Pirate School (The Three Aaaarghs!)

Last time I was in The Salvation Army Shop in town I somehow managed to get into a debate with the person behind the counter and an elderly lady behind me.
The man behind the counter wanted to teach in Primary School, but with his speciality being History, he was struggling. The elderly woman was firmly convinced that subjects like History shouldn't be taught in Primary School when children were behind on their reading, writing and arithmetic (the 3 Rs).
I volunteer with the charity Beanstalk, which encourages and develops children's reading skills. I do it because of my passion for books and remembering what it's like to be lost in my own imagination, in incredible worlds with exciting characters on wondrous adventures. I see first-hand the children that are struggling with their reading and writing. They're often struggling with every aspect of education as well as socially and crave the one-on-one attention that I give them. I see three out of a class of thirty, I could see many more and children often request to come and read with me. It's brilliant that they want to read with me, but I also wonder how many of the children would actually benefit from the time I spend with them.
As well as reading with each child twice a week I am involved in the class, with the teachers. If there is a school trip, or a nativity play I am asked to assist and do so willingly. It makes a pleasant change for me and the children. The most recent trip was to the Grosvenor Museum in Chester. They've been learning about Romans for the past few months, everything from Roman Baths to Gladiators. The Grosvenor Museum put on a brilliant itinerary. The children learnt about archaeology, heating systems, armour, food (and cooking processes), including a marching exercise with a real-life Roman Soldier (not really, but he had a rather lovely pair of legs!). Most of it was hands on, practical, combining learning with fun. The following day they wrote a report on the museum, what they saw, what they enjoyed. They spent the day learning and THEN they wrote about it.
This was my argument in The Salvation Army Shop. Yes, children are behind, some drastically so, but in order to get better at writing, reading and arithmetic, they need things to write about, to read about and to work out. Practising the same sentence over and over again is boring, and definitely not inspiring, writing a story about a Roman Soldier is exciting, it's an adventure! Before they know it, they're learning without really knowing it.
If I was to redesign school, from the ground up I would include more or less what is included now, Art, History, Geography, all those subjects that inspire. Children can be inspired by all kinds of things. I would promote the arts, anything creative as I believe the imagination is one of the most powerful tools each of us has. Dance, Drama and Music would also feature heavily as I believe all of these subjects are overlooked in Primary School. Drama promotes confidence which a lot of children lack. One of the children that I read with loves Drama and I write mini-plays for us to act out during our sessions. He's reading without even realising it and he often wants to write his own after, which develops his writing skills. In fact, the only subject I would remove from Primary Schools is a foreign language. Although I believe learning French or German is important in learning new skills and developing an understanding of culture, I think the English Language should be mastered first. Foreign Language should be left for Secondary School.
The only other thing that should be included in school is manners. I run my local school choir, something I enjoy which is a lot of fun, the youngest child in 6, the oldest 11. Last year, I discovered that despite all their musical ability the one thing they lacked more than anything was respect for each other and their opinions. Manners are something I would have thought parents would have taught their children but it was definitely an issue and I wasn't the only one to discover this. I take pride in my patience but the only time I lost my temper was on this subject. Maybe manners and good behaviour should be taught in schools too.

This post was inspired by... http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/prompt-new-school/

Book Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter #1) by Jeff Lindsay

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had watched the Dexter TV series before I read any of the books, so I went in with a preconceived notion of the characters, and I already knew the ending. It didn't stop me from enjoying Jeff Lindsay's writing.
For those unfamiliar, Dexter Dreaming Darkly follows the murderous blood splatter analyst as he dishes out his own punishment to those that have slipped through the cracks. Seeing the world through Dexter's eyes is brilliant. If Dexter was a real person he would certainly have some kind of psychological or behavioural condition but thankfully the author doesn't play on this, he is just Dexter and everything he does seems unfathomably reasonable.
All of the characters were interesting and unique. I particularly liked his foul-mouthed sister Deb. I also think it should be mentioned that the people who cast the TV show did a great job, especially with Dexter's colleague Vince and his boss LaGuerta.
I also liked the way Lindsay described Miami, almost like it was a character. He brought the city alive in full vivid technicolour!
Overall a brilliant twist on the murder mystery that zipped along nicely. I can't wait to read the next one!

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Book Review: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At Weston Rhyn Primary School Roald Dahl is the current display in the library. Every time I go in there for volunteering a smile appears on my face and I try my best to persuade the children to let me read them a little bit of any of his books. But alas, I did not succeed, so I decided to read one myself and James and the Giant Peach was the one I picked.
I remember the film with fondness and as soon as I entered Dahl's incredible world the childlike feeling of glee rushed back to me.
The way James and his insect friends are described are vivid and each character is interesting and unique. I particularly liked the Centipede and his 42 pairs of boots. The book is also educational, informing children about the different characteristics of insects, while making them funny. I also enjoyed the different songs.
As a twenty-one year old, revisiting Roald Dahl was a joy and I aim to read more, hopefully to inspire the children next time.

