READING NOTES IN BRIEF SYNOPSIS

Transcription

1 IN BRIEF It is July Hitler s Third Reich has fallen and Berlin is in ruins. Living on the edge of survival in the cellar of an abandoned hospital, Otto and his ragtag gang of friends have banded together in the desperate, bombed-out city. The war may be over, but danger lurks in the shadows of the wreckage as Otto and his friends find themselves caught between invading armies, ruthless rival gangs and a strange Nazi war criminal who stalks them... A suspenseful story of truth, friendship and survival against the odds, Wolf Children will thrill readers of Michael Morpurgo and John Boyne. SYNOPSIS Berlin. July, Hitler is dead, the Third Reich has fallen, but survival in Russian-occupied, post-war Berlin remains unimaginably tough. The city and its people are in ruins. Food must be foraged, scavenged and bartered. Mistrust is rife and lives are in tatters, as exemplified by two of Wolf Children s central protagonists, Otto and Helene. Both sixteen, they live in an abandoned hospital with four younger children in their charge: Otto s brother Ulrich, twins Klaus and Erich, and little Hanna. While they ve all suffered great losses, Otto still hopes that his dad might be found (though Ulrich is certain he s dead), and they all hope that the arrival of the Americans and the British will herald the return of basic human decency (p.71). All except Ulrich, that is, for he remains deeply loyal to the Nazis. The Führer will still be an inspiration to the German people two thousand years into the future, he asserts (p.70) and, having founded his identity on the notion of being a good Nazi, he s determined to work for the Werewolf Resistance Movement. As they struggle to survive, the group encounters a gang of bullies led by a young man with blood on his hands; the enigmatic Doktor Holzman, whom no one is sure they can trust; and the notorious war criminal with whom Ulrich gets entangled. Then, when Otto develops life-threatening gangrene, Ulrich must make tough choices if his brother is to survive. PAUL DOWSWELL grew up in Chester and read History at London University. A former senior editor at Usborne Publishing, he has written over 70 books of historical fiction and non-fiction, and has won numerous awards including the Historical Association Young Quills Award. His highly acclaimed Ausländer won six book awards and was shortlisted for 16 others. When he s not writing, Paul enjoys travelling with his family and playing with his band in the clubs and pubs of the West Midlands. Paul Dowswell has prepared an illustrated talk about Wolf Children. He also takes a creative writing workshop on the issues the book raises. Please contact him at paul@pauldowswell.co.uk for further information.

2 1. B efore reading, ask students what they think Wolf Children is about, based on their response to the title and cover. What kind of book do they think this is going to be? 2. H ow does the author convey a sense of the historical period in which Wolf Children is set? Refer to the opening chapter and to one other episode. 3. D o you agree with Otto that Helene had something of a young lion about her (p.7)? How would you describe her? What are her strengths and weaknesses? 4. What was your first impression of Otto? How did you feel when a small part of him still resented Hanna coming with them (p.25)? Did your view of Otto change during the course of the novel? 5. It s not worth it. You ll be killed if the room collapses (Helene to Otto, p.97). Why does Otto take such risk to fetch the gold and marble clock? Would you have done the same? What role does the taking of risks play in the novel? Refer to two other incidents in your answer. 6. Why do you think Otto says we don t live in the real world (p.113)? What does he mean by this? 7. Why do you think brothers Otto and Ulrich hold such different views? Why is Ulrich still clinging to the Nazi ways still acting like he was in the Hitler Youth (p.41) and upholding anti-semitic views, while for Otto, the spell that Hitler had cast [ ] since childhood began to fade (p.10)? 8. H ow did you feel when it was revealed that Ulrich had betrayed his father (p.76)? Did you ever feel any empathy for Ulrich? Does he do anything to redeem himself? Do you think he could ever redeem himself? 9. It s like talking to a robot (Otto, referring to Ulrich, p.78). What does the novel reveal about the Nazi propaganda machine?

