storyLines

The dog stared back at them. Most of the other dogs in the pen were howling and making noises that sounded quite like foreign words. They were rattling and stretching their chains. But this dog in front of them was different. he stood there in the dirty snow, as calm as anything, and looked at the boys, at Tom, and then at Johnny, at Tom, then Johnny.

They weren’t really like dog’s eyes at all. At least they weren’t like the eyes of any dogs the boys knew at home. Lots of their friends had dogs, and their aunt had two of them, but all of those dogs had proper dog eyes. But this dog looking at them had eyes that seemed to belong to a different animal, maybe even a human.

“It’s like there’s someone trapped in there,” said Tom.

Johnny nodded. He knew exactly what his brother meant.

Tom and Johnny are in Lapland on a great adventure with their mother, Sandra. They are about to travel fast across the snow, pulled by a team of these beautiful dogs with the glacial eyes. But in the wilderness anything can happen. Someone can be lost, and how are they to be found?

Their step-sister Grainne (pronounced ‘grow-nya’) is at home in Dublin. She knows what it is like to lose someone. Her mother left when Grainne was six, and now she is eighteen and they are about to meet again. Grainne has always loved her father but right now she doesn’t feel she belongs to anyone, certainly not to Sandra or the boys. She is in a wilderness of her own. But will facing her mother make things better or worse?

The two halves of this book are intertwined throughout the narrative, and bound with tension. This makes for a story based  strongly on the characters of the three siblings. Each has to endure pressures and make vital decisions. The boys are tested physically as well as emotionally, whilst in many ways Grainne is fighting for her very identity.

Doyle honours his young characters and has made a fabulous story which can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

by Mrs Thomson

If you are interested in some other cool, cold or icy books, take a look at our list here.

Photo credit: husky dog in lapland 01 Originally uploaded by ezioman

Ten Mile River is a novel written by Paul Griffin, who portrays America in a different light to what we see in movies and television shows.

‘Homeless Group with Dog’ by Franco Folini

Homeless people are a prevalent fact in America, but Jose and Raymond are different. They choose to be homeless because they can. They go through what no teenage boy should go through, killing dogs, stealing, moving bodies, falling in frozen rivers and getting arrested.

“Yo Ray! Let’s get us that Lincoln then I can get my bike!” is some of the unusual American colloquialism used by Raymond and Jose, in their strange yet amusing lives.

Ten Mile River is an interesting book that breaks some of the teen-writing barriers, such as dead bodies and murder. Griffin portrays Jose as tough and strong, the leader and strength of the two. He portrays Raymond as intelligent, lost in a world that isn’t his, wanting the freedom to do whatever he wants to be intelligent.

Reading the blurb makes you think of a classic river story of young boys, Huckleberry Finn. Although there is only that one similarity between the two, I believe that it was written as a comparitive study for Huckleberry Finn, as the original publishing of 1884 is too long ago for a sequel to be written.

This book is good at most points, but it just gets under your skin in others so that you don’t want to read it anymore, yet sometimes you get sad when you must put it down to go do another menial task. Overall, this is an interesting novel to read because it stirs your emotions, gives an insight into American Life and shows how misguided troubled youths can be.

I Strongly recommend this book to avid readers, but if you struggle with reading a whole book, The American slang and troubling events will make it hard for you to not finish it.

Rated: 8.5/10

I bought this game from GameTraders at Castle Towers. The Price was excellent, $69.95 when EB Games cost $79.95.

Quite an average game, a nice big place to venture through and explore, but it seriously lacks story content. This Harry Potter game brings back the flying minigame and introduces the first ever potions mini-game.

Potions is probably the most worthwile part of the game, as flying is quite boring, flying continuously in a path through rings, with no variation. The story is terrible, made up of mostly cinematics, with all major plot points being unplayable.

Another big part of the Harry Potter franchise which has returned is duelling. You get to use many of the spells you read about in the books or have seen in the movies…IT IS FUN! You have the opportunity to become champion dueller of Hogwarts, and it truly is the funnest part of the game. Some parts are quite pathetic though, such as killing an opponent with a stunning spell or being continually bombarded by a glitch so that you are killed.

