Archives par mot-clé : paperplanesteens

Smashing Stories

Level B1, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

« Live Fast, Die Young »

Editions Didier – A book written by Rupert Morgan

 

The book

Put your mouse over the markers to have the book cover description.

 

The story

Level B1

 

This book is about stars who died young. It is about periods ranging from the 50’s to 2000. Lots of stars, for example Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison died because of drugs and alcohol.

Let’s talk about the story of Tupac Shakur: Tupac lived in New York. His life was made of incarceration and robbery. Tupac died at the wheel of his car. He was shot and died on his way to the hospital. To me the Tupac’s story is the best because it explains to us how the gang business was going on.

This book explains the evolution of the music and society throughout the century.

MB

Listen to JT ‘s summary (Part 1) :

Listen to JT ‘s summary (Part 2) :

 

This book is divided into several periods. All the stories take place in the United States of America. They are about periods ranging from the 50’s to 2000. It explains the history of the music from half of the XX century to the end.

Most stars who are mentioned, didn’t live for a long time: they died very young :

  •  Janis Joplin, a hippie rock star and  Jim Morrison died at twenty-seven by heroin overdose.
  • Kurt Cobain died at twenty-seven too: he shot himself dead.
  • As for Tupac Shakur, the God of the Rap, he was killed by gunshot in his car at twenty-five.

With the help of this book, we can notice that different types of music varied quickly.

For example, the chapter entitled « California Dreaming » takes place the 60’s. It’s about the hippie generation. Sexual liberation started and the drugs appeared. Young people wanted to change and create a better world. But for this, they took LSD which led them to death and failure.

Another chapter entitled « Gang War on the Street » is about changes. They took place at the beginning of the 90’s. The USA was in a state of panic because of cocaine and crack. Other problems appeared: conflicts, deaths, murders. In 1992, there were 130,000 gang members in Los Angeles. They were Afro Americans, Mexicans or Asians and others.

There are a lot of other periods to discover…

JT

The students’opinion

I think this book can be enriching culturally speaking. It makes us discover new types of music as well as the lives of great singers.

I enjoyed this book because I like old songs and rock’n roll in particular. You should read this book.

JT

Listen to MB ‘s opinion :

 

 

 

The Blitz

Level A2 -> B1, , , , , , , ,

« Blitz Britain »

Editions Didier – A book written by Philippa Boston. 

The book

 

 

The story

Level A2 -> B1

The story takes place in England in London on 29th December 1940. It takes place during the Second World War. The German army dropped bombs over London during the night. This is called the Blitz: it was forbidden to go out at night. There was a total blackout.

One child, Billy, helps his father to deliver some meat during the air raid. He delivers meat to the Savoy hotel during an attack. When coming back to his bicycle, he takes a different way than his usual  way because the latter is on fire. So he makes a detour by St Paul’s cathedral . The cathedral has a bomb dropped on it and burns down. When he enters St Paul’s Cathedral, he saves a man who wanted to push the bomb outside the dome. He saves him. The little boy goes back home to tell his mother about his adventures and to take tea with her.

AM

 

Look at AM’s presentation of the historical facts :

 

The students’opinion

I’ve chosen this book because I’ve found the front cover looked sad. I’ve read this book because I looked at the summary. I’ve chosen this book because I’ve found the extract was great and it is wasn’t boring or rubbish.

I’ve found this book is interesting because there were two parts: the first one tells the story and the other one is the fiction that happens during the war.

AM

 

The 3 Wicked Witches

Level A2 -> B1, , , , , , , , , ,

« Macbeth and the Creature from Hell »

Editions Didier – A book written by Roger Morris. 

The book

 

In the front page, we can see Macbeth holding a dagger in the middle of the page. The title of the book is located at the top of the front page. VB

The front cover is very bright, intriguing and a little bit mysterious. We can see a man with a beard holding a knife and the hand of a mysterious creature.

DM

 

The story

Level A2 -> B1

The story is based on William Shakespeare‘s play. It takes place in Scotland, in Medieval Ages in the year 1040.

The characters are :

  • Macbeth, who is the Lord of Cawdor,
  • Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife,
  • Banquo, Macbeth’s best friend,
  • three witches,
  • King Duncan,
  • Beelzebub.

