Ash Road - Hammond School

Ash Road
NOTES
Part One: Character Descriptions
The following character descriptions should be helpful to use prior to and during your reading since
the point of view for the story is third person omniscient, meaning that all the characters’ thoughts
and feelings are being presented about the events that unfold throughout the novel:
Harry
Graham (starts fire)
Wallace
three teenage boys who go on an adventure in the Australian country; their final destination is
the Pinkards’ place
Buckingham Family
Father (Don)
Mother
Julie (age five; very attached to Grandpa Tanner)
Pippa (teenager)
Stevie (child)
the family had planned to go on holiday prior to the fire
Grandpa Tanner – not the Buckinghams’ real grandfather; lives nearby and is a family friend
Fairhalls
Peter (grandson; age thirteen; only child; hides)
Gramps and Grandma (keeping Peter; want to take him home when fire starts)
Georges
Father (stubborn; has stroke)
John (son; firefighter)
Lorna (daughter; teenager)
all live on a farm
Robertsons
Father (Bill; fuel and oil merchant)
wife (young mother)
baby (stays with Grandpa Tanner)
live at the end of Ash Road
Part Two: Important Quotations List

Peruse the following quotations before you begin reading. Then, as you read, highlight them in
your novel if you purchased your own copy. Each quotation is important to the novel. This step
will help you to complete Parts Three and Four, which are the assessment for the novel.
A. “Fire is a dangerous plaything at this time of year. Don’t forget it.” (13)
B. It was not that he was more level-headed than the others; it was just that he could see
the end more clearly, the hopelessness of it, the absolute certainty of it, the imminent
danger of encirclement, the possibility that they might be burned alive. (22)
C. “If there is a fire, lass,” he said, “it must be a long way off. Nothing to worry about, I
should think.” (37)
D. “Do you think I would send the lad if I thought there was any danger?” (51)
E. “I only hope, for his sake, that the house is still there when we get back.” (59)
F. “No casualties have been reported, but concern is felt for the safety of the three boys
last seen in the Tinley area about four o’clock yesterday afternoon.” (66)
G. “I’m very sorry, my dear, but it’s the fires. You’ll have to make other arrangements.
We’ve really got troubles enough of our own.” (75)
H. “They do act funny, Pippa. Even when they helped me carry dad they wouldn’t look me
in the eye.” (88)
I. “But we are in trouble, real trouble.” (96)
J. It was a bad day, an ominous day; his bones ached with fatigue and foreboding. (106)
K. “It’s like a nightmare. Nothing goes right.” (112)
L. The day was so angry with him that he was frightened to raise a hand against it. (124)
M. It seemed that it might melt the earth. (127)
N. He stumbled to the road into an extraordinary world of blacks and grays and tongues of
fire. (128)
O. The end of the world wasn’t getting ready to happen; the end of her world had already
happened. (148)
P. “It’s out of control. They can’t stop it. They’ve given up trying.” (157)
Q. The end was coming. (167)
R. …it was not like anything else he had ever done. (168)
S. They would end up at the Georges’, under the sprinklers, but only if they ran faster than
the fire. (175)
T. This was not how he imagined it would be. (177)
U. Then he curled up on the leeward side of the stump, drew a wet woolen blanket over
himself, and bit very hard on the stem of his pipe. (178)
V. He knew without being able to frame the words, that he was running into manhood and
leaving childhood behind. (182)
W. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to do. (182)
X. But there was a new sound in the heavens and a sighing, as if a giant as large as the
earth had expelled the last breath from its lungs. (187)
Y. “…and the sooner you face it, the sooner it’s going to be over.” (190)
Z. “Here I am, everybody. Down the well. Safe and sound.” (191)

Student’s Name: ________________________
Today’s Date: ______________
Ash Road
assessment
Refer to the previous notes when completing this assessment for the required book for Mrs. Miller’s
geography class. You will hand in this assessment in English to Mrs. Schuch on the first day of the
school, along with the book evaluation form on either Preacher’s Boy or Rules of the Road and your
book evaluation for your choice novel from the provided list.
Part Three: Quotation Analysis
Choose five quotations from the list to analyze. For each one, complete the required information.
Try to choose five different characters.
1. letter: ____ speaker or to whom the quote applies:
_____________________________
significance of the quote to the plot and/or outcome of the novel:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. letter: ____ speaker or to whom the quote applies:
_____________________________
significance of the quote to the plot and/or outcome of the novel:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. letter: ____ speaker or to whom the quote applies:
_____________________________
significance of the quote to the plot and/or outcome of the novel:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. letter: ____ speaker or to whom the quote applies:
_____________________________
significance of the quote to the plot and/or outcome of the novel:
______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
5. letter: ____ speaker or to whom the quote applies:
_____________________________
significance of the quote to the plot and/or outcome of the novel:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Part Four: Reflection Questions
Answer each question in complete sentences. Justify your statements with specific examples from
the novel.
1. How is the ending a surprise? In what ways does the novel end on a positive note? Who
is the only known casualty?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. What do you think Graham will do once the fire ends? What would you do if he were in
that situation?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Write a two sentence reaction to the novel. In it, answer the following two questions:
Tell how the novel teaches you about Australia. How does it also teach you about
actions and consequences?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________