The Long Hard Road Out of Hell

The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson is an autobiography. It is quite a funny yet disturbing book filled with personal tales of Marilyn’s ride to fame in the world of rock and roll. He tells stories which will shock the reader, but each gives you a great insight to the person he is now and all the events which led to who he has become. The themes often include sex, drugs and of course, rock and roll. 

The structure of the book is in chapters, each chapter has a story to tell and they begin and end after each chapter. In saying this it is all in chronological order, from when he is young up until the present time while writing the book. This meant the map of the narrative was constantly going up and down, with constant complications and resolutions throughout the whole book.  

As the book is written in an autobiography form many unique language features can be used such as telling a story in 1^st person, but then applying it to 3^rd person as if it is written in the form of a narrative. It also doesn’t simply have to follow a narrative structure, the book included many diagrams, letters and other artworks created by Marilyn. This was done so to enhance the story and allow for a greater understanding and appreciation for the subject by the viewer.

It is a story suitable for year 10 students and above due to the themes, although it is not a book a teacher would look at within in a class room, rather a recreational viewing by the readers for their own enjoyment. Also the viewer should be mature as they may mimic some of the behaviour if they want to ‘be like him’.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. In this book the storyline becomes far darker with some of Harry’s secrets being revealed and more of his past and his conflict between Voldemort unfolds. For those who don’t know the Harry Potter series is about a boy who finds out he is actually a wizard and can attend a school for wizardry. From this he meets many other witches and wizards and goes through many adventures which slowly reveal his dark past and all the secrets surrounding his life.  

The language used in the book is quite descriptive with situations and characters being described thoroughly. This allows the reader to have a great understanding of what is happening and allows for them to paint a picture in their mind of the wizardry world. It is also written in third person who allows the reader to know exactly what the characters are feeling. This allows the viewer to relate and put themselves into the situation. It can also cause biases between characters they may have a liking for (which sets up for good vs. bad guy).  

The structure of the story is in chapters with each chapter presenting a new mini story/idea/ complication. All the chapters eventually build to the ending, which like in the past two books is a good versus bad guy even. In this installment it is between Harry and Sirius Black. The book is also ended knowing that there will be another book following, so it is never truly resolved due to the many unanswered questions.

This is a great read for people of all ages and would be a good book to just read to in front of the class because it is just so likable. Plus it is well written which would only assist students in their English ability.

The Magic Pudding: Being The Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum and his friends Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff

The Magic Pudding: Being The Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum and his friends Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff is an Australian children's book written and illustrated by Norman Lindsay. It is a comic fantasy, and a classic of Australian children's literature. The story is set in Australia with humans mixing with animals. It tells of a magic pudding which, no matter how often it is eaten, always reforms in order to be eaten again. It is owned by three companions who must defend it against Pudding Thieves who want it for themselves.

The book is divided into four "slices" instead of chapters. Due to the book being quite old it is not similar to current children’s books format. The illustrations are all in black and white, pencil form. It is also quite long, and I can see many children viewing it in this day and age finding it boring and not engaging. In saying this is good to read a book like this due to its cultural and historical value, it gives the viewer an understanding of a time in which they did not live, a time in the past. It could be used as a teaching tool in this way, by examining the language used, the pictures or the things that are mentioned and explaining them to students so they can gain an understanding.

The language used within this book is very typical ‘Australia outback’ lingo. Such terms as bunyuip, chip off the old block and cobber are used. For people who have not heard such terms, whether it be their culture or social upbringing, it would make it hard to understand what the characters are talking about and may make it untreatable

There are many short songs interspersed throughout the text, varying from stories told in rhyme to descriptions of a character's mood or behavior, and verses of an ongoing sea song. This makes the book fun, but still it may not have the same effect it does on viewers in current society. Finally, the book is based around quite crude humor, with characters often fighting or insulting each other. Again, this is quite Australian but not very relatable to today’s society.

Overall The Magic Pudding is a timeless classic and will provide and insight into what Australians children’s books first included and what times were like many years ago.

Soldier Boy

Soldier Boy is an adolescent novel written by Australian author Anthony Hill. It is quite a historical book with many of the story being fiction as Anthony researched much of the main characters papers in order to write it. The story is about a 14 year old boy named ‘Jim Martin’ who joined the army to fight the war in Gallipoli with a false age so he could be in on the adventure and be an Australian hero.  Jim makes several friends while he is going through his adventure; he learns the harshness of the war, and the many complications that it realistically brings.

The structure of the book is in chronological order with the orientation, complication resolution occurring in their appropriate places. There are constant smaller versions of these throughout the book, but with a climax and a resolution (death and naming Jim a war hero) right at the end.

