Readers Advanced 2
Your assignments are:
A) You
will choose a book to read. Tell your teacher which book you have
chosen. (Deadline: 30 Oct.). You will then read the book and watch its film adaptation.
B) You will write
a review about the book and its film adaptation. You can also include your
favourite quotes from the book and add some explanations. In the final
paragraph try to compare the book and the film. You can also
try to convince the reader that the book you have chosen should (not)
be
on the Reading List next year. (Deadline: April)
2. Holes is a 1998 young adult mystery comedy novel written by Louis Sachar. It won the 1998 U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so he is not too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre. Nor is he very surprised when he is told that his daily labour at the camp is to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, and report anything that he finds in that hole. The warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth. In this wonderfully inventive, compelling novel that is both serious and funny, Louis Sachar has created a masterpiece that will leave all readers amazed and delighted by the author's narrative flair and brilliantly handled plot. 240 pages.
3. Girl with a Pearl Earring is a 1999 historical novel written by Tracy Chevalier. Set in 17th century Delft, Holland, the novel was inspired by Delft school painter Johannes Vermeer's painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. Chevalier presents a fictional account of Vermeer, the model, and the painting. The novel was adapted into a 2003 film of the same name. 258 pages.
4. High Fidelity is a novel by British author Nick Hornby. Rob Fleming is a London record shop owner in his mid-thirties whose girlfriend, Laura, has just left him. At his record shop, called Championship Vinyl, Rob and his employees, Dick and Barry, spend their free moments discussing mix-tape aesthetics and constructing desert-island, "top-five" lists of anything that demonstrates their knowledge of music. 253 pages.
5. Bridget Jones's Diary is a 1995 novel by Helen Fielding. Written in the form of a personal diary, the novel chronicles a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a thirty-something single working woman living in London. She writes about her career, self-image, vices, family, friends, and romantic relationships. 288 pages.
6. Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the life of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story concerns Harry's struggle against Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic, and subjugate all wizards and muggles, a reference term that means non-magical people.
7. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2006 Holocaust novel by Irish novelist John Boyne.Bruno is a 9-year-old boy growing up during World War II in Berlin. He lives with his parents, his 12-year-old sister Gretel and maids, one of whom is called Maria. After a visit by Adolf Hitler, Bruno's father is promoted to Commandant, and the family has to move to 'Out-With' because of the orders of "The Fury" (Bruno's naïve interpretation of the word 'Führer'). Bruno is initially upset about moving to Out-With (never identified, but cf. Auschwitz) and leaving his friends, Daniel, Karl, and Martin. From the house at Out-With, Bruno sees a camp. One day, Bruno decides to explore the strange wire fence. As he walks along the fence, he meets a Jewish boy named Shmuel, who he learns shares his birthday. 216 pages.
8. You can also find some adapted novels in our school library. For example:
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Penguin Readers or Oxford Bookworms Library. Level 6.
Saving Private Ryan by Max Allan Collins. Penguin Readers. Level 6
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Oxford Bookworms Library. Stage 6
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Penguin Readers. Level 5
9. Murder on the Orient Express is a detective novel by Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. After catching the Taurus Express from Aleppo in Syria and traveling to Istanbul, private detective Hercule Poirot arrives at the Tokatlian Hotel. Once there, Poirot receives a telegram prompting him to cancel his arrangements and return to London. 256 pages.
10. The Remains of the Day is a 1989 novel by Nobel Prize-winning British writer Kazuo Ishiguro. The work was awarded the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1989. A film adaptation of the novel, made in 1993 and starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, was nominated for eight Academy Awards. The Remains of the Day tells, in the first person, the story of Stevens, an English butler who has dedicated his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington (described in increasing detail in flashbacks). The novel begins with Stevens receiving a letter from a former colleague, the housekeeper Miss Kenton, describing her married life, which he believes hints at an unhappy marriage. 245 pages.
