Book review example

The BFG is a book by Roald Dahl which tells the story of Sophie, a girl who lives in an orphanage. She is very lonely and unhappy there, but one night, her world is turned upside when she is visited by the Big Friendly Giant, or BFG for short. When he sees her staring at him out of her window, he scoops her up and takes him with her to his home in Giant Country. At first she is scared, but quickly learns that the BFG is actually quite friendly, as his name would suggest. Some of the other giants in Giant Country aren’t, however, and like to eat children. Sophie and the BFG come up with a plan to stop this happening, and the story becomes a thrilling adventure which involving helicopters, the army, and the Queen of England. 

Overall, I thought this book was very good. It was written in a style I could understand and I liked some of the words Roald Dahl made up, like ‘snozzcumber’, because this made it funny. I also thought that the story was very imaginative and different – I can’t remember reading another story quite like this one.

If I could change one thing about it, I would make it slightly shorter; I thought it was a bit too long, but it’s not a major problem. Some of the bits are quite scary as well, and it’s not really suitable for younger children, so I think there should be a warning on the front of the book.    

I would recommend this book to children, but, like I said, not really young children, but it’s definitely better for young people than for adults. Overall, I give it a rating of 4 out of 5. 

February half term homework

Mr Q’s Year 8 half term holiday homework

You are going to write one more review. It can be of a book you have read, a film or television programme you have seen, or a computer game.

Remember to stick to the following structure:

Paragraph one:

What is it about?

Paragraph two:

What is good about it?

Paragraph three:

What could be improved about it?

Paragraph four:

Who is it aimed at?

You review should be at least 200 words long.

For an example of the kind of thing you need to write, just check the blog (unless, of course, you are already reading this on the blog!).

Good luck!

Homework, 15th January, 2015

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas break and is well rested. 

This term we will be reading the novel Holes by Louis Sachar, and learning how to write reviews. At the end of the unit, everyone will write a review of the book.

This is week's homework task is a reading comprehension one. All you need to do is read the photocopied extract from the book and answer the questions on the other sheet. As always, some of the questions are very simple, while others are slightly trickier. You can do the work on a computer and print it out, or write your answers out by hand on lined paper. 

Good luck!

Christmas holiday homework

English Christmas holiday homework!

For this homework, you are going to write one more article. The situation is that you still work for the Hammersmith and Fulham Gazette and a girl from Fulham has won X Factor.

Her name is Hannah, she is sixteen years old, and she has been singing since she was four years old. She was mentored by Mel B and her prize is a recording contract and a national tour.

This time, I am going to leave it up to you to decide what information you put into each paragraph, but, as always, you need to make sure you include:

·        A headline

·        Three paragraphs

·        Subheadings

·        Quotes

Merry Christmas!

Homework: 4th December, 2014

There’s been a fire at the Moat School!

You are a reporter from the local newspaper, The Hammersmith and Fulham Gazette. Earlier this afternoon you were sent to report on a fire that broke out at the Moat School.

It is up to you to make up the details, but remember to include:

·        A headline

·        Three paragraphs

·        Subheadings

·        Quotes

You might also want to use the following structure:

Paragraph One

Explain where the school is and give a brief overview of how the fire started and when it started

Paragraph Two

Include some quotes from one of the pupils and one of the teachers (pretend you interviewed them outside the school).

Paragraph Three

Explain that the fire brigade eventually showed up and put out the fire, so no-one was hurt.

Due: Monday, 8th December

Homework: 27th November, 2014

Hi,

This week it's another reading comprehension activity. All the instructions are on the sheet I gave you in the lesson. 

Have fun!

Homework: 13th November, 2014

Hi,

This week I would like you to answer some comprehension questions based on a couple of pages from Two Weeks With The Queen. Comprehension means understanding, so comprehension questions test how well you understand what you have written. You should have the photocopied pages from the book and question sheet which I gave you in the lesson. 

Some of the questions are very straightforward and you can find the answer just by looking at the text.

Example: 

What did Colin try to tell mum about on the train to Sydney?

All you have to do to answer this question is skim through the text and pick out some of the key words, e.g. 'Colin', 'mum', 'tell' and 'train', then copy down the answer. We'll call this a Level 1 question. 

Some of the questions, however, get you to think a bit more about what is written in the text. 

Example:

Why do you think the other people on the train suddenly became 'even more interested in the black and white photo of the Lithgow suspension bridge'?

To answer this question, you have to find the quote in the text, read around it, then think for yourself about why the other people on the train behaved as they did. We'll call this a Level 2 question. 

You can write your answers on the lined paper I gave you along with the other bits, or on a computer and print it out. 

Good luck!