The Warming?! Is that like global warming?! Who the hell put Ky's name in The Matching? WHY IS EVERYTHING CAPITALISED?! DO I EVEN CARE?!
I just realised this review would suggest I do care. When in actual fact I finished this book a couple of days ago and have only thought about it in order to write this review. If this wasn't a trilogy I would stop here. But there's only one to go. So.
FINAL PREDICTION I tell you now, if Condie attempts to manipulate us into thinking Xander is not 'meant to be' with Cassia by character assassinating him in the next book, I might flip out. Push tables over. Throw things out of windows. The whole nine yards. Coz this is where I fear it's going, you guys.
Strap in tightly, there's a scientology rant in here! Wheeee!
Anybody who knows a marginal amount about sociopaths/psychopathy would be right in thinki...moreStrap in tightly, there's a scientology rant in here! Wheeee!
Anybody who knows a marginal amount about sociopaths/psychopathy would be right in thinking it is dangerous, and can be, an evil condition. This book is not so much about that. Sure, it is Ronson's 'journey' through the madness industry, but that includes a dally with scientologists, a brief glimpse into the world of diagnosing/medicating bi-polar children and a tale of reality TV hell.
He throws around a lot of big wig psychopathy names. He even had drinks on several occasions with Bob Hare himself! But I was mistaken in believing this was going to be a research based book, looking into the idea of how many of our businesses/governments/Really Important People are, in fact, psychopathic.
What you get instead, is an almost jovial romp through one random experience after another, all narrated in the semi-humorous, semi-deadpan voice of Ronson.
I will admit to getting three thirds of the way through this book, and wondering where the hell it was going. Where did all these strings connect? What was the overall point going to be?!
And then he made it. And I felt a little disappointed to say the least. But before I get to that, let’s talk about how it does in fact raise some very interesting questions, and how it also doesn’t raise enough.
The idea of psychopathy being diagnosed based on a 20 point list is perhaps the most interesting question. You see, as long as you get 30 points or more out of 40, you are officially a psychopath. Ronson went on a course taught by Bob Hare himself in order to learn how to ‘spot a psycho’. However, what I find to be the most terrifying aspect of psychopathy, the lack of empathy, or of any ability in fact to feel ‘normal’ human emotion, may in fact be one of the 10 points missing from any given psychopath’s overall score.
This begs the question, should all psychopath’s be treated the same, if they all tick a variety of boxes?
An even more interesting question that Ronson didn’t touch on, is what leads some psychopath’s to be violent, aggressive, evil people? And what leads others to be CEO’s of big companies? This is where I thought this book was leading, but this is not where it went at all.
Perhaps my biggest issue with the book was his dangerous lack of research into scientology. Or perhaps it was just a fear of what the litigious nature of scientologists would do to him if he did, in fact, write about them in any more detail. You see, he made points about how they are indeed a little crazy, and how they may be making a valid point about anti-psychiatry but taking it too far. But what he failed to acknowledge in any way, is that scientology is arguably run by one of the most well protected psychopaths out there. How can any ‘religious’ (and let me make clear that, yes, those quotes are there for a reason. Scientology is as much a religion as the Avon lady trying to sell you her wares is) group claiming to be against something so vehemently, also be led by someone badly in need of some anti-psychotic councelling/medication? These threearticles do a brilliant job of detailing some of the issues surrounding the cult, and they explain in much more detail about the three defectors that Ronson moved over very quickly.
Where it ended up was a vague conclusion about how maybe we shouldn’t label people based on their psychopathic criteria, maybe we should base them on their human criteria. Which also brought in a whole side story about how mental illnesses are being diagnosed far too easily and far too young, in some cases. (It would seem from Ronson’s narrative this mostly takes place in America. But who knows, it was a vague side story that only interviewed one mother with 2 diagnosed and medicated bi-polar children, and felt like it was there just for Ronson to point out how bad that mother was for not being able to cope with her children.)
Did it feel like he was sympathising with psychopaths? Kinda, yeah. Did it feel like he had really got to the crux of what is possible if you are a psychopath? Not really, no.
But at the same time, it still made me wonder about the humanity of some psychopaths. If one feels no emotion as we know it, no empathy or conscience, where is the humanity in that? Can someone be human if they experience no humanity? And how do you cope with that? These are questions that weren’t really answered. But questions I’m hoping other books on this topic might.
It’s a really easy read. Even with my issues with it I would recommend it, I passed it onto my mother as soon as I had finished it and she too finished it in less than a day. (less)
I was 13 in 1996. I remember in great detail when my friend got her first beeper and thinking it was revoluti...moreOh boy, oh boy, oh boy. What a mixed bag.
I was 13 in 1996. I remember in great detail when my friend got her first beeper and thinking it was revolutionary. Little bit pointless, but revolutionary!
I remember signing on to AOL, hearing the crackle and beep as the internet connected, and being welcomed by that automated voice.
