Chatterpack A great new title from Hot Key Books ! The Spin by Rebecca Lisle Reading ideas and activities for your Chatterbooks groups Here is a new Chatterpack from Hot Key Books and The Reading Agency with ideas for Chatterbooks reading group activities, discussion, and further reading, inspired by a brilliant new book: THE SPIN by Rebecca Lisle Chatterbooks [ www.readinggroups.org/chatterbooks ] is a reading group programme for children aged 4 to 14 years. It is coordinated by The Reading Agency and its patron is author Dame Jacqueline Wilson. Chatterbooks groups run in libraries and schools, supporting and inspiring children’s literacy development by encouraging them to have a really good time reading and talking about books. The Reading Agency is an independent charity working to inspire more people to read more through programmes for adults, young people and Children – including the Summer Reading Challenge, and Chatterbooks. See www.readingagency.org.uk Introduce the book to your group and give them time to read it – then you can follow up with a session using activities from this pack. A Suggested Chatterbooks session plan (times approx) Welcome – juice & biscuits (5 mins) Getting started -­‐ simple warm up activities (10 mins) -­‐ eg • Write down all the magical creatures you can think of • Talk about which magical creatures you would like to have in your life – and why Activities to get your group talking about the book – choose from this pack (35 mins) Goodbye, and dates for the next meeting (5 mins) After you’ve read The Spin -­‐ here are some more books to enjoy! AUTHOR TITLE PUBLISHER ISBN Almond, David The Boy who Swam with Walker ISBN: 978-­‐
Piranhas 1406320763 D’Lacey, Chris Fire World (The Last Dragon Orchard ISBN: 978-­‐
Chronicles) 1408309599 Fletcher, Charlie Far Rockaway Hodder ISBN: 978-­‐
0340997338 Funke, Cornelia Dragon Rider Chicken House ISBN: 978-­‐
1904442486 Hare, Lucinda The Flight to Dragon Isle Random ISBN: 978-­‐
House 0552560238 Garner, Alan The Moon of Gomrath HarperCollins ISBN: 978-­‐
0007127870 McCaughrean, The Kite Rider OUP ISBN: 978-­‐
Geraldine 0192755285 Pullman, Philip The Firework Maker’s Daughter Random ISBN: 978-­‐
House 0440866404 THE SPIN
by Rebecca Lisle
About the Book
Stormy is an orphan and a kitchen skivvy. He tends the compost,
he scrubs the floors, and watches feasts make their way up the
mountain as he survives on bread and water. A skivvy is all that
Stormy can hope to be.
But Stormy has a secret. He wants to be a sky-rider, to soar
amongst the clouds on spitfyres: flying horses that spit fire and
smoke, and answer only to their riders. A chance meeting with an
escaped convict turns Stormy’s life upside down. Sent up to the
Academy he uncovers a web of lies, deceits and neglect, at the centre of which lies the
mysterious thirteenth horse. Can Stormy save Thirteen, defeat the dark forces at work
within the Academy and prove himself worthy as a sky-rider?
About the Author
Rebecca Lisle was born in Leeds to two artists. Having studied Botany
at Newcastle University she then completed a PGCE at Oxford.
Rebecca lived in France, Manhattan, and England before becoming a
‘proper’ writer. Awarded a distinction for her MA in Creative Writing
at Bath Spa, Rebecca is now married with three almost grown-up sons,
who are the inspiration for many stories. When she is not writing
Rebecca paints peculiar pictures of dogs.
Find out more about Rebecca at www.rebeccalisle.com, or tweet her @LisleRLisle
THE CHARACTERS
Write a short description of these characters - what do they look
like? Are they kind or mean? Do they change as the book goes on?
STORMY:
MAUD:
ARAMINTA:
OTTO:
RALF:
MRS CATHCART:
BRITTEL:
SPITFYRES
The Spitfyres of the Star Squad are all very different. If you were
a Sky Rider, what colour would your Spitfyre be? What special
qualities would it have? Draw it below and add a few words to
describe its personality!
SEARCHING THE
SKIES
Can you find the Spitfyre names hidden below? There are 13 to
find!
BLUEY SERAPHINA
CLOUDFREE SMOKEY
DAYGO SNAPDRAGON
KOPERNICUS SPARKIT
KYTE SPIKELET
LACEWING WESTERLIE
POLARIS
SPOTTING SPITFYRES
Can you match the description to the correct Spitfyre?
1. “a massive creature of silvery grey – the size of a shire horse with feet like dinner plates
and legs like small trees.”
2. “silvery-pink with shining coral-coloured wings... staring with one gleaming dark eye. It
was as big as an eagle’s egg and it swivelled in its socket, showing the yellow-white around
it. Its purple hooves pawed the ground as if it was going to leap at any moment”
3. “he had coal-black eyes and a long nose with a white star between his eyes.”
4. “It had emerald scales around its hooves and a fine blue and turquoise tail”
5. “a dull red coat, like old velvet, and violet-coloured scales around its hooves and nose”
6. “an orangey-yellow spitfyre... She was gentle, with a crooked ear, and damaged wings so
she couldn’t fly”
7. “a Star Squad spitfyre whose coat was brown or green depending on where the light hit
it; it had extraordinary eyes with golden irises.”
8. “a fat pink spitfyre with very small frilly wings”
9. “That spitfyre is not rideable,’ Al said. ‘Not tameable. Not anythingable. Best left alone
and forgot.”
ANSWERS: 1. Sparkit 2. Snapdragon 3. Kyte 4. Daygo 5. Kopernicus 6. Cloudfree 7. Polaris 8. Lacewing 9. Serafina
REBECCA LISLE
Q&A
We grabbed Rebecca Lisle to ask her some questions about writing.
Have you ever thought about being an author?
What inspires your writing?
Everything. I’m a great watcher and hoarder of odd moments scenes.
Usually I forget them, but I do try and note them down so I can put them
in my books.
How did you first become an author?
I’ve always written stories, ever since I learnt how to hold a pencil. Some
of my first stories were pictures, but every picture tells a story.
What was your earliest career aspiration?
Just to get published and have a book on a shelf in the library with MY
name on it.
What advice would you give to budding writers?
Write and read all you can. Everything you write will look like rubbish
to you, but only (hopefully), to you. It will get better anyway, so keep on
writing.
REBECCA LISLE
Q&A
What was your favourite childhood book?
THE LITTLE WHITE HORSE by Elizabeth Goudge.
Where is your favourite place to write?
At home in winter by the fire when it’s cold and dark and grim outside.
When the weather is warm I find it very hard to knuckle down to work, I’d
much rather go out and garden.
Who do you most admire?
It’s what. And the answer is trees. They stand around making oxygen for
us, they shade us from the sun, and they provide a home for many small
animals and insects and they give us wood. And they are very beautiful. I’d
quite like to be a tree myself.
➢Are there any books you wish you had written?
Hundreds. Too many to list. But if you twist my arm to tell you one, then
I’d say - ow!
Find out more at www.rebeccalisle.com!