11. Never Let Me Go is a 2005 dystopian science fiction novel by Nobel Prize-winning British author Kazuo Ishiguro. The story begins with Kathy, who describes herself as a "carer", talking about looking after organ donors. She has been a carer for almost twelve years at the time of narration, and she often reminisces about her time spent at Hailsham, a boarding school in England, where the teachers are known as guardians. Along with classes, they often emphasize the importance of being healthy to their students—smoking is considered to be taboo, almost on the level of a crime, and working in the vegetable garden is compulsory. The curriculum appears to be like that of any other school, but there is great encouragement for the students to produce art. The art is then displayed in an exhibition. 288 pages.
12. A Room with a View is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the repressed culture of Edwardian England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century. Merchant-Ivory produced an award-winning film adaptation in 1985. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked A Room with a View 79th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. 256 pages.
13. Brooklyn is a 2009 novel by Irish author Colm Tóibín. Eilis Lacey is a young woman who is unable to find work in 1950s Ireland. Because of this she emigrates to Brooklyn, New York and takes up a job in a department store while undertaking night classes in bookkeeping. Her initial experiences working in a boring job and living in a repressive boardinghouse, run by the strict Mrs Madge Kehoe, make her doubt her initial decision. Letters from Rose, her mother and her brother bring about severe homesickness. 256 pages.
A. Read these titles
1. Holes, Louis Sachar
2. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevallier
3. High Fidelity, Nick Horny
4. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
5. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
B. What key words do you think might define each of the books?
a- History, art, 17th century
b- Teenager, mystery, adventure
c- Romance, comedy, London
d- Comedy, drama, music, romance, London
e- Bildungsroman, redemption story, friendship, Afghanistan
C. Watch the trailers of the films based on these books and comment which story appeals to you the most and why.
D. Match each of the following plots with the books-films
a. The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, .............................. is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies. A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. 337 pages.
b. Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so he is not too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre. Nor is he very surprised when he is told that his daily labour at the camp is to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, and report anything that he finds in that hole. The warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth. In this wonderfully inventive, compelling novel that is both serious and funny, the novelist has created a masterpiece that will leave all readers amazed and delighted by the author's narrative flair and brilliantly handled plot. 240 pages.
c. ...............is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year's Resolution, the protagonist decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss takes an interest in her. Thrown into the mix are her band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance who she cannot seem to stop running into or help finding quietly attractive. 288 pages.
d. One of the best-loved paintings in the world is a mystery. Who is the model and why has she been painted? What is she thinking as she stares out at us? Are her wide eyes and enigmatic half-smile innocent or seductive? And why is she wearing a pearl earring? ................... tells the story of Griet, a 16-year-old Dutch girl who becomes a maid in the house of the painter Johannes Vermeer. Her calm and perceptive manner not only helps her in her household duties, but also attracts the painter's attention. Though different in upbringing, education and social standing, they have a similar way of looking at things. Vermeer slowly draws her into the world of his paintings - the still, luminous images of solitary women in domestic settings. 258 pages.
e. The main character is a man named Rob, who lives in London in the mid-90’s, and runs a small record shop. He’s a bit of a dead-ender. Not really going anywhere in his life, and always looking for a way to not get anywhere else. He’s had a few serious relationships in his life, but the most recent one, with his relatively long-term girlfriend has just ended when she left him for another guy. This leads him to question the end of every relationship he’s ever had, all the way from grade school to present day. Rob is an obsessive list maker. Whenever things go right or wrong, he makes a list. That is how we have his lists about his favourite movies, favourite episodes of his favourite TV show and of course, favourite kind of music, musicians and songs. Since he is unable to bring order in his own life, making lists about virtually everything gives this illusion that he has everything under control, although that is far from the truth. His latest list is about his “top five most memorable split-ups”. 253 pages.
