This is a three-week Writing Root based upon Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen. Children will learn and revise many of the key grammar requirements of Y6 and have opportunity to apply them within short and longer written outcomes. Synopsis of Text: This is one of those books that is hard to review, not because I didn’t like it. I really REALLY liked Boy In The Tower – I’m just not quite sure how best to tell you about it.

Ideal for Year 4, Year 5 or Year 6 children. The plot is set in a dystopian future and is a well written story about friendship and overcoming adversity. It also sensitively covers the subject of mental illness (at an appropriate level for primary children) in one of the characters. Polly Ho-Yen is a writer based in Bristol. Her debut novel, Boy in the Tower, was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award, Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Federation of Children's Book Groups Book Award. All three of her middle-gradenovels have been nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Polly used to be a primary school teacher in London and while she was teaching there she used to get up very early in the morning to write stories. The first of those stories is now a book called Boy in the Tower. Lots to discuss for readers of all ages. What caused his mother's withdrawal (there are hints)? Is there anything either Mum or Ade could have/ should have done earlier? Would you, dear reader, have been one of the first evacuees, or one of the holdouts? Would your decision depend on how well or poorly other refugees were being treated in your country? What does keep one going in the face of such overwhelming challenges? Etc. etc.Polly Ho-Yen writes wonderful characters, not just Ade and his mother (I grew very attached to his mother in this book). Ade’s friends are just as special as him. I thought the other tenants were perfect. I didn’t know where this story was going to take me but I loved the journey. Spelling Seeds have been designed to complement Writing Roots by providing weekly, contextualised sequences of sessions for the teaching of spelling that include open-ended investigations and opportunities to practise and apply within meaningful and purposeful contexts, linked (where relevant) to other areas of the curriculum and a suggestion of how to extend the investigation into home learning. Well my school teacher is reading it in class and it's really good because it's got a lot of information and it's really deatailed as well. My class is at the bit when the blutchers come and ade,obey,dory and the other boy from the flashlight. When they are having dinner and ade stops at Dory door my opinion of the book is brilliant and spectacular you have done a really good job on the book and a lot of effort

Every young carer has their own story of resilience and strength but they are often overlooked in books. Here are few of our favourite books featuring fictional young carers that everyone can enjoy! When the Bluchers, a plant-form that dissolves buildings and releases fatal spores into the air, take over the city, everyone is forced to evacuate and Ade is left alone to face them.

As the story progresses, that sense of normality slowly crumbles away, especially when the buildings in Ade's neighbourhood begin to fall. We learn the cause of Ade's mum's agoraphobia, and feel Ade's sense of powerlessness. We see how resourceful he becomes in the face of adversity. We understand that Gaia helps him through all this. But before long anxiety in the community grows to the point where Ade is left to deal with his Mum alone. From Part 2 the story is told in the present tense, drawing us into the immediacy of the situation. Polly Ho-Yen was working as a primary school teacher in London when she was inspired to write Boy in the Tower. She wanted to create a story with children like the ones in her classroom at the centre of it: a fantastical story based in the reality that the children knew, in the hope that they would relate to the characters.

First read: Arguably the best book I've ever read with a class. My Year 5/6s loved it and I very nearly cried (which would have been a first) This book sounds like a straightforward science-fiction tale, in which Day of the Triffids style plants consume buildings and cast out deadly spores. In fact, it reads more like a fable about friendship, loyalty and bravery, beautifully told in the voice of a lonely young boy struggling to make sense of all that is going on around him - from the extraordinary events he sees from his window, to his mother's illness. Taking place in a believable urban, multicultural environment that will be familiar to many young readers, Polly Ho-Yen's debut is an impressively moving and thought-provoking story that will touch children and adults alike. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. A science fiction fantasy story set in a familiar urban environment, a story about courage and friendship.

This book is amazing and adventurous, it has lots of high vocabulary and also lots of tension which made the book even better. I recommend this book to all book-lovers or even anyone who wants to read an adventure book, I think this is the right book to choose. This is athree-session spelling seed for the book Boy in the Towerby Polly Ho-Yen. Below is the coverage from Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum 2014. His mum doesn't really like looking outside - but it's going outside that she hates. She prefers to sleep all day inside their tower, where it's safe. When they first arrived, they came quietly and stealthily as if they tip-toed into the world when we were all looking the other way.' I read this in one sitting because I simply could not put it down! Ho Yen's incredibly moving story follows the brave Ade as his life is turned upside down when buildings start mysteriously falling down in his London town. I was glued to this book and the incredibly real characters, picturing every event as it was happening and being truly amazed by this story.

Something happen to Ade’s mother that made her fear the outside, and when the outside really does become dangerous Ade is left to look after her. There is a Spelling Seed session for every week of the associated Writing Root. Coverage: Word List Words This a perfect book for young people to read alone, but would also be an excellent choice to read aloud to Year 5 or 6. Thank you for your kind words. I'm using this book again with my own class in the new year and always look forward to sharing it with them. I hope that your class enjoy the scheme of work. Hide replies

This is a delightful, heartfelt, well-observed, kids' sci-fi novel set in Camberwell, which if you're anything like me will make you cry quite a lot. Ade, the little boy at its heart, is already bravely dealing with acting as a carer for his mum and feeling left out at school, and things get much worse when 21st-century Triffids turn up. This book is totally amazing, I am reading it at the moment and I love it. It is mysterious and exciting, even if you found out one thing you always need to know more 😁😄. It is also very scary and deep (it makes you think a lot)