We wrote and asked Morris a few questions.
He has been away for a month and we were really happy to receive a reply from him today.
This is what he said about where he lives and why he wrote Boy Overboard.
Dear Room 5
Sorry this reply is so late – I’ve been in Europe for a month. I do indeed live in Australia. I was inspired to write about refugees in 2001 because quite a few were arriving in Australia at the time, and some people here, including members of the Australian government, were telling stories about them that I felt were both untrue and unkind. So I decided to tell my own story about them.
Please feel free to post this on your blog – better you do it because I’m blog-incompetant.
best wishes
Morris
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Book Review
Boy Overboard is a moving fictional novel written by the witty and popular
Morris Gleitzman. The book was first published and became public in 2002.
This gripping novel about a brother and his sister and their big dreams will
surely keep you on the edge of your seat.
In this moving tale, Jamal and his family live happily in one of the million
villages in Afghanistan. But when the evil government find out Jamal's
mother's secret school, the family are forced to desperately flee for their
lives. They're going down under. Way down under. The story is set in a
war-torn village in Afghanistan and then travels to the Pacific Ocean. On
the way to Australia Jamal and BiBi meat Omar and Rashida. This is a well
paced story and is told in first person by Jamal. Children can easily
understand the language that is used. The moral of this story is always have
hope.
Boy Overboard will be loved by children of all ages. Some words may have to
be looked up in the dictionary. This book is hard to put down and will
always be keeping you in suspense. This book has believable characters and
will teach you the lesson of always having hope and faith. I highly
recommend this book for children aged 9-12 years old.
Written by Erika Anacan.
Room 7
Morris Gleitzman. The book was first published and became public in 2002.
This gripping novel about a brother and his sister and their big dreams will
surely keep you on the edge of your seat.
In this moving tale, Jamal and his family live happily in one of the million
villages in Afghanistan. But when the evil government find out Jamal's
mother's secret school, the family are forced to desperately flee for their
lives. They're going down under. Way down under. The story is set in a
war-torn village in Afghanistan and then travels to the Pacific Ocean. On
the way to Australia Jamal and BiBi meat Omar and Rashida. This is a well
paced story and is told in first person by Jamal. Children can easily
understand the language that is used. The moral of this story is always have
hope.
Boy Overboard will be loved by children of all ages. Some words may have to
be looked up in the dictionary. This book is hard to put down and will
always be keeping you in suspense. This book has believable characters and
will teach you the lesson of always having hope and faith. I highly
recommend this book for children aged 9-12 years old.
Written by Erika Anacan.
Room 7
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Chatting to the author - Morris Gleitzman
Room 5 students had sent Mr. Gleitzman an email at the start of their study of Boy Overboard. They were thrilled to receive an email from him and delighted that he had taken some time to look at their blog.
The class decided to send a reply because they had some question to ask. They are hoping that they will hear from him again.
This is Mr. Gleitzman's email and the class reply.
Dear Mr. Gleitzman
We have finished reading Boy Overboard and we really enjoyed it. Now we are reading Girl Underground and so far it’s just as good. We don’t know yet, but we hope that Bibi and Jamal get rescued by Menzies and Bridget. We have been doing a study on Human Rights and both of these books are very appropriate to read at this time. A group from our class has now visited the Mangere Refugee Centre. We’ve learnt about how refugees come into the country and we were amazed that our country only takes in 750 refugees a year! We had lunch with the children in the camp and played sports with them.
We wanted to know which country you live in? Is it Australia? What inspired you to write about refugees? We are continuing to add information and pictures to our blog and we would really like it if you would post a comment on our blog. We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours Sincerely,
Room 5
On 18/9/07 1:47 AM, "Morris Gleitzman" wrote:
Dear Boy Overboard Blog Team
I’ve been enjoying your Boy Overboard words and pictures. Well done all of you.
best wishes
Morris Gleitzman
The class decided to send a reply because they had some question to ask. They are hoping that they will hear from him again.
This is Mr. Gleitzman's email and the class reply.
Dear Mr. Gleitzman
We have finished reading Boy Overboard and we really enjoyed it. Now we are reading Girl Underground and so far it’s just as good. We don’t know yet, but we hope that Bibi and Jamal get rescued by Menzies and Bridget. We have been doing a study on Human Rights and both of these books are very appropriate to read at this time. A group from our class has now visited the Mangere Refugee Centre. We’ve learnt about how refugees come into the country and we were amazed that our country only takes in 750 refugees a year! We had lunch with the children in the camp and played sports with them.
We wanted to know which country you live in? Is it Australia? What inspired you to write about refugees? We are continuing to add information and pictures to our blog and we would really like it if you would post a comment on our blog. We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours Sincerely,
Room 5
On 18/9/07 1:47 AM, "Morris Gleitzman"
Dear Boy Overboard Blog Team
I’ve been enjoying your Boy Overboard words and pictures. Well done all of you.
best wishes
Morris Gleitzman
Boy overboard - my reflections
Today after reading Boy overboard I am feeling lucky. We take lots of things for granted that jamal and Bibi would appreciate like a new soccer ball or school or our government in New Zealand. I would like to know if people survive landmines ?I also want to know why girls are not allowed to have an educaiton or go to school? I wonder why women are taken for granted and treated badly. They are responsible for bringing up the next generations!
If I had to write a letter to Bibi about her actions and some of the decisions she makes, this is what I would write.
Dear Bibi
I think you need to take the situation you are in more seriously. You are not thinking about the consequences of your actions or the consequences of your actions for other people. You are a very smart girl and you need to take advantage of and think before you act.! Hopefully you will think about what is happening around you and act appropriately. Since you have to flee the country now, you need to act maturely.
Yours sincerely
Georgia
If I had to write a letter to Bibi about her actions and some of the decisions she makes, this is what I would write.
Dear Bibi
I think you need to take the situation you are in more seriously. You are not thinking about the consequences of your actions or the consequences of your actions for other people. You are a very smart girl and you need to take advantage of and think before you act.! Hopefully you will think about what is happening around you and act appropriately. Since you have to flee the country now, you need to act maturely.
Yours sincerely
Georgia
Boy Overboard - United but not actually together
Is it possible for a family to be united but not actually together?
In this picture, there are many different people from different parts of the world. They are different in nationality and colour yet they are still united as human beings even though they are separated from each other because of the different palces where they live.
I think that no matter where you are in the world, whether you are with your family or not, you can still be united even if you are not together.
Is it possible for a family to be together but not actually united?
A family may be together but not united. For example, families can live together or stay with each other but they may not back each other up when they make decisions.
Cheyenne
My reflective journal
These are some of my reflections about Boy Overboard.
" I feel that it is unbelievable that Jamal, Bibi and their mum and dad had to leave Afghanistan just because their mum ran a school at their house. A question that I would really liked answered is why won't the government allow girls to have an education. I feel really lucky that I live in a peaceful country. I wonder why there are active landmines in Afghanistan. I wonder why women in Afhanistan are not allowed to leave the house freely and why they have to be completely covered up when they go out. " Levana
" I feel that it is unbelievable that Jamal, Bibi and their mum and dad had to leave Afghanistan just because their mum ran a school at their house. A question that I would really liked answered is why won't the government allow girls to have an education. I feel really lucky that I live in a peaceful country. I wonder why there are active landmines in Afghanistan. I wonder why women in Afhanistan are not allowed to leave the house freely and why they have to be completely covered up when they go out. " Levana
Monday, September 3, 2007
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