The language used is fitting for the age group it is aimed at, with it not being overly complicated, but still descriptive enough to drive the appealing storyline. In saying this, there are some war terms that I did not even know and had to look up so I could understand the storyline. This would allow for some investigation by the reader.

The themes presented within the book include Australia being a patriotic society, mateship and friendship, and themes based around war. Such themes would make for a great discussion in a classroom.

Young readers, especially boys will enjoy reading such a book as it is quite relatable in terms of how Jim thinks, acts and reacts to certain situations. There is action, comedy and enough drama to keep students engaged and wanting to keep reading. It would be suitable for high school students, possibly for an engagement activity in History with cross curriculum to English.  

The Day My Bum Went Psycho

The Day My Bum Went Psycho is an adolescent novel by Australian children's author, Andy Griffiths. The book is quite a ridiculous story about a boy named Zack Freeman who has to seek the help of some "bum-hunters" to catch his bum after he learns it is actually the leader of a band of rogue bums determined to control the world. Even in this short description of the book you can see that it is not to be taken seriously in the least, it is a title purely for humour and enjoyment.

The structure of the story is in a traditional narrative form with orientations to the story and the characters, followed by complications which are resolved. There is also a climax towards the end of the book where the story hits a peak and is then finally resolved (well until the next book that it).

The language used fits perfectly for the age group it is aiming for. Andy Griffiths states that this is his aim, to write book that are fun for children and he does so perfectly. It is his understanding of younger children, and what they enjoy which sets his books a part from other authors.

It is illustrated by Nicole Arroyo, who also illustrated some of Andy Griffiths' other books, including the Just! series. These illustrations are very complimentary to the book and add something extra to the story, almost a second story in themselves. They are fun and are a good way to keep students who may not overly like reading engaged in the story line. The idea behind them is to make the drawings basic but fun and full of humor.  

Younger readers in middle to upper primary would be suited for reading this book. Although, it could be considered extremely immature, this may put off some readers due to the absurd nature of the story and the simplistic toilet humored writing style. I believe that this book would be great for engaging students who don’t like reading, possibly think that it is lame, and show them that it can actually be quite funny and actually fun.

The Lost Thing

The Lost Thing is a picture book written by the Australian Author and illustrator Shaun Tan. The book follows a large trash can like living object with tentacles, and a man who is trying to help it find out where it belongs. The man finds the ‘thing’ at the beach, and although it first appeared scary, had a good time with it. From this point the storyline follows the mans trouble of finding out where it fits. After a long search he finds a place full of weird mystical creatures and feels it fits in here. I believe the book is excellently written with illustrations to match.   

The language used within the story is very basic, basically words for a child. Although the storyline does not fit with the age group the words do. This can be confusing but Tan himself has stated that his books are for people of an older year level, personally I’s say in high school. It is set in 1^st person as the main character is describing the story. This technique allows the reader to understand how this character feels, can grasp what understanding he has of the storyline and can follow his narration of events.

The illustrations are very descriptive, similar to a lot of Tan’s other work. As his words are so simple it allows for more of the story to be told. As described by Winch “Pictures do not simply illustrate language, they inflate it into the making of new meaning; they add something different, stimulating an inner imaginative process that in itself is another type of language”.

The narrative follows the traditional structure with the orientation (meeting both characters), complication(trying to find where the thing belongs and what it is) and the conclusion(finding a place for the thing). What is special about this story however that is there is no mention if the ‘thing’ actually does fit in or not? It leaves in open ended towards the viewer. For myself this left me thinking about it constantly after I had finished.

The theme of belonging is dominant within this story and I think this would be a great way to engage high school students if you were ever talking about accepting others or belonging in school. It was a sense of appeal to it, a very relatable book.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. In this book the storyline becomes far darker with some of Harry’s secrets being revealed and more of his past and his conflict between Voldemort unfolds. For those who don’t know the Harry Potter series is about a boy who finds out he is actually a wizard and can attend a school for wizardry. From this he meets many other witches and wizards and goes through many adventures which slowly reveal his dark past and all the secrets surrounding his life.  

The language used in the book is quite descriptive with situations and characters being described thoroughly. This allows the reader to have a great understanding of what is happening and allows for them to paint a picture in their mind of the wizardry world. It is also written in third person who allows the reader to know exactly what the characters are feeling. This allows the viewer to relate and put themselves into the situation. It can also cause biases between characters they may have a liking for (which sets up for good vs. bad guy).  

The structure of the story is in chapters with each chapter presenting a new mini story/idea/ complication. All the chapters eventually build to the ending, which like in the past two books is a good versus bad guy even. In this installment it is between Harry and Sirius Black. The book is also ended knowing that there will be another book following, so it is never truly resolved due to the many unanswered questions.

This is a great read for people of all ages and would be a good book to just read to in front of the class because it is just so likable. Plus it is well written which would only assist students in their English ability.