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Charlie Wilson the "state house boy" is sent to Riverton Boys' Home as a state ward until such time he is seen fit to return to society. The door in the cellblock isn't the only thing that Charlie finds is for real - there's also the name "George" scrawled on the walls and by it the word "ghost". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Bleak New Zealand...
From the author of "Once Were Warriors" comes another gritty tale set in New Zealand's underclass. This book focuses exclusively on two thieves Jube (white), and Sonny (half-Maori) who also share an apartment.Their miserable existence sitting around a nasty bar full of ex-cons isrendered in full detail as they drink through the weekly welfare check.Jube is a insecure loudmouth of the kind that likes to drive his muscle carreal fast and brag about everything