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Book Review: The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found out about The Strain a while ago and as a fan of Guillermo del Toro's directed works and a lover of all (Twilight and True Blood excluded) things vampire I thought it would be an interesting read.
For me, the best part of the book was probably the first third. I always knew where the book was going, but the tension and the mystery as Flight 753 lands at JFK airport and the events that follow, were exciting and thrilling at the same time.
The main protagonist is Dr. Ephraim Goodweather. For some reason, in my head I imagined him as Denzel Washington, this 'strong' character. He and his co-worked Nora Martinez work for the CDC and are the first inside the mysterious plane. They are both likeable, although I feel that Nora has less of a personality than Eph and later on in the book is made to stay behind and look after Zack, Eph's son, rather than go and fight, which I think is a little sexist. In fact, this book does not have strong female characters. Nora and Kelly (Eph's ex-wife) both play small parts and are subject to the decisions of the men around them.
The other lead is Abraham Setrakian, described as an aged Holocaust survivor. He is by far the more interesting character of the two, with a story and a personal vendetta against The Master, the head of all vampires.
It may seem that I am being negative but I did thoroughly enjoy this book. As I said, the initial discovery of the plane kept me on the edge of my seat and the study of the victim's as they attempted to work out what had happened was exciting. It's a different approach to the vampire story, they are a virus rather than a monster.
The vampires themselves are not your 'run of the mill' either. Their transformation is not pretty, neither is the end result. It's refreshing to read a different take on the genre, especially as it's been done to death lately for a primarily teenage and young adult audience.
For me, New York City was an integral part of the story. There was focus on the World Trade Centre (although events of 9/11 were not dwelled on) and the subway systems. I particularly enjoyed a section where the characters entered the subway system, del Toro certainly wracked the scary factor up there!
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series, and watching the TV series that is soon to be our screens.

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Book Review: Nineteen Eighty Three (Red Riding Quartet) by David Peace

Nineteen Eighty Three by David Peace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nineteen Eighty Three is the final book in the Red Riding Quartet and there's only one word to describe it. Sublime.
David Peace is a phenomenal writer. His writing style is quick, slick and draws you in. I find myself sucked into the hazy world of corrupt cops, earnest lawyers and journalists fighting for the truth.
The characters he writes are all flawed, there are no Hollywood heroes here, which makes more for the interesting read.
The narrative is led by three individuals, policeman Maurice Jobson, lawyer John Pigott and young prostitute BJ. All three of them are tangled up in the web of conspiracy and cover ups around the disappearances of young girls in the Yorkshire area.
Jobson is the lead investigator, but also the reluctant heir of Bill 'Badger' Molloy's scheme to get rich quick. Pigott is representing Michael Myshkin, who was arrested and charged for the murder of one of the girls and BJ is on the run from everyone and everything.
None of the Red Riding Quartet stands alone, they all form one large story told by different characters, but I think reading them one after the other would be too much, too intense. Having said that, I think it was too long since I read Nineteen Eighty and some of the details were a little dulled in my head. I'd seen the incredible Channel 4 adaptation (well worth a watch for any fan) and I think that helped certain characters cement into my mind. For me, Jobson was David Morrisey, Pigott was Mark Addy and BJ was Robert Sheehan. For me this was a help rather than a hindrance.
As the narrative changes between these three characters it can be initially confusing as to whose point of view it is with the start of each chapter. That's the only reason I marked it 4 stars instead of 5. Otherwise, it's a series like no other. If you can hold your stomach (it's certainly not pretty and described with graphic detail) and you can put up with the bad language then jump into this world. David Peace's heady world of violence and corruption is a world like no other and I can't wait to read more of his.

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Book Review: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was recommended to me by my Aunt, who is an avid fan of Terry Pratchett. I have only ever read one more of his works, that being Good Omens, which I enjoyed but didn't fall in love with as many have.
The concept behind The Long Earth is certainly interesting and original. The idea that individuals can 'step' East or West to parallel worlds is brilliant and isn't something I come across very often. But I didn't feel that Pratchett really told a story, it was more of an experiment.
Our two main characters are Joshua, who was born on one of the parallel worlds and is a natural stepper, and Lobsang, who is essentially a computer. Together they travel through the worlds on a dirigible called Mark Twain, to explore and discover new worlds.
I found Joshua quite a weak character with not much personality. He was brought up by several nuns and all of them appear funny and quirky but none of this has rubbed off on him. Lobsang on the other hand is great. He can be irritating, but is interesting and unlike any other character I've read before.
There are quite a few smaller characters whose stories run alongside, like a police officer in Madison, Wisconsin, a family who leave their son behind to start a better like and Private Percy, who accidentally 'steps' during the First World War. In fact, I would have liked to read more about Private Percy, but we're given a snippet and then it's forgotten about.
All the ideas on their own are brilliant, but it just seems quite aimless and I was surprised to find that not only is there a sequel out, a third is due out next year and both authors have signed a contract to write three more. I don't think I'll give up on Terry Pratchett, but I think I'll head towards his Discworld series.

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Book Review: Amazonia by James Rollins

Amazonia by James Rollins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was the blurb of Amazonia that got me hooked.
'A government agent stumbles out of the world's most inhospitable jungle... he went in with one arm missing and emerged with both intact.'
I was in immediately, jungles, government agents, the regrowth of limbs, what more could a girl ask for?
Our journey into the wilderness is headed by Nathan Rand and a team of doctors, experts and of course, several CIA agents as they track Agent Clark's (formerly of one arms, now of two) route through the jungle in the hope of ascertaining how his limb grew back. On their way they encounter all sorts of mutated animals, deserted villages and signs of a mysterious tribe feared by all. And don't even get me started on the evil Dr. Favre and his girlfriend who has a penchant for making shriveled heads.
I don't want to give too much away of this book, but the best way to describe it (and I mean this as a compliment), is that it's a blue print for an action adventure movie. It's full of cliches and often quite predictable but it's fun, it's an adventure!
The characters are all interesting, if a little stereotypical and none of them are safe as they fall to the mercy of the jungle. One of them even has a pet jaguar (brilliant!).
I would love to see this in a cinema, sometime in the future. In the meantime, enjoy it for what it is, a romp in the Amazon, not a fine piece of literature.

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