Sally's Adolescent Novel 5/5

WICKED! Part One

By Morris Gleitzman and Paul Jennings

Wicked by Morris Gleitzman and Paul Jennings is the first book in a series which tells the story of Dawn and Rory. Throughout the story something very weird is happening in Dawn and Rory’s lives and it’s not just their new stepfamily. Throughout the story the two encounter a range of outrageous creatures including slurping slobberers that want to suck their bones out, strange steel sheep that want to smash them to pieces, giant frogs that want to crunch them up and cruel killer creepers that want to squeeze the life out of them. Their parents can’t help them deal with these outrageous situations so they are on their own! The two must go on their journey alone in order to find out why all of these animals are turning into gruesome monsters.

This narrative is told from the perspective of both Rory and Dawn which adds depth to the story. This allows the reader to gain a better understating of what is happening, as they are able to hear the perspectives of both of the main characters.

As discussed by Gamble & Yates (2008) narratives commonly follow one or more of the seven basic plots. Wicked displays common ideas from both the ‘overcoming the monster’ and ‘quest’ plot. This is demonstrated in the text as an overriding theme is the idea of ‘good versus evil’ as Rory and Dawn go on their journey throughout the text to defeat the ‘bad guys’.  

This series of books is a great tool to use in order to engage upper primary and high school students, especially boys in reading. The plot of the story and the outrageous creatures spark the reader’s imagination and encourages them to read the whole series. The structure of the books also encourages hesitant readers to enjoy reading, as the stories come in both individual books as well as a large compilation of the books. By creating small individual books the authors have allowed readers to feel a sense of accomplishment when they complete a book, which encourages them to continue reading. This prevents them from becoming overwhelmed by a large, tedious book which may take a reluctant reader months to complete.   

Jennings and Gleitzman have created an outrageous, clever and witty series which takes the reader into a whole other world! This allows the reader to become engaged in the story and hopefully excited about reading.

References:

Gamble, N. & Yates, S. 2008, ‘Narrative: Narration and Structure’ in Exploring Children’s Literature, SAGE, pp. 45-77.