Quite a reasonable game, but with more content, I would feel better about how I spent my Money. Something that I can’t get over is the untapped potential. They made a large area to play in, but an ill-defined storyboard destroyed the game’s greatness. Everything was in a smaller area than it should have been, meaning a player only had to go into the far-off corners of the map to get Xbox 360 Achievements.

The story was short; I finished the game in less than a day, which is quite sad when you have played all it’s predecessors. I would not recommend this game, unless you were borrowing it from a friend.

The 2009 Inky Awards, have created a creative reading competition. You can be any age to enter this competition and there will be prizes for all ages, although only those who are under the age of twenty can win the major prize.

The task is to submit a creative response to a book that you love. This can be in may different formats, including a short story, poem or video. It doesn’t have to be about one of the Inky list books.

The winner of the competition gets to chose between a digital still camera, a digital video camera and an iPod Touch. There are also a number or runner ups prizes, including T-shirts and books. You may enter as many times as you like, although entries close on the 20th of November. For more information and how to enter visit insideadog.

Some 2008 entries in the Inkys Creative Reading Prize

It can be in ANY FORMAT YOU CHOOSE , so surprise the judges, but here are some ideas from the website to get you started:

• write a short story using the characters/setting (feel free to add zombies)
• make a video trailer
• or a machinima trailer
• write a poem
• or a song
• illustrate your favourite scene/character
• make a quilt
• or a cupcake

Posted by Adam

The Inkys are international awards celebrating teenage literature across the world. Staff of the Centre for Youth Literature read hundreds of books submitted from around the world and reduce them into a long list of 20. Then the six judges (composed of authors and teens) read and confer to create a short list of the main contenders – 3 in each category.

The categories include the Golden Inky- an award for an Australian book, and the Silver Inky- an award for an international book. There is also a creative reading prize for submissions from teens themselves (more about that in another post). The whole project is set up by the Centre for Youth Literature and the Victorian State library to promote reading as an active, fun and essential activity for all. The Inkys promote Australian authors and their works as well as the very best works for teenagers from overseas.

Once the short list is decided then teens can vote for the best in each category. You must be aged between 12 and 18 to vote and can only vote twice – once in each category. Voting is by SMS or from the insideadog website.

And just which books made it to the longlist? Below is a quick view of the 10 Australian contenders for the Golden Inky. The full list of 20 is featured on our blog focus page: The 2009 Inkys Longlist

Have you read any of these books? We would love to hear what you think. (Go to comments below to add yours.)

posted by Curtis and Mrs Thomson

Images from the inky website

Recently the teachers have gotten together and recommended their all-time favourite books. Mrs Falconer has gathered these recommendations and created a slick and cool page with tiltviewer with a list of all the books that the staff of The King’s School enjoy. On this page you can have a look at all the books that your teachers find interesting. This page can be found on our intranet at Staff Picks.

Mr. Chadwick recommended one of my favourites, Eragon, and Mrs. Binet recommended Harry Potter (as if you haven’t finished it yet!) And I am sure you would be quite interested in what your teachers read or prefer to read and what teachers have the same taste as you. You can see the complete list on the TKS Teachers’ Reading Picks page.

Highlights from the list: The most recommended book is To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, with five listings. Books with three listings include The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The oldest book recommended is The Aeneid by Virgil (c. 30BC), described by Dr Bril as “..a haunting poem of regret for what might have been and of longing to get to the other side.” Miss Benz introduces us to the intriguing Syrian-born German writer, Rafik Schami. Mr Kitzinger broadens the language pool with a Spanish and a French selection. Mr Rainey gives us a hint of his own ’Renaissance man’ education with a long and eclectic list of literary treats.

Regarding The Alchemist by Paul Coelho, Mr Moulds says:

It is a very popular and very simple tale about a young man following his dream. The only way I can think to recommend it or suggest why I like it so much is by quoting the poet Rumi: ‘Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.’

How to operate Tiltviewer:

After you enter Staff Picks, 12 book covers will pop up. You can browse books by clicking the white arrow in the bottom right hand corner. After you find a book you found interesting and you are willing to learn more about it, just click on the cover (which would enlarge) and then click the flick symbol on the bottom right corner of the cover.