I remember ask jeeves being the search engine of choice and hotmail being the best email provider.
I remember sitting on my stairs nearly in tears because I was supposed to be online at 8pm. In a chat room. Chatting with friends. At 8pm. And WHY was my mother doing this to me? She knows I need to be there! JUST GET OFF THE PHONE ALREADY!!
Because we had one communal computer in our house. And in 1996-1997/8 we had one phone line.
Oh how I remember those days. Days without mobile phones. Without Wikipedia to do your homework. Without email and msn and facebook. So what a brilliant premise for a book. Set it in the time just before the internet took off, and have your characters come across their own facebook 15 years in the future. Sheer genius!
But it is also in this genius that the biggest failing of this book lays. Namely, that I was 13 in 1996. I'm 28 now. Surely the target audience for this novel will have no recollection of 1996? And more importantly, no recollection of a pre-internet time.
The nostalgia that runs through this novel was written for me. For my generation. And don't get me wrong, I think the nostalgia that runs through this novel is brilliant. It is so brilliant, I want to live in 1996 again. I want to be a teenager again, one that doesn't have to worry about what is written on facebook about me. One that actually leaves the house to hang out with friends. To go to the park. To ride bikes. I want to be a teenager that takes photos and doesn't have them tagged on the internet, but fills up photo albums with them.
Sadly, I don't think the target audience of this novel will appreciate all that stuff as much as me.
I want to address some of the comments I've seen floating around, about how shallow and vapid Emma is. That she only dates boys for their looks and doesn't care about anyone but herself. To that I say; B U L L S H I T
Double standard much? I can think of multiple YA and adult books in which the male character can think only of the girls BOOBIES. And how hot she is! And how fiiiine her ass looks in her tight, tight jeans. And how they want to date her because she is so hot.
How dare a female character be attracted to a boys hair, or chest, or eyes. How dare she! That is not what girls are supposed to be like! They aren't supposed to date boys and not really care much for them! They aren't supposed to spend their time thinking about their selves and being concerned that they are unhappy in the future! GOD DAMN THESE SELFISH, SHALLOW WOMEN!
Emma was a teenage girl! A teenage girl figuring herself out, and not causing much harm in the process if you ask me. She eventually came to see that she was so unhappy 15 years in the future, because she was so unhappy now. What a poignant revelation to have as a teenager.
Phew okay. Rant over.
In general I thought this book was a delight. It was clever in it's premise, average in it's execution, and rushed in it's ending. But it is in the depth of message that I most appreciated it.
Because our actions do have consequences. Everything we do today, every way in which treat somebody, speak to somebody, every little bit of effort we do or don't put in; they all have consequences. I can't get past the sheer genius of a teenager seeing just how directly her actions affect her life 15 years into the future, to give this book any less than 4 stars.
I just want an adult version of this written. One that is aimed at my generation. And one that can be truly appreciated.(less)
Imagine my joy on finding a YA Welsh literature novel. I didn't even know they existed! This novel was getting 4 stars up until the very end. The endin...moreImagine my joy on finding a YA Welsh literature novel. I didn't even know they existed! This novel was getting 4 stars up until the very end. The ending was so unsatisfactory I felt like I had wasted time reading any of it. Which is such a shame because up until that point, I really thought I had stumbled upon a hidden gem of a book. I am only the fifth person to take this out from my local library, the book is in near perfect condition, and I just had to add it manually to the goodreads library. So when I say hidden gem, I really meant hidden gem!
This is a novel about Twm Sion Cati, Wales' version of Robin Hood. I can't explain how exciting this is for an English teacher in Wales, to find a YA novel that deals with Welsh culture and history? This ticks all kinds of Curriculum Cymraeg boxes!
Not only that, like I said, it's really good! There is a new girl settling in to a new life, arsey celebrities, humour, time travel. No really, you guys. There is time travel. You see the premise of this book is that Midge, the female protagonist, somehow finds herself back in the 16th century in Twm's cave by some total fluke of nature. The highjinks that occurs is both charming and readable, and Midge becomes more and more likeable as the story emerges. The narrative is peppered with Welsh words, and traditional Welsh items of culture. It's imaginative, and enjoyable, and at this point I was all ready to rave on goodreads about it.
Then BAM, it changes. (view spoiler)[ Because Midge returns to her time, with Twm crashing in on the journey, and this is where it goes down hill. Midge remembers nothing other than confusing glimpses of her 4 weeks in the 16th century. She ultimately falls in love with Twm again, but not before betraying him and being really annoying in the process.
This was so frustrating for me as a reader, all the character growth she had gone through previously just disappeared to nothing. She returned to her selfish, stunted teen self, and I realised how much I had grown to love the character she had become. (hide spoiler)]
It wasn't ever going to reach 5 stars for me for three reasons. 1) For such an imaginative novel about Twm Sion Cati, it really didn't give us enough information about him. Anybody reading this novel having never heard of him, would have left not much the wiser about his history. Some of the famous anecdotes are included, but it doesn't ever feel like there is much depth. Perhaps that is because there are such mixed reports on him, I don't know.
