Acclaimed cartoonist Dylan Horrocks returns with a long-awaited new graphic novel, the first since his perennial classic, 1998’s Hicksville. Cartoonist Sam Zabel hasn’t drawn a comic in years. Stuck in a nightmare of creative block and despair, Sam spends his days writing superhero stories for a large American comics publisher and staring at a blank piece of paper, unable to draw a single line. Then one day he finds a mysterious old comic book set on Mars and is suddenly thrown headlong into a wild, fantastic journey through centuries of comics, stories, and imaginary worlds. Accompanied by a young webcomic creator named Alice and an enigmatic schoolgirl with rocket boots and a bag full of comics, Sam goes in search of the Magic Pen, encountering sex-crazed aliens, medieval monks, pirates, pixies and ― of course ― cartoonists. Funny, erotic, and thoughtful, Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen explores the pleasures, dangers, and moral consequences of fantasy.
Children of the Magic Pen, published by Ratna Sagar, is the result of a collaborative exercise by members of AWIC, the Indian section of IBBY. It was penned under the guidance of noted theatre personality Feisal Alkazi, who subsequently directed four successful performances of the play by his theatre group. This lively and humorous play is suitable for the middle school stage. Its theme of the immortality of books is greatly relevant, especially in times of distracting and addictive social media. The play brings together some of the most memorable and lovable characters from literature and media - the clever and sreet smart Aladdin who lives on his wits; Long John Silver from Treasure Island singing his trademark 'Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum'; the cackling witch from Hansel and Gretel who evokes fear in children; and the endearing pair of the bandar (monkey) and the magarmach (crocodile) from the Indian classic Panchatantra. These characters come face-to-face with P L Travers' Mary Poppins, the perennial friendly, singing nanny, who always carry an umbrella and a carpetbag; Satyajit Ray's creation, the detective Feluda; the 'Off with their heads' Queen of Hearts and the scared White Rabbit of Alice in Wonderland; and finally the robot R2D2 from Star Wars. As they travel together with the protagonist, a young girl, in search of the Magic Castle, they face many challenges. Disunity and greed break the travellers into two groups, with the rebellion led by Long John Silver. Although the group reunite, they face new hurdles. First, they meet Rangeela Raja and Rangeen Rani, symbolic of the distraction offered by the glamorous world of cinema and television, which threaten the habit of book reading. In spite of every difficulty, the Girl and her storybook friends march on. The characters fall into the Pit of Oblivion, symbolic of their erasure from our memory and our lives. On the girl's earnest request, Rangeen Raja jumps in the pit to save them. Soon after, they are attacked by Termites, which later transform into Computer Viruses, but are destroyed by the eponymous hero of the Prince of Persia video game. Finally, as they reach their destination, they realize that the Magic Castle is actually a library, a haven for books. The girl is awarded a lifetime membership of the library and a magic Gold Card that will transport her to the library any time she wishes, for escorting all the characters to their destination safely and thus giving them the treasure of immortality. The unique and symbolic play is a reminder of the importance of books in our lives and what we may do to preserve them. The journey of the girl and the fictional characters towards immortality and perennial readership is a metaphor of this need to keep books alive.
No one hated homework more than Ashley. Ashley liked school, but it took time away from the really important things in life, like playing with her friends! But when Ashley finds Simon, a magic pen who claims to know all the answers, will she be able to pass the test? Find out in Simon the Magic Pen.
Polly discovers a magical pen that brings her drawings to life. With her bunny friend Thistle, she sets out to recover the Heart of Imagination from the Shadow of Doubt. After overcoming challenges, she draws a sun to banish the shadow, restoring magic and adventure.
No matter what you teach, there is a 100 Ideas title for you! The 100 Ideas series offers teachers practical, easy-to-implement strategies and activities for the classroom. Each author is an expert in their field and is passionate about sharing best practice with their peers. Each title includes at least ten additional extra-creative Bonus Ideas that won't fail to inspire and engage all learners. _______________ Bring your drama lessons to life and engage the most unlikely of thespians using ideas from this updated title in the popular 100 ideas series. Drama is a key subject for getting students to express themselves creatively as well as helping them to improve communication skills across the curriculum. Using his wealth of experience teaching drama in secondary schools, Johnnie Young has out together 100 tried and tested activities and strategies for implementing a full drama teaching programme in your school. Suggestions for bringing Shakespeare's plays to life, advice on improving storytelling and engaging cross-curricular activities are just a few of the areas covered. Each idea includes the learning aim of the activity so you can assess progress and map the ideas to your schemes of work, and there are practical teaching tips and taking it further ideas throughout the book. Johnnie also offers drama-specific behaviour management tips - another area he specialises in - to help you ensure you stay in control of even the most rambunctious class! The book is a must for all secondary drama teachers - and indeed anyone wanting to inject some drama into their lessons!
Middle School Essays & Letters consists of essays, letters and creative writing. The book aims to improve the writing skills of students of middle school. The format of personal and formal letters will help students learn to write letters in the correct way. The language has been kept simple keeping in mind the level of students at this stage. The book is a handy reference for those who are beginning to learn to write creatively.
