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.

Sally's Adolescent Novel 4/5

Girls in Love

By Jacqueline Wilson

Girls in Love (1997) by Jacqueline Wilson is part one of a series of books that centre around the life of Ellie and her two friends Magda and Nadine. This series discusses issues which all girls face at some point throughout their adolescence regarding school, friends, family and boys. This particular book tells the story of the girls entering their first relationships. Ellie forms a relationship with an embarrassing nerdy boy who she meets whilst holidaying with her family, whereas Nadine forms a relationship with rebellious boy who is pressuring her about sex. Throughout the story the girls begin to understand what is important in a relationship and that no boy has the right to pressure a girl into doing anything that she does not want to.


The ‘Girls’ series of books tackle some really important issues which young girls will be able to relate to and learn a lot from. This series has the ability to play a crucial role in young girls development as it promotes self-esteem and helps them gain perspective on real life situations. It is extremely important that young girls are able to find literature that they are able to relate to and learn from throughout this stage in their lives, as many girls feel uncomfortable talking about these issues. By having a series of books such as Wilson’s, young girls are able to understand that they are not alone and see that everyone struggles with problems throughout their youth.

The themes, characters, language and dialogue used throughout this series allows young girls to easily relate to the text, which is a crucial aspect when aiming to engage the reader. The way in which the story has been written allows the reader to truly get to know the characters which allows the reader to become involved in the text. Wilson does this by using descriptive language when she establishes the characters. For example Ellie is described as a girl who is witty, artistic, vivacious, with curly hair, who is self-conscious about her weight and appearance. Whereas her friend Nadine is described as a tall, thin goth whose wild, rebellious attitude tends to get her into trouble. Finally her friend Magda is beautiful, popular, confident, optimistic and attracts a lot of male attention. All three main characters bring different qualities to the texts which allows a wider variety of readers to identify with the characters.

This series would be most appropriate for upper primary and high school students as they deal with fairly mature issues. These books could also be integrated with subject areas such as English, art inspired by Ellie’s artistic flare and growth and development in relation to the issues discussed. These books also have the potential to promote young girls to talk more openly about their feelings and their own lives, which is a crucial part of healthy physical and emotional development. 

Sally's Adolescent Novel 3/5

Charlotte's Web

By E.B White

Illustrated by Garth Williams

Charlotte's Web is a narrative by E.B White (1952) is a classic story which has been adored by generations. This text tells the story of Fern a young girl who saves a piglet named Wilbur from being killed because he was the runt of his litter. Fern keeps Wilbur as a pet but as they grow older they slowly grow apart and Wilbur is moved to a farm. At the new farm Wilbur is befriended by a beautiful grey spider named Charlotte. Wilbur soon learns that the farmer plans to kill and eat him for Christmas dinner, but luckily Charlotte saves Wilbur by writing words in her web in order to show the humans how special he was. The planned worked, but unfortunately life takes its course and Charlotte dies at the fair. Wilbur is devastated and brings home a sac of eggs Charlotte laid before she died. When the eggs hatch all the baby spiders leave to make their own lives, expect three, Joy, Aranea and Nellie, who stay with Wilbur and become his new friends. 

The characters that White has used in this text are engaging and relatable for both young and old. Wilbur the pig is a truly wonderful character and the reader is able to fall in love with his innocence and fear of being alone. This innocence and fear are two qualities that children will most likely be able to identify with and relate to, which allows them to engage with the story and the characters. 

This text presents various concepts and ideas regarding friendship, love, life and death. The overriding theme of friendship is present through the relationship which is formed between Charlotte and Wilber. The unlikely couple share an unbreakable bond which is formed when Wilbur is in a time of need and is consumed by loneliness. When Wilbur is at his lowest Charlotte appears and asks,

“Do you want a friend, Wilber? I’ll be a friend to you.” (White 1952, pp. 31). 

This relationship allows children to understand the complexity of friendships and relationships. The reader can also relate their own feelings to the story, which may include feelings fear or doubt in new situations, such as at the beginning of new friendships. White also highlights that friendship can be one of the most fulfilling parts of one’s life. 

This text also presents ideas regarding life, death and moving on. This is shown in the text through Wilbur's initial fate when he is born at the beginning of the story as he screams,

"I don't want to die" (White 1952, pp. 50).

This is a difficult concept for children to comprehend and this text beautifully displays the stages. As throughout the story as Wilbur grows and matures he begins to understand the circle of life. This concept is cleverly constructed through the death of Charlotte, which is then followed by the hatching of her young. By displaying both the death of Charlotte and the birth of her young White softens the fear of death and loss by comforting the reader through displaying the concept of moving on and valuing the memories they leave behind. 

This text is a fantastic story as it deals with key issues which all individuals will have to overcome within their life. White doesn't fill the reader with false hope or a false reality, but provides a realistic view of life which exposes the pain and anguish of death and the beauty of life. 

This text could be used for a wide variety of purposes within the classroom. This could include using the story as a tool to encourage students to talk about their own fears and express their feelings. This text allows teachers to tackle more serious concepts and ideas with their students in a 'less formal' way which could potentially aid in them successfully expressing themselves which is a crucial skill for children to understand and develop.