Murder in Midwinter by Fleur Hitchcock

Murder in Midwinter by Fleur Hitchcock - Review for Primary Teachers

This is a brilliant, fast-paced, hard-hitting, edge-of-your-seat crime novel for children aged 9+.

Synopsis

Sitting on the top deck of a bus days before Christmas, Maya accidentally photographs a couple arguing in the middle of a crowded Regent Street. They see her. Maya is convinced she has seen one of them pull a gun and goes to the police. They send her away. Then a body turns up. Now she seems to be a vital witness to a crime and is placed in a witness protection scheme for her own safety and sent  to rural Wales. She resolves to get to the bottom of the mystery. Then the snow comes and no one can get out but....what if someone can still get in?

This a gripping story, full of drama, mystery and excitement that will capture the imagination of any young reader.

Characters

The story is told in the first person by Maya, who is sharp, witty, strong and brave. Her anxieties, fears and thoughts come through clearly. Her relationship with her cousin Ollie is an interesting one to explore and investigate as the story progresses. His views of her change and as such provide opportunities for pupils to make 'comparisons within ... books'. Children will need to infer how and why his views change and this could be achieved through activities such as diary writing and hot-seating. Primary school children could be introduced to the concept of the 'hero's character arc' through the study of Maya. This would then allow them to make links with other stories/films with which they are familiar.

Other characters in the story worthy of study are Auntie V, Gethin (Ollie's friend) and Peter Romero.

Setting

The story begins in bustling streets of London just before Christmas. All of the places can be researched by children. Those who have never been to London would benefit from searching images of Regent Street, particularly at Christmas. The other locations in London could be plotted on a map of London and again an internet search would help children visualize the different scenes.

The location in Wales, Ty Fach, is very different from what Maya is used to. The novel itself provides a lot of detail for children to compare and contrast the different locations, which could be supplemented with additional independent research. 

Language

The book has an AR book level of 4.6 and as such should prove to be well within the capabilities of most in years 5 and 6. Nevertheless, there are a few specific items of vocabulary which will be challenging for many children in upper KS 2. These tend to relate to items at the farm in Wales such as 'eiderdown'. As such, children can practise their skills of working out the meaning of words from the context. 

The style of the writing is exciting and fast paced. Children will be able to explore how sentence length, sentence starters and use of language all contribute to create this effect. (Some of which we often discourage in children's own writing such as beginning repeated sentences with 'I'). Close study of the action passages would develop children's comprehension skills and also provide models for short 'slow' writing activities.

Plot

The plot of the story develops quickly from the opening pages. Exciting and dramatic events pile on top of each other. It is episodic but has a number of twists. All the events in the story make the reader (along with Maya) ask the question 'what was it that she saw/photographed?' Why did such an innocent act on her part seemingly put her life in so much danger? 

The book would make a good class novel (either to study or as a 'reading for pleasure' novel), group novel or one for independent reading.

It was the winner of the Leeds Book Award 9-11, 2017 and shortlisted for the Stockport Children's Award 2017.

Advisory Note

There are two instances where the word 'bloody' is used. The first is on page 61. The second is on page 229. Also, it may be worth mentioning that the scenes in chapter 24 do involve a great deal of gunfire.

Publisher: Nosy Crow
First Published: Oct 2016
ISBN: 978-0-85763-638-6

Moondial by Helen Cresswell

Moondial by Helen Cresswell. Review for primary teachers.

Moondial is a ghost story, a time travel novel and a book about contemporary issues all rolled into one. It will appeal to readers aged 9+ and would work well as a class novel for children in years 4 or 5.

The protagonist of the novel is Minty, short for Araminta. She has been sent to  stay with her aunt over the summer as her recently widowed mother had to work. Her aunt lives across the road from a former manor house which is now owned by the National Trust and open to the public. 

Minty believes herself to be a witch, 'or something very like it.' She is aware of her own sensitivity: to the 'pocket of cold air on the landing of the back stairs', 'She had woken at night to see shadowy presences gliding across the floor.'. So, she is not really surprised when the sundial/moondial in the garden of the old house takes her back in time. She visits 19th century 'suntime' where she meets Tom (a young boy who suffers from tuberculosis and longs to be reunited with his sister) and 18th century 'moontime' where she meets Sarah who is tormented and bullied by others because she has a birthmark and is known as the 'Devil's child'. Throughout the book,Minty faces two challenges; 1) she feels she needs to save the children and 2) she needs to bring her mother out of a coma.

The book is listed as having an ATOS book level of 4.4, and therefore could be read independently by most children half way through year 5. The story is beautifully written and many of the descriptive passages could be used to develop children's own writing. e.g. the personification on p 151 "The little icy tongues of wind licked her face..."; the alliteration on pa 162 "the lazily falling flocks of snow" and the description of the scene on p 193 could be used as a model for children's own descriptions. 

"The street was thinly washed with gold and the shadows were icy. A cockerel crowed from the farm beyond the church, tearing the dawn hush. The graveyard was drenched with dew and littered with cats, strayed from the night."

The story is told in the third person, but through the eyes of Minty. We get a clear insight into her thoughts as she endeavors to fulfill her missions.