Three witches foretell that Macbeth will become King of Scotland and Banquo’s son will be King after him. Beelzebub is a demon who was changed into a mouse by the three witches and he follows Macbeth in the castle, reads Lady Macbeth’s thoughts and forces them to murder the King Duncan. Macbeth follows the order of his wife, and after the murder of King Duncan, he thought  about what the witches had said. So he decides to kill Banquo’s son. He kills Banquo but his son manages to escape. After that, Macbeth becomes the king but suddenly the ghost of Banquo appears to him only; Macbeth becomes insane, and Lady Macbeth shows a strange behaviour too. At last, Macbeth and his wife go to the hell and die in much pain.

VB

 

Look at the students’ booktrailer :

The students’opinion

To me,  it is an interesting book and I like this kind of stories, especially when it is about kings and murders.

MG

I loved the book because I find it bloody. I also liked “Macbeth and the Creature from the Hell” because there are blood and murders. What I don’t like in the book is that the story is very long and the meaning is sometimes complicated too.

VB

I think that it is a book to read if we love the Medieval Ages. But it is a little boring because there are lots of characters and after the death of the main character, we don’t understand the story very well.

DM

 

Listen to VB ‘s opinion :

A Sticky Wicket

Level A2 -> B1, , , , , ,

« Killer Sports »

Editions Didier – A book written by Philippa Boston. 

The book

 

 

On the front cover of the book we can see two characters: two men who are practising sport. They are fighting. The background is green.

AN

 

The story

Level A2 -> B1

The story is a fictitious story. It takes place in England, in Stoke Brunswick, in 1920.

First, the main character is George Daventry, a teenager who works for Lord Corman. George Daventry polishes the Lord Corman’s family shoes.

Then there is Lord Corman: he is very nice. Then there is Mr Carter who is the butler and he is authoritarian.

At last there is the chauffeur: Mr Fender and he is less authoritarian than Mr Carter.

One day Lord Corman saw George Daventry playing with a ball and asked him to play in the team of cricket. The son of Lord Corman will teach him how to play. Afterwards they will play a big match with the opposing team.

AN

Look at AN’s presentation of the story :

The students’opinion

 

I loved Killer Sports because I find it captivating. I enjoyed reading the first part because we learn a lot about the evolution of sports. I liked the second part because the characters are so realistic.

As far as I’m concerned, I don’t want to play cricket because I’m not interested by this sport: I prefer basketball. Basketball is more dynamic than  cricket.

AN

 Listen to  AN’s opinion :

 

A Strange School

Level A1 -> A2, , , , ,

« Welcome to Star School »

Editions Didier – A book written by Michaela Morgan. 

The book

On the front cover, we can see three pupils and a person in front of the door. He’s wearing a cloak.

MT

There is a photo of two young pupils in a room of a castle.

They are frightened by a shade and the rumours of a mysterious person who is at school. In the foreground we can see a pupil  with a flashlight.

EG

The story

Level A1 -> A2

The story probably takes places in an English school in the XX century. There are six students, one headmaster, one teacher and a mysterious character. The pupils have their clothes stolen. Moreover Bruno has his biscuits stolen.

MT

The story is about several pupils who will live funny events and be scared.The story is about pupils who arrive in a new school. The story takes place in a school in England in modern times.

EG

The students’opinion

 

We appreciated this book because there is suspense and it is interesting.

MT

It is a very good book : the story is well told and there is a good suspense.

EG

Singing to Change the World

Level B1, , , , ,

 

« Rock Rebels »

Editions Didier – A book written by Rupert Morgan. 

The book

On the front cover, we can see a man who is singing like a rock star.

We can actually see some people who demonstrate for the peace and love and at the top of the page we can see the title « Rock Rebels ».

LP

 

 

 

The story

Level B1

The book explains the stories of the rock music stars and describes the historical contexts from the song « Jump Jim Crow » to Bob Marley’s songs. And it’s also about Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, The Clash and Peter Seeger. Some of them, like Bob Dylan, fought against the Vietnam War and played an important part to restore  peace. It was the case for the Vietnam War. Other fought for freedom….and won…

LP

 

Look at LP’s presentation :

The students’opinion

I enjoyed reading this book because the stars are real and various. This book is brilliant because the intrigue is ingenious and it’s about lots of people. One negative point is the first chapter which is boring to me. I didn’t like it because it wasn’t fictitious. I wished it would be shorter. I thought the book was only about Rock and Roll stars’ lives. I wished there were less historical explanations and more details about the biographies.

LP

Listen to EC ‘s opinion :

Who is the Monster ?