ANSWER KEY
B. What key words do you think might define each of the books?
a- History, art - Girl with a Pearl Earring
b- Teenager, mystery, adventure - Holes
c- Romance, comedy - Bridget Jones's Diary
d- Comedy, drama, music, romance -High Fidelity
e- Bildungsroman, redemption story, friendship - The Kite Runner
D. Match each of the following plots with the books
a- The Kite Runner
b- Holes
c- Bridget Jones's Diary
d- Girl with a Pearl Earring
e- High Fidelity
Related stories:
Reading List (suggestions)
1. The Kite Runner is
a novel by Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2003, it is Hosseini's first
novel, and was adapted into a film of the same name in 2007.The Kite Runner tells
the story of Amir, a young boy from Kabul, who befriends Hassan, the
son of his father's servant. The story is set against a backdrop of
tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the
Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United
States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. 336 pages2. Holes is a 1998 young adult mystery comedy novel written by Louis Sachar. It won the 1998 U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so he is not too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre. Nor is he very surprised when he is told that his daily labour at the camp is to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, and report anything that he finds in that hole. The warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth. In this wonderfully inventive, compelling novel that is both serious and funny, Louis Sachar has created a masterpiece that will leave all readers amazed and delighted by the author's narrative flair and brilliantly handled plot. 240 pages.
3. Girl with a Pearl Earring is a 1999 historical novel written by Tracy Chevalier. Set in 17th century Delft, Holland, the novel was inspired by Delft school painter Johannes Vermeer's painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. Chevalier presents a fictional account of Vermeer, the model, and the painting. The novel was adapted into a 2003 film of the same name. 258 pages.
4. High Fidelity is a novel by British author Nick Hornby. Rob Fleming is a London record shop owner in his mid-thirties whose girlfriend, Laura, has just left him. At his record shop, called Championship Vinyl, Rob and his employees, Dick and Barry, spend their free moments discussing mix-tape aesthetics and constructing desert-island, "top-five" lists of anything that demonstrates their knowledge of music. 253 pages.
5. Bridget Jones's Diary is a 1995 novel by Helen Fielding. Written in the form of a personal diary, the novel chronicles a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a thirty-something single working woman living in London. She writes about her career, self-image, vices, family, friends, and romantic relationships. 288 pages.
6. Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the life of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story concerns Harry's struggle against Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic, and subjugate all wizards and muggles, a reference term that means non-magical people.
7. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2006 Holocaust novel by Irish novelist John Boyne.Bruno is a 9-year-old boy growing up during World War II in Berlin. He lives with his parents, his 12-year-old sister Gretel and maids, one of whom is called Maria. After a visit by Adolf Hitler, Bruno's father is promoted to Commandant, and the family has to move to 'Out-With' because of the orders of "The Fury" (Bruno's naïve interpretation of the word 'Führer'). Bruno is initially upset about moving to Out-With (never identified, but cf. Auschwitz) and leaving his friends, Daniel, Karl, and Martin. From the house at Out-With, Bruno sees a camp. One day, Bruno decides to explore the strange wire fence. As he walks along the fence, he meets a Jewish boy named Shmuel, who he learns shares his birthday. 216 pages.
8. You can also find some adapted novels in our school library. For example:
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Penguin Readers or Oxford Bookworms Library. Level 6.
Saving Private Ryan by Max Allan Collins. Penguin Readers. Level 6
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Oxford Bookworms Library. Stage 6
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Penguin Readers. Level 5
9. Murder on the Orient Express is a detective novel by Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. After catching the Taurus Express from Aleppo in Syria and traveling to Istanbul, private detective Hercule Poirot arrives at the Tokatlian Hotel. Once there, Poirot receives a telegram prompting him to cancel his arrangements and return to London. 256 pages.
10. The Remains of the Day is a 1989 novel by Nobel Prize-winning British writer Kazuo Ishiguro. The work was awarded the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1989. A film adaptation of the novel, made in 1993 and starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, was nominated for eight Academy Awards. The Remains of the Day tells, in the first person, the story of Stevens, an English butler who has dedicated his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington (described in increasing detail in flashbacks). The novel begins with Stevens receiving a letter from a former colleague, the housekeeper Miss Kenton, describing her married life, which he believes hints at an unhappy marriage. 245 pages.