There are a couple of questions raised in the story which don't have clear answers. We are never told were the children from the past go to nor is it clear who the mysterious and ominous Miss Raven is. Nevertheless, these provide opportunities for pupils to come up with their own ideas which could provide a stimulus for writing activities.

The themes in the story are family and friendship, loneliness, bullying (the way in which Sarah is taunted and labelled because of her birthmark)

The story would work well alongside a topic on the Victorians. The differences between Minty's time and Tom's time are interesting to compare and contrast. The story is set in the National Trust owned Belton House and for those within travelling distance a visit to the property would be interesting as the features of the property described by Minty including the garden, the sundial, the orangery and the yellow room are all there. Helen Cresswell was asked to write a story set in one of the National Trust's properties and she chose Belton House. There are some activity notes for teachers based on the sundial which were inspired by the National Gallery's Take One Picture Programme. Click on the image of the sundial to take you through to this link.

For those not close enough to visit Belton House, the story could still be used as a model/stimulus for children to write their own story based in another National Trust property. 

The story is reminiscent of other time travel classics such as 'Tom's Midnight Garden' by Philippa Pearce and 'A Traveller in Time' by Alison Uttley. The book was serialised for television by the BBC soon after it was published and the complete series is now available on DVD.

Published by Faber & Faber

Originally published: 1987

ISBN: 978-0-571-32290-9

       

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. Book Review for Primary Teachers.

The classic novel, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was originally published in 1962. It tells of the adventures of cousins, Bonnie and Sylvia. Syliva travels to Willoughby Chase to live with Bonnie whilst Bonnie's parents travel abroad. However, things soon begin to go wrong. Sylvia meets a sinister stranger on the train and the governess, who has been employed to teach the children has other plans which don't include the girls. Bonnie and Sylvia discover a secret passage which runs through the heart of the house and use it to spy on their oppressor. However, things go from bad to worse and they are soon sent away to school which is little more than a workhouse for orphans. Bonnie is a determined character and nothing, not even the wolves, is going to stop her escaping and getting to London. 

It is a classic adventure story with elements of the gothic, which includes a forger, a wicked governess, orphans, a poor aunt who is too proud to ask for help, wolves (animal and human) and a ship wreck. It will appeal to readers aged 9+ and with a lexile level of 1020L and an ATOS book level of 6.5 makes it a good challenging read for years 5 and 6.

The story is set in an alternate history. As the note at the beginning of the book states: 

'in a period of English history that never happened -shortly after the accession to the throne of Good King James III in 1832. At this time, the Channel Tunnel from Dover to Calais having been recently completed, a great many wolves, driven by severe winters, had migrated through the tunnel from Europe and Russia to the British Isles.'

There are numerous references throughout the novel which place the events securely in a Georgian/Victorian era. The clothes worn by the children, the etiquette of the time, the transport system can all be researched. Children who are already familiar with these time periods will be able to use their 'prior knowledge' to aid their comprehension of the text whilst others might need to carry out some research. 

Children may be surprised to read about the idea of a Channel tunnel as early as 1832 and dismiss this as fiction. However, ideas for a channel tunnel emerged as early as 1802 and an early attempt to build one was made during the late 19th century. 

The story is written in a style which evokes the best of children's literature. The characters and descriptions are at times a little stereotypical; similar to Dickens in that they highlight all that is lacking in society. Pupils could easily compare passages with extracts from Dickens' Oliver Twist and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Aiken also follows tradition in the way she names her wicked characters: Miss Slighcarp, Mrs Brisket. Pupils could investigate how authors, classic and modern, name similar characters.

There are opportunities to develop children's knowledge of the craft of writing. e.g. how to use alliteration to mimic the sound of the wolves. 'she heard again that lonely, heart-shaking cry of the wolves and wondered whether to waken Mr Grimshaw and tell him.'

The vocabulary will prove challenging for many in years 5 and 6 with specific architectural language, references to clothing from the Georgian/Victorian period as well as vocabulary that most children don't use on an everyday basis such as commodious, impetuosity, deportment and indignation. 

The main themes of the novel are friendship and family and good v evil. The themes are developed, on the whole, through the actions of each of the characters and their relationships. Children could explore the emotions of the characters and their motives through techniques such as hot-seating, conscience alley and diary writing. The characters of Bonnie and Sylvia are very different and complement each other. Sylvia is very timid at the beginning of the book but becomes more confident towards the end. Bonnie is reckless at the beginning but her actions become more considered.  Simon is a good-hearted, independent boy who has numerous practical skills and discovers a talent for painting. At the end of the novel, he goes off to London to study at one of the art schools. Pupils could write about Simon's subsequent adventures in the style of Joan Aiken. After composing their own stories they might like to read Black Hearts in Battersea, Aiken's sequel to The Wolves of Willoughby Chase which does just that.

In 1989 the book was turned into a film starring Stephanie Beacham, Mel Smith, Richard O'Brien and Jane Horrocks. 

The Vintage Classics edition of the novel includes a brief biography of Joan Aiken, historical information about travelling around Britain during the 1830s, summaries of each of the characters, facts about wolves, a glossary of vocabulary, a quiz and some activity ideas.

Publisher: Vintage Classics
Original Publication Date: 1962
ISBN: 978-0-099-57287-9