LM_NET: Library Media Networking
Thanks to:
Alan, Karen, Jeannette, Sharon, Jane, Marie, Gayle, Kathy, Julie, Shannon,
Irwin, Jill & Jill and Tammy for the great suggestions. I have my homework
cut out for me!
Tina Hudak, SLMS
St. Bernard's School
Riverdale, MD
tinahudak@worldnet.att.net
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1.
Our middle school 7th graders read Walkabout by ?James Walker? It is
excellent. Two children are lost in the Australian outback and spend time
searching for a way out. They encounter an Aborgine child their age who
helps them. There is alot of information about not only Australia but
wildlife and the natives. One word of caution, there was a movie based on
the book released in the late 60's or early 70's. I bought the movie
thinking it would be a great teaching tool. The movie is not even close to
the storyline of the book and has graphic scenes with nudity. The book is
great!!! I am sorry about the author, I'm at home and not exactly sure but
you should be able to find it on Amazon, etc.
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2.
There is lots of wonderful Australian fiction suitable for
middle-schoolers - Australia is a land of many landscapes from tropical
rainforests to deserts to wild beautiful coastlines but most Australians
live in coastal city areas. So it's hard to select a typical landscape.
Our middle schoolers just love the works of:
Margaret Clark - No fat chicks (Contemporary problem)
Jackie French - Walking the boundaries (Set in the bush)
Robin Klein - Hating Alison Ashley (about a school camp)
David Metzenthen - Brocky's Bananagram (great fun)
Colin Thiele - Jodie's journey ( tearjerker which includes a bushfire)
Morris Gleitzman - Blabber mouth (Hilarious tale set in country Australia)
David Metzenthen - Gilbert's ghost train (set in the bush)
John Marsden - Tomorrow when the war began (wonderful descriptions of the
country, exciting plot - but watch out for the racy bits if reading aloud -
it may be too hot for some - even the non-readers go for this one)
Sally Morgan - My place (Autobiographical - good insight into racial
problems in Australia)
Boori Pryor - My Girragundji/The Binna Binna man
Allan Baillie - Riverman (an adventure story set in the wilds of Tasmania)
But if you really want to focus on our landscapes why not share some of our
magnificent picture books with your students?
The best for this are two by Jeannie Baker - Where the forest meets the sea
and The story of Rosy Dock (they have strong environmental themes.
We're getting quite excited down here at MLC - I'm a teacher chaperone for a
group of our girls in the Olympic Opening and Closing ceremonies - we're
sworn to secrecy but it's going to be awesome - so make sure your tvs are on
and tuned into the Games.
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3.
John Marsden's Tomorrow When the War Began and its sequels are great books
set in Australia.
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4.
There's one set in Australia in 1950's (recently written however)
called, In Lane Three, Alex Archer, about an overloaded student
trying to train for the Olympics in swimming. Good for middle
school, good period and local detail, but not about the landscape or
countryside at all.
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5.
You'd probably have to order this from amazon.com.uk, because I bought my
copin in Australia, but a fave of mine is "Don't Pat the Wombat" by
Elizabeth Honey. It's about an Australian 4th grade class going on their
annual class camping trip, which is what we would call Science Camp. They
go to a camp that teaches them about nature and some Australian history.
It's a very funny book and you do get a flavor of landscape and wildlife.
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6.
Tina: Here are a few suggestions: Patricia Wrightson's works -- The
Nargun and the Stars, A Little Fear; Margaret Mahy -- one is more
adult, but some would be appropriate.
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7.
Thought this would be an easy one to answer...but it was harder than I
thought - many of our excellent modern fiction stories seem to be set in
urban environments (I guess because most of the Australian population lives
in cities and towns ;) )like many of those by Paul Jennings, Robin Klein,
Morris Gleitzman, Nadia Wheatley, Dianne Kidd, Margaret Clark etc.
Here are some however that do describe landscape well
Nan Chauncey - old fashioned but great Tasmanian bush descriptions.
Ivan Southall - Hill End, Ash Wednesday
Patricia Wrightson - Some more than others!
Most stories written by Colin Theile are suitable for middle school, great
stories and very evocative descriptions of landscape.
Jackie French - Rainstones; Walking the boundaries; Beyond the boundaries.
Elyne Mitchell has written a series of books about brumbies (wild horses)
set in the Snowy Mountains region of Australia.
Margaret Paice - Colour in the creek, Shadow of wings (set in earlier times)
Lilith Norman - Climb a lonely hill
Christobel Mattingley - Windmill at Magpie Creek, Battle of the Galah Trees
Pat Lowe and Jimmy Pike - Desert Dog
Max Fatchen - Chase through the night
Mary Steele - Mallyroots Pub at Misery Ponds (humour)
Jeannie Adams - Pigs and honey, Going for oysters
Kevin Gilbert - Me and Mary Kangaroo
Alan Baillie - Riverman
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8.
Watertower by Gary Crew & Shark Reef by Paul Zindel.
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9.
Are you aware there is a LM_NET listserv in Australia called OZTL_NET?
Visit their website <http://www.csu.edu.au/research/cstl/oztl_net/> for
more information on list protocols
You may get some great suggestions there.
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10.
One of my favourites is "I Can Jump Puddles" by Alan Marshall, though it is
set a good eighty years ago.
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