By Johnson S

o_X

~ Writer in Residence

Scot Gardner is a magnificent and wonderful author with inspirational thoughts and idea’s who taught hundreds of year 9 students to unlock their true potential in creativity as together they explored many different writing styles.

Scot Gardner was the first writer in residence at The King’s School. He was a hot topic for many of the students, as they were keen to get an idea of how this magnificent author came to be. Throughout his visit at the school he held many writing workshops and spoke at a formal dinner. During his workshops and classes, Scot Gardner taught many students about exploring different ideas, and writing from different angles. He taught us that any two words, which would never make any sense together, could lead to a whole new “other” idea.

 
Through his teachings the Year 9 students discovered that they were able to create a story from just about any event in their childhood. He was able to turn a simple answer to a simple question, such as “If you were a super hero, what would your power be?”, and pull it apart into more depth, to create a story. He taught them to explore deeper into situations and ask questions. For example, “Why would that particular person have chosen that super power? What would they do with it?” Adam

Scot Gardner’s ability to entertain students was put to the test when he was given over 150 students to entertain during a hot 6th period afternoon. He began explaining about his books and how he started his writing career, however he soon had us laughing and interested as he hit us with a story. It was similar to Jack and the Beanstalk. Actually it was the exact same story as Jack and the Beanstalk with a few “teen” modifications. With a slow start to the last period, by the end of his story we had been completely wrapped and entertained by his humour.

I was extremely lucky to have been chosen to attend dinner with Scot. Despite the formal proceedings, the dinner and speeches were very enjoyable. Scott ended the night by telling us another story. This story was about how a small grass seed got stuck behind his left eye for a whole month, with puss and infections; doctors or medical professionals weren’t able to pull it out. But when he was wrestling with his daughter, as she jumped on his body, his whole back shivered, his gut was yelling, and suddenly out came the grass seed.

The session was priceless. It was entertaining and I learned a lot from him. Johnson

by Frickson

 Do you have something to add about our visit from Scot Gardner? Please add your comments below. If you would like to review one of Scot’s books please use the contribute page at the top left.

by John Green

It is almost the end of the last year of high school. Quentin Jacobsen (known as Q) continues to admire his neighbour and classmate, Margo Roth Spiegelman, his best friend from when they were little. But Margo has been beyond him for years. He is a nerd and she is A-list. Then one night she turns up dressed in black ninja gear and convinces him to accompany her on a night of revenge. Okay, nobody dies, but plenty of Margo’s ‘friends’ will be rather pissed-off by morning. Quentin is happy to be Margo’s friend again. Then she disappears.

This novel aimed at older teens is a funny and tender story of friendship and (believe it or not) poetry. For Margo really has gone missing, leaving clues for Quentin and his friends to follow. A major clue is a copy of Walt Whitman’s long poem, Leaves of Grass. Margo has highlighted certain lines, but what do they mean? There is also her record collection. How did none of them know that she was such a fan of Woody Guthrie and Billy Bragg? How do we really know anything about another person?

Paper towns on old maps, abandoned buildings, clues left on archane ‘Omnipedia’ entries, lead to Q. & co missing graduation to try to save a friend. How much do we miss in those around us, and how much of what we think we know is really true?

In Paper Towns John Green takes us on a merry ride across several American states, has us considering the wisdom of lines of poetry we wouldn’t have thought twice about yesterday, and introduces us to some odd, endearing and also some annoying young characters.

And what does John Green have to say about his book?

 Review by Mrs Thomson

Sydney Writers’ Festival Secondary School Day Parramatta 20th May 2009 

Thoughts from Zac:

Mal Peet was my favourite author at the festival for many reasons. Mal was very one-on-one and related to everyone in a comical way which made it more enjoyable and interactive. He was funny and therefore entertaining while still explaining his story.

His book “Exposed” was inspired from something so ordinary and over-rated to become something that I am interested in reading.

Mal also talked from a real person’s perspective that was so true. The way he ‘exposed’ it and talked about it was in a different fashion that just connected to everyone and made everyone listen, learn and be entertained by a few simple ideas from the catastrophic world of stardom to an action packed highly detailed book.

We were very lucky to have Mal Peet and M.T. Anderson come to our school as well. If you were at the Sydney Writers’ Festival day at Parramatta, or at the session at school the day after, then please add your comments here or submit a piece of your own about one or more of the authors.