3 10. a. He missed the old certainties of the Hitler Youth and wondered if he would ever be as brave again (Ulrich, p.249). What does Ulrich mean by this? What does it reveal about Ulrich s character? b. What does it mean to be brave? What do you think is the greatest act of bravery in this novel? 11. What were your first impressions of Doktor Holzman (p.124)? How does the author create a sense of uncertainty about him in the minds of the children? 12. She was someone he would trust with his life, and he hoped she felt the same about him, too (Otto referring to Helene, p.36). How important is trust and loyalty throughout the novel? And what role does its flip side betrayal play? 13. She d often noticed him watching her and had smiled to herself when he quickly looked away. She liked him too. More than she let herself admit (p.68). Why do you think Otto and Helene try to conceal from each another their true feelings? 14. Consider the following three excerpts: i) Almost every German male between the ages of twelve and seventy had been taken prisoner by the Russians (p.48) ii) Come on, you SS pig [ ] Play on, or we ll kill you (p.59) iii) German soldiers treated ordinary Russians worse than farm animals [ ] when we invaded Russia we just took all the farm food we could and let the people starve. Millions of ordinary Russians died (Christa, p.67). Can you understand why the Russians took so many prisoners when they arrived in Berlin? How did you feel when the pianist was shot (p.59)? Does the fact that Germany starved millions of ordinary Russians justify the how they occupied Berlin? What do these different perspectives reveal about the nature of war and how xenophobic prejudices are born?

4 15. a. C onsider what Wolf Children s key characters do in order to survive. What does the novel reveal about human reactions and adaptations to extreme circumstances? What does the novel reveal about human strengths, weaknesses and impulses? b. Perhaps basic human decency was returning (Otto, p.71). Do you think basic human decency returns to the city as the novel progresses? 16. D id you learn anything new about this historical period during your reading of Wolf Children? Did anything surprise or shock you? 17. Which character did you most identify with? Why? Would you like to have known more about any of the characters? If so, why? 18. D iscuss the different kinds of conflict Wolf Children explores (emotional, moral, political and familial). 19. Can Wolf Children be considered a coming-of-age story? Consider this in relation to Otto, Helene and Ulrich. Do they change during the course of the novel? 20. Analyse how the author creates tension with reference to two pivotal episodes. 21. C onsider the importance of objects throughout the novel. Discuss in relation to Otto s ragged scarf (p.1) and the watch he won t sell (p.90), and the clock Helene takes possession of ( We d have to be starving to death before I sold that, p.128). 22. How effective was the novel s conclusion? Did you imagine a different outcome? 23. What did you think of the title of the book? Think of three alternative titles.

5 BEYOND THE BOOK: CREATIVE ACTIVITIES PICTURE THIS Make a visual representation of Wolf Children. Perhaps you could create a collage using images sourced from the internet, or you could use our own illustrations. You might also like to include short excerpts from the novel and representations of the main characters. Think about the themes of the novel, as well as the plot and characters. INSIDE HANNA S HEAD Reread Hanna s first appearance in the novel (pages 13 17) and rewrite her first meeting with Otto and Helene from her point of view. Think about the way she speaks. Consider how she might feel and what would be going through her mind. Describe Hanna s first impressions of Otto and Helene. BE A ROVING REPORTER a) I magine you re an American journalist covering the Berlin parade. Reread pages and do some additional research into the arrival of the Western Allies in Berlin, then write a 300-word newspaper report about the event. Perhaps you d like to include quotes from imagined eyewitnesses and officials. Give your article an arresting headline. b) Now write a report of the same event from the point of view of a Russian journalist. CREATE A COMPELLING STRAPLINE The book s cover features the strapline Survival is not a game. Write your own strapline to convey the essence of the novel. You might like to adapt a sentence from the book, or pose a question about the novel s themes or the challenges the main protagonists face. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Write an additional chapter to the novel set one month later. Have Otto and Ulrich been reunited with their father? Does Ulrich confess that he betrayed his father? What happens to the other members of their group? Does Helene find her mother?

6 DIG DEEPER Do further research into the Werewolf Resistance Movement and write a 500-word summary of your findings. MAP THE STORY Find and print a map of Berlin. Locate and mark key areas referred to in Wolf Children and annotate with the key events that take place in the locations, for example: Skalitzer Strasse, p.8 Kottbusser Strasse, p.9 Mariannenplatz, Wrangelstrasse, p.39 Waldemarstrasse, p.53 Sophienstrasse, p.65 Tiergarten, p.71 Brandenburg Gate, p.71 Oranienstrasse, p.82 Unter den Linden, p.90 Alexanderplatz, p.165 Kottbusser Damm, p.175

7 FURTHER BY OTHER AUTHORS: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, John Boyne The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier The Book Thief, Markus Zusak I am David, Anne Holm Milkweed, Jerry Spinelli BY THE SAME AUTHOR: Ausländer Sektion 20 Powder Monkey Prison Ship Battle Fleet Eleven Eleven Red Shadow The Cabinet of Curiosities Bomber Please visit pauldowswell.co.uk/books.htm for a complete listing of Paul s extensive published works.