Blackout Emily Barr
About the book You wake up in a strange room, with no idea how you got there. You are abroad, in a city you have never visited before. You have no money, no passport, no phone. And there is no sign of your baby. What do you do? About the author Emily Barr is the well-loved and bestselling author of Backpack, the original backpacking novel, and many other highly acclaimed novels. A former journalist, she has travelled around the world and written columns and travel pieces for The Observer and The Guardian. After living in France, Emily and her husband (whom she met backpacking) settled in Cornwall with their three children. To learn more about Emily and her novels, you can visit her website: http://www.emilybarr.com Key Reading Speaking, listening and communication Writing ICT Maths Other 2
Starting off... This book is called Blackout. What does the word blackout mean? If you wrote a book called Blackout, what would it be about? Look at the book cover. Read the front and back. What does it tell us? What is this book about? Use an internet search engine. How many books called Blackout can you find? Films? TV programmes? Why do you think this is? Read about at least one of the books, films or TV programmes. Start a detective s notebook. Remember: your notes can be in the form of words or whole sentences. Tell others about it. Initial Chapter What is going on? Has this ever happened to you or someone you know? How did you feel reading this chapter? Which words made you feel this way? Circle/copy eight words that helped to create the feeling of the narrator s situation (the narrator is the person telling the story). Chapter 1 What do we know about this person (the narrator)? What does he or she know about his/her situation? What would you do if this was you? 3
Add to your detective s notebook. Chapter 2 Sophie thinks it is Monday morning. She learns it is Thursday morning. How many hours has she lost in her blackout? How did you work this out? If you found this difficult, read about learning maths as an adult here and have a go at some of the units: http://learningmathsonline.ac.uk/wp/m/learning-maths/ How can you get from London to Paris? Research the different forms of transport that could have taken Sophie from London to Paris and their approximate costs. Take a look at this resource to help you: http://maths4us.acumen.coop/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/motors1.pdf How do you think Sophie got to Paris? Why do you think so? Chapters 3-4 What do you notice about the time and places of these two chapters? What is the author doing? What is the effect on you, the reader? Page 19-20: Why does Sophie run out of the police building? Pages 20-21: How does the English family react to Sophie? Why? How would you react? Use an internet search engine to find out which Paris train station Sophie needs to get to. Use an internet search to find out about how much money, in Pounds, a single Eurostar ticket from Paris to London costs. 4
Find out today s exchange rate between Pounds and Euros. Work out about how much money, in Euros, Sophie needs to buy a ticket home. For more information about managing money, try this online unit: http://learningmathsonline.ac.uk/wp/m/everyday-finance/ Chapters 5-6 In chapter 5 read/reread the account of Sophie giving birth. Have you heard other stories about childbirth? How does this compare? Why does Sophie think her baby is not the real baby? What do you think is going on? In chapter 6 Sophie tries to find a way back to London. What would you do in her situation? What does Sophie s phone call to her mother tell us? Add to your detective s notebook. Include some notes about Sophie s mother. Chapters 7-8 Find one or two websites with information about baby names. What are the most popular baby names right now? Find a website with the meanings of names. Does Harry really mean ruler? What does Sophie mean? Do you know what your name means? Reread the last sentence of chapter 7. What does this sentence tell us? Reread the first half of page 44 (chapter 8). What idea is Sophie pleased with and why? Using the internet or maps/guidebooks of Paris (available in most libraries), where in central Paris do you think Sophie goes to find the passport? 5
Why does Roger slip away? Chapters 9-11 Reread chapter 9. How do we know that Sophie is not very well? Read the last paragraph of chapter 10 aloud. Why is this significant? Add to your detective s notebook. What do you think happened before the blackout? Compare ideas with others. Use your notebooks. What support could Jess and Rob have found to help Sophie? Use the internet or your local library to find out where this kind of support is being offered locally. Chapters 12-15 Add to your detective s notebook as you read through these chapters. What happened? Together, talk through what you think happened, in what order, from Harry s birth to when Sophie wakes up in Paris. Draw a timeline and mark key events. 6
Chapter 16-17 On page 84, Sophie hears a message on Rob s phone. She focuses on these words in the message I didn t go through that whole farce just for you to back out on me now. That was your idea. What does that whole farce mean? What does Sophie find in Rob s files? Where is Sophie s passport? Go back through the book to find out (clue: try chapter 14). What is strange about this? Add some final notes to your detective s notebook. Think about what happened. Is there anything that still doesn t make sense? Find Emily Barr s website. Explore the website and figure out how you can send Emily a message. Is there anything you want to tell or ask her? 7