Other authors at Parramatta were: Isobelle Carmody; Garth Nix; James Roy; Rhanda Abdel-Fattah.

A story by Filipe

0 Seconds on the Clock
The light flashed red. He eased onto the throttle hitting 3000 rpm. Red again, a tiny push further on the pedal. Orange, he slammed the pedal to the floor. The cabin filled with the unmistakable scream of an internal combustion engine tuned to its limits. Green, he engaged first gear, the wheels spun for just a fraction of a second but the studs on the ice tyres then griped the ice as if it was tarmac and whilst hitting the rev limiter, he shot off the line. The brutal roar from the massive turbo charged and supercharged Lancia Delta S4 could be heard from kilometres away, the sound from the driver’s seat was like a petrol head’s 9th symphony.

2min 37sec on the Clock
The driver’s concentration was split between the co driver’s pace notes and the narrow and twisty ice corridor ahead. Corner after corner accurate blurts of speed and corner type filled the drivers head. Every corner the driver enters quickly shifting gears at a rate incomprehensible to an amateur driver. Every tap of every one of the three pedals is just as important as the last. Brake, Clutch, Shift, ACCELERATE, ACCELERATE. His unbreakable focus leaves no time to even consider the dangers of driving over thin, frozen ice lakes going at over 180 km/h with 550bhp at the base of his foot.

3min 41sec on the Clock
The frozen solid ice banks flew past as the Lancia forced itself along the thinning ice. 400, seven millimetre studs in each tyre made the ice seem like glue to the driver but for him to remain in control the ice had to be thick. When the ice thinned rocks below would grip the metal studs and rip them out of the tyres, providing a show of sparks seen at the base of each wheel. He flicked the car around every corner still feeling the grip of the specialized tyres on the ice, sometimes he wouldn’t even brake in corners, merely using the snow banks to bounce off and hurl around the tight and tricky corner. This was a very fast but dangerous technique, although his experience made it seem effortless.

5min 6sec on the Clock
The ice ahead was thin and muddy, a real problem for the driver. The teams had received information that the stage was covered in thick ice but a change in weather proved to be and issue. Previous cars going through had churned the dirt into the slowly melting ice and snow leaving exposed areas of rock and gravel. The driver pushed on following the next pace note. The co driver indicated that the next corner was long and fast. The driver prepared himself for a slide. He hit the corner with speed then with a sharp turn and a grab of the hand brake the car immediately was forced sideways. A rapid turn of the wheel in the opposite direction prevented any danger of over steer. The power slide was a quick but complicated technique that allowed the driver to maintain high speeds but have control through long slippery corners.

7min 58sec on the Clock
The rally of Sweden presented a stunning variety of extremes to the drivers, challenging stages, beautiful scenery and severe weather condition. These conditions then provide the amazing slippery ice stages that offered a whole new driving style for them to master. The driver began to feel the pressures of losing more and more of his precious ice studs to the warming condition that exposed spots of tarmac. His control on parts of the stage that was still iced over began to lessen and no longer did he have the traction required for high speed slides and insane attacks on corners. Being a rally driver, he pushed on unfazed only thinking about his time. A fraction of a second is what it takes to win a stage in the World Rally Championship.

9min 17sec on the Clock
There were only isolated patches of thin ice on a long strip of bare tarmac; a few 100 metres driving on this surface immediately destroyed the ice tyres on the Lancia. On the next corner the driver could feel he was losing control of the car. Rapid turns of the steering wheel and stabs on the throttle in a desperate attempt to straighten the car failed and with a tremendous crash the rear of the Lancia became imbedded in an ice bank. The co driver and driver quickly jumped out; one would think their rally was over… The right rear wheel and suspension system was ripped out due to the impact. Spectators at the finishing line where greeted with a tattered Lancia Delta S4 dragging its body along the now iceless tarmac, stage time 12 minutes and 56 seconds.

_________________________________________________

Turbo Charged, Super charged, 550bhp, 410kw, 0-100km/h in 2.55 seconds on gravel. Known as the forest’s F1 car. World Rally Championship

 Phot Credit: RAC Rally Lancia originally uploaded to Flickr by estoril