11. Never Let Me Go is a 2005 dystopian science fiction novel by Nobel Prize-winning British author Kazuo Ishiguro. The story begins with Kathy, who describes herself as a "carer", talking about looking after organ donors. She has been a carer for almost twelve years at the time of narration, and she often reminisces about her time spent at Hailsham, a boarding school in England, where the teachers are known as guardians. Along with classes, they often emphasize the importance of being healthy to their students—smoking is considered to be taboo, almost on the level of a crime, and working in the vegetable garden is compulsory. The curriculum appears to be like that of any other school, but there is great encouragement for the students to produce art. The art is then displayed in an exhibition. 288 pages.
12. A Room with a View is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the repressed culture of Edwardian England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century. Merchant-Ivory produced an award-winning film adaptation in 1985. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked A Room with a View 79th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. 256 pages.
13. Brooklyn is a 2009 novel by Irish author Colm Tóibín. Eilis Lacey is a young woman who is unable to find work in 1950s Ireland. Because of this she emigrates to Brooklyn, New York and takes up a job in a department store while undertaking night classes in bookkeeping. Her initial experiences working in a boring job and living in a repressive boardinghouse, run by the strict Mrs Madge Kehoe, make her doubt her initial decision. Letters from Rose, her mother and her brother bring about severe homesickness. 256 pages.
A. Read these titles
1. Holes, Louis Sachar
2. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevallier
3. High Fidelity, Nick Horny
4. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
5. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
B. What key words do you think might define each of the books?
a- History, art, 17th century
b- Teenager, mystery, adventure
c- Romance, comedy, London
d- Comedy, drama, music, romance, London
e- Bildungsroman, redemption story, friendship, Afghanistan
C. Watch the trailers of the films based on these books and comment which story appeals to you the most and why.
D. Match each of the following plots with the books-films
a. The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, .............................. is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies. A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. 337 pages.
b. Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so he is not too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre. Nor is he very surprised when he is told that his daily labour at the camp is to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, and report anything that he finds in that hole. The warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth. In this wonderfully inventive, compelling novel that is both serious and funny, the novelist has created a masterpiece that will leave all readers amazed and delighted by the author's narrative flair and brilliantly handled plot. 240 pages.
c. ...............is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year's Resolution, the protagonist decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss takes an interest in her. Thrown into the mix are her band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance who she cannot seem to stop running into or help finding quietly attractive. 288 pages.
d. One of the best-loved paintings in the world is a mystery. Who is the model and why has she been painted? What is she thinking as she stares out at us? Are her wide eyes and enigmatic half-smile innocent or seductive? And why is she wearing a pearl earring? ................... tells the story of Griet, a 16-year-old Dutch girl who becomes a maid in the house of the painter Johannes Vermeer. Her calm and perceptive manner not only helps her in her household duties, but also attracts the painter's attention. Though different in upbringing, education and social standing, they have a similar way of looking at things. Vermeer slowly draws her into the world of his paintings - the still, luminous images of solitary women in domestic settings. 258 pages.
e. The main character is a man named Rob, who lives in London in the mid-90’s, and runs a small record shop. He’s a bit of a dead-ender. Not really going anywhere in his life, and always looking for a way to not get anywhere else. He’s had a few serious relationships in his life, but the most recent one, with his relatively long-term girlfriend has just ended when she left him for another guy. This leads him to question the end of every relationship he’s ever had, all the way from grade school to present day. Rob is an obsessive list maker. Whenever things go right or wrong, he makes a list. That is how we have his lists about his favourite movies, favourite episodes of his favourite TV show and of course, favourite kind of music, musicians and songs. Since he is unable to bring order in his own life, making lists about virtually everything gives this illusion that he has everything under control, although that is far from the truth. His latest list is about his “top five most memorable split-ups”. 253 pages.
ANSWER KEY
B. What key words do you think might define each of the books?
a- History, art - Girl with a Pearl Earring
b- Teenager, mystery, adventure - Holes
c- Romance, comedy - Bridget Jones's Diary
d- Comedy, drama, music, romance -High Fidelity
e- Bildungsroman, redemption story, friendship - The Kite Runner
D. Match each of the following plots with the books
a- The Kite Runner
b- Holes
c- Bridget Jones's Diary
d- Girl with a Pearl Earring
e- High Fidelity
Related stories:
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