Level B1, , , , , , , ,

« Frankenstein 2.0 »

Editions Didier – A book written by Roger Morris. 

The book

On the front cover, I can see the head of the creature. Its head is ugly and terrifying. He has big yellow eyes.

In the top left-hand corner, I can see the hand of the creature that is holding Billy’s head.

In the middle, I can see the title of the book in green letters: Frankenstein 2.0.

In the bottom left-hand corner, I can read the name of the author.

AD

 

The story

Level B1

The story takes place at the top of the Mont Blanc during the XXIst century.

In the story, there are many characters:

  • Victor Frankenstein is Frankenstein Senior’s son. He is the main character and he is the creator of the monster.
  • The creature was created by Victor Frankenstein. He is violent and ugly.
  • Frankenstein Senior is Victor’s father. He is a brilliant scientist and he has his institute where he preserves the bodies of dead people by freezing them.
  • Victor’s mother is dead at the beginning of the story because of the sun.
  • Elizabeth is Victor’s friend. She lived with Victor’s family and she loves Victor.
  • Billy is Victor’s little brother. He will be killed by the creature.

The story is about the creation of a monster with the remains of the humans. The creation takes place in a laboratory.

The main character, Victor Frankenstein, wished he would create a human being with the remains of other human beings.

Finally, what he gave life to, was a monster. The monster would like to have a female because he was sad to be alone. But Victor didn’t manage to create her. It’s the reason why the monster decided to take his revenge and to kill a part of Victor’s family.

AD

Listen to AD introducing the characters :

The students’opinion

I liked reading Frankenstein 2.0 because the end is intelligent and there is suspense. I also loved reading it because I find that this story makes the readers think about the progress of science. Moreover I really enjoyed reading it because the intrigue is ingenious and the story is not too long.

What I didn’t like is that it is complicated to understand and there are too many characters. I also didn’t like reading Frankenstein because it is too bloody.

I wished the creature would be nicer. I wished Victor would take care of his monster because he left him alone. I thought the creature would find another idea to take his revenge.

AD

Listen to MM ‘s opinion :

 

I’ve chosen this book because the front cover was strange. To the left, we can see a creature holding a dead head and in the bottom right-hand corner there is the creature.

I loved reading Frankenstein 2.0 because I find it interesting and it’s a coherent story. I liked it because the main character is captivating and mysterious. He’s really gifted.

To me, one negative point is the end. It’s disappointing : the characters die one after the other. We don’t know what the creature becomes after Victor’s death.

I wished the characters would be more careful and the main character would take more time to get to know his creature.

I thought Victor would be nicer with his creature and the creature would be less aggressive and bloodthirsty.

MM

A lovely story ?

Level A2 -> B1, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

« Romeo and Juliet in Las Vegas »

Editions Didier – A book written by Rupert Morgan. 

The book

 

In the middle of the front cover you can see the name of the book.

On the left side you can see a girl: her name is Juliet.

On the right side, you can see the boy: his name is Romeo.

CB

 

The story

Level A2 -> B1

The story is based on William Shakespeare‘s play.

The scene takes place in Las Vegas.

The main characters in the book are Romeo and Juliet. They are young.

They belong to the Montague and Capulet families who are rivals. The story takes place in 1979 in Nevada in America. Their love is impossible. Romeo must leave the town and runs away from it because he killed Juliet’s cousin. That’s the reason why Romeo pretends to be dead. It is at this point that Juliet decides to drink poison because she is so desperate. Will they live their love at the end ?

 

The students’ opinion

I think this book is great because I like romantic stories but I don’t like the end because it is too tragic. According to me, the book is interesting because the story is full of suspense.

CB

Work and Die

Level A2 -> B1, , , , , , , , , ,

 

« Deadly Jobs »

Editions Didier – A book written by Philippa Boston

The book

On the front cover, you can see a child with dirty clothes. The child looks sad.

The background is blue and the title is in the middle of the book.

AB

The story

Level A2 -> B1

The story takes place in London at Mile End in London in 1832. It is about a small skinny boy named Tom who is in a house with his sisters. Because they are fed in this house, Tom must work hard. His boss, Mr Barnes, gives him difficult and dangerous tasks: he has to clean the chimneys at Mile End.

 

 

The students’opinion

 

I like this book because we learn a lot about the Industrial Revolution in England. In this book, there are two parts: the first part is about the Industrial Revolution and the second part is about a little sad story :  a child who works hard and is exploited.

AB

Listen to AB’s opinion :