Austen Term 2020 Newsletter

Join i-Learner’s creative teachers
on their fun escapes through fictional worlds and exciting games.
Book title: How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone
Author: Saša Stanišić
Suitable for: P5 and above
What is this book about?
This semi-autobiographical book charts the author's childhood in Bosnia and
Herzegovina in its turbulent years, after the breakup of Yugoslavia. The author's
family was forced to flee to Germany, and young Aleksander’s life was turned
upside down. Through the eyes of this young boy, an interesting period of
history is brought to life with a funny, gentle and emotional perspective.
Mr Matthew
Why do I love it?
I loved this book as a teenager because it's tragically powerful, vividly put into words, and yet also has an abundance of
magic and miracles unique to brilliantly written coming-of-age books. It is also very, very funny! At a time of great strife and
uncertainty in Hong Kong, Stanišić's book would serve to remind young ones as well as adults of the importance of dignity
and kindness, and the joy of life even under harsh circumstances
Who would like this book?
Anyone who enjoys a vicarious journey through time and space would love this book, which is filled to the brim with mystery
and surprise at every turn. It’s great for those bursting with wanderlust who long to get away, even if only in their minds!
Mr Matthew loves theatre and is an amateur translator. He likes instilling a sense of creative humour into everything he
does.
Game name: Books Talk
Suitable for: Anyone who likes books
How do you do this activity?
Browse through the titles of your books and detect their secret connection! Take the Bugbug’s
Llibrary collection for example. Here is a hidden conservation I’ve found in this series:
-‘What’s in Bugbug’s Box?’
-‘Eggs, Eggs, Eggs!’
Ms Celine
Of course, sometimes you need to add a little something to make sense of the conversation:
-‘Be Careful, Twist’, there’s a ‘Vampire Rabbit’.
-Where is ‘Meg’s Missing Present’?
-It’s ‘Lost in the Garden’.
Why do I love it?
It’s fun to discover/create new connections between things that we are familiar with and take for granted. Let your
imagination run wild and toy with the most ridiculous ideas. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you come up with.
Who would like this activity?
Those who enjoy making up stories in their heads.
Ms Celine enjoys learning new languages and diving into different cultures. She finds that exposure to foreign languages
makes her more attuned to the nuances of language. In her experience, learning a foreign language with English as the
medium is also beneficial for English learning.
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