2) It had glimpses of female brilliance, then it was almost as if Ms Morgan got nervous about the feminist overtones and had to reign it in. I think this was all due to (view spoiler)[ the regression of her character. She built up a glorious competent, self sufficient character, and then forced her back into submission with the loss of her memory. It was beyond frustrating. (hide spoiler)]
and, 3) The final chapter was 2 and a half pages long. It was completely unsatisfactory, aside from a little glimpse into the 16th century Midge I had come to know and love, and left us with far more questions than answers. It really did feel rushed, as if a final word was an afterthought that needed to be dealt with. It really was a disappointing finish to a book with such great potential.
All in all I would recommend this novel. The story really was one of the most imaginative and, therefore, exciting that I have come across in quite a while. More Welsh Lit YA, please!
"I am Sadye Paulson, even if some people do call me Sarah, and there is a bigness inside of me. So I will figure out what to do with it."
Oh E. Lockhar...more"I am Sadye Paulson, even if some people do call me Sarah, and there is a bigness inside of me. So I will figure out what to do with it."
Oh E. Lockhart. I love you. I just do. I can't be unbiased when reviewing anything by Lockhart, because I really do just love her. I love her characters, I love her style, I love her messages, I LOVE that her books are not romances.
Dramarama is no different. This is not a novel about summer romance with another person in the way you would normally think of a summer romance. This is a novel about a love for theatre, for musicals, for drama and the stage and everything that comes with that.
This is a novel about a friendship between two people. It is about understanding how some friendships come about, about how they are sometimes a necessity, and sometimes not for a lifetime.
This is a novel about complex issues related to racial privilege. About needing to understand you come from a place of privilege before being able to understand anyone else. About needing to understand there are racial privileges, and how being a 'I don't see colour' person really doesn't benefit anyone.
This is a novel, of course, about a brilliant female. About a girl with a very physical 'bigness' in terms of height, but also in terms of presence, and thought, and spirit. Sadye is glorious, she is loud, and outspoken, and nervous, and self doubting. She is so thoroughly real in her reactions and responses to things, which is one of the reasons I love Lockhart so. She creates female characters that are honest, and smart, and big.
Sadye knows she has what is referred to as a 'lurking bigness' throughout the novel. She constantly questions. She constantly thinks. She is constant in her individuality. Whether it be how to relates to other females, other boys, her teachers. I just thought she was brilliant.
I love an author that isn't afraid to construct a female character who isn't dependant on a romantic interest. And Lockhart does this, over and over and over again. She gives her characters space to be human, and doesn't ever bend to damaging female stereotypes. She is never afraid of creating a big female character. There is no concern over females inhabiting Lockhart's literary space, that is exactly what she is writing for. She is fighting back and giving her girls thoughts and feelings and ideas that are important and real.
I could do a whole in-depth analysis of any of Lockhart's novels. But simply put. I love her. (less)
Read in preparation for a youth retreat I'm helping lead. Some nice sacred space exercises, and one of the the only books I have seen think about God i...moreRead in preparation for a youth retreat I'm helping lead. Some nice sacred space exercises, and one of the the only books I have seen think about God in a kinaesthetic way.
Takes a while to read because of the slow nature of the contemplative exercises.
Like with any personal exercise book, it's all very naval gazing-y (real term) and self reflective. Almost makes you take yourself so seriously you could begin to believe you have a direct line to God. But these are my issues, and for the most part this book encourages you to see the beauty in your every day, to push your focus away from your small perception of something and think about them in different ways. (less)
Can't praise this enough. Having taken up a position as an English and Drama teacher in a school that has very little in the way of Drama schemes, it...moreCan't praise this enough. Having taken up a position as an English and Drama teacher in a school that has very little in the way of Drama schemes, it has been a learn-on-the-job experience so far. Having battled with classes for 5 weeks I soon started to realise it wasn't them, it was the mind numbing things they were being required to learn. Freeze frames, tableau, mime. All in mundane and unexciting ways. I set out to think about drama lessons in a new way and began work on term long schemes that would involve the whole class and have a consistent narrative running through. Each lesson moving the story line along a little more. I started that, then received this book in the post. It has been a god send. I'm still working on my original schemes, but the ready made ideas in this book have inspired and encouraged me. Hopefully I am on the right track now, I am all set to go as Warden X with my difficult Year 8s and win them over! (I hope!)
Will probably update in a few weeks when the lessons have been implemented for a while.(less)
2012: Pretty much spent the best part of my summer re-reading Harry. As per usual. So that's 6 books towards my terrible book count for this year, rig...more2012: Pretty much spent the best part of my summer re-reading Harry. As per usual. So that's 6 books towards my terrible book count for this year, right? RIGHT?!(less)
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