THE BOOK DAY

Today, 23rd April we celebrate the book day, a very important day for readers and  literature lovers.  

To celebrate this day, I'm going to ask you three questions that I want you to answer: 

1. Are you reading any book at the moment? Which one? Do you like it or not? 

2. What is your favourite book? Is there any book that has been important in your life? 

3. What is the worst book you have ever read? 

The books can be in Spanish, English, Valencian....any language! 

                                      

Great book!

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME 

What does this title suggest to you? The curious incident of the dog in the night-time is a fascinating book! The title makes the reader think the book is about the mystery of a murdered dog in the night-time. However, the story hides an unexpected and surprising plot: the story of a 15 year-old kid who lives in Swindon (England) and suffers from Asperger's Syndrome. He is smart, he likes pets, he is really good at maths but he hates yellow, brown, the lack of organisation and the chaos. 

I came across this book because I was told English teachers recommended it to students in some official school of languages. I bought it and after reading it... I think it's a great book! Simple and easy English constructions make of it an accesible and amazing piece of literature! 

The Life of Charles Dickens in less than 5 minutes (BBC)

For my students of 4º and 2º E.S.O who are reading books written by Dickens , for students who need to practise listening skills, for teachers who may use this video in class and for literature lovers.

Choose two questions and answer them: 

1) What can you say about Charles Dickens's family? 

2) What was his first job? 

3) Mention unusual things about the life of Charles Dickens 

4) Which countries did he visit? 

5) Why did his marriage with Kate end? 

6) What happened with "Our mutual friend", one of his most famous works?

7) When did Charles Dickens die and why?

8) Write the name of some of his most famous works 

9) Did you like the book you read in class? Why? Why not? 

10) Why is Dickens such an important author? Write your opinion 

OLIVER TWIST, Charles Dickens

April 23rd is a symbolic day in world literature. It is the international day of the book. It is the international day of the book because two of the best writers , Shakespeare and Cervantes died on 23rd April 1616. Shakespeare was also born that day. Isn't it a coincidence? 

To commemorate this special day, I am going to devote some lines to one of the best books in English literature: Oliver Twist, written by Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist is a great story about an orphan boy who is trapped in the London's criminal world. He faces a lot of problems until he discovers his true identity. 

We are reading this book in class and we are going to work with it in depht since this year we celebrate the bicentenary of Charles Dickens (1812-1870). Since we have read only six chapters, I invite my students and whoever is interested in literature to choose two of the following questions and answer them: 

1. What do we know about Oliver's mother? 

2. Who is the first person who wants to teach a job to Oliver? Which job? 

3. Why was Oliver punished for asking for more soup? Does this depict the economic situation in England at that time? 

4. What is the meaning of these words: artful- dodger- twist . Is there any symbolism in the characters' names? 

5. Tell me something you read about Charles Dickens that you consider interesting. 

6. Have you enjoyed the story so far? What is your opinion about it? 

Oliver Twist, una de las obras más importantes de la literatura inglesa por todo lo que representa y por el gran autor por quien fue escrita. Con esta entrada invito a mis alumnos que la están leyendo y a cualquier otra persona que esté interesada en el tema a escribir algo sobre la obra o su autor. Celebro así a mi manera el día del libro, un día muy representativo para aquellos que aman leer. 

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Tan fuerte y tan cerca) es una película basada en un libro que fue muy importante para la literatura americana. Su autor, Jonathan Safran Foer innovó en cuestión de forma y contenido haciendo revivir al lector uno de los periodos más oscuros de la historia de Los Estados Unidos. Aconsejo leer el libro (en inglés , por supuesto) y disfrutar de una lectura novedosa. Pronto se estrena la película y es una oportunidad para verla y comparar una vez más las diferencias entre el libro y la grabación.