Extended Essays

This coming week is the last one before half-term, and Transition Year pupils are coming to the end of their reading for their Extended Essay (the Essay itself must be completed by Wednesday 14th November). This week, they get classes to help plan and structure the pieces.

More on what they have been reading :-

Mark Kavanagh on the recent bestseller The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini (see his website here) :- 'The main characters are a boy named Amir and his friend Hassan. They begin as two young boys growing up in Afghanistan, and as the story progresses, so do their lives. The setting is sad because we see a once-beautiful land transformed into a war-torn wasteland. The book is split roughly into two parts, the first ending with Amir living in America and the second beginning when he must once again visit the land of his birth.'

Gina Mirow is doing her project on modern slavery, and has read Mende Nazer's Slave : 'I can highly recommend this book because it opens your eyes to how horribly cruel the world can be. Some people seem to think that slavery doesn't exist any more, but Mende has only been free since 2001. Although it is gob-smacking at times, it is consistently interesting and well-written.'

Emma Davies recommends Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, 'as it covers a wide range of topics such as religion, war and childhood. It also covers emotions such as love, hate and happiness.' See an impressive website for the book here.