Poetry Box bubble time: Melinda Szymanik reads her alien-mother story and offers a challenge or two

 

 

 

 

 

Melinda Szymanik reads ‘My Mother is an Alien’ from her collection Time Machine and other stories  (Ahoy: The Cuba Press, 2019).

You can find details of the book here.

 

MY MOTHER IS AN ALIEN

SUMMARY Nathan befriends a new student, Mark, at school. While hanging out at Nathan’s place, Mark meets Nathan’s mother who has an uncanny ability to know what’s going on even when she isn’t in the same room as the boys. She also has other unusual skills and abilities. Mark might have joked about his mum being an alien, but it’s actually Nathan’s mum that is from out of this world.

THEMES Families, friendship, secrets, aliens

QUESTIONS (For older students)

Irony is a particular feature of this story. What is dramatic irony? What does the reader know that Mark doesn’t know?

How does Nathan get on with his sister? What impresses Mark about her?

DISCUSSION Hunt for 5 things Nathan’s mother does that suggest she’s not an everyday mum. Are these really alien? Or are they things a mother might actually be capable of? Is there anything your mum does that seems otherwordly?

ACTIVITIES

Draw a picture of Nate’s Mum.

Write a poem or little story about an ‘alien’ mother or father and/ or draw a picture.

 

Melinda Szymanik writes picture books, stories and novels for children, with several named as Storylines Notable Books. Fuzzy Doodle and A Winter’s Day in 1939 were finalists in two categories in the New Zealand Children’s Book Awards and The Were-Nana was a Children’s Choice winner. A Winter’s Day in 1939 also won Librarian’s Choice at the LIANZA Awards.

When she is not writing, Melinda likes reading, baking (especially with chocolate), going to the movies and travelling with her family. She has three grown-up children, a cat and a husband, and lives in Mt Eden in a house with a view of the mountain.

 

 

send to  paulajoygreen@gmail.com

please include your name age and name of school

don’t forget to put Alien challenge in subject line so I don’t miss it

don’t put your surname on drawings or paintings or collages (Poetry Box policy)

 

There is no deadline while we are living in our bubbles! Every Friday I will post some work by children. I will always answer your emails but not straightaway. If I haven’t replied after 3 or 4 days nudge me as I may have missed it.

 

(I will have pop-up mystery giveaways for the other activities every Friday when I post your work. See the list below!).

 

You can also try:

Send me pictures, photos or poems of curious things you see on your walks

Listen to Maisie and I read fish poems and invite you to do fishy things

Listen to my unpublished very very very strange tail story and do some illustrations for it or invent your own strange tail!

Try writing a postcard poem from where you’d like to be!

Mixed up animals and hear Paula read ‘Anifables’ poem

Sally Sutton’s magic hat challenge

Celebrate your hero and listen to Barbara Else read

Tell me about your favourite bookshop or library

Play Pass the Poem with at least one other person

Write draw video comic strip letters poems stories about being in your bubble

My cloudy challenges and hear my cloud poem

My thank our supermarket workers challenge

Listen to me read Aunt Concertina and offer a cool challenge

Listen to me read my poem ‘Lick Lick Riff’ dog poem and offer a doggy cat tiger bat any animal challenge

Check out David Hill’s wonderful photo challenge

Listen to Swapna Haddow read her book and try a rabbit challenge

Try Johanna Aitchison’s hunt the teddy challenges

Ruth Paul reads her muddy poem and I offer muddy challenges

 

kia kaha

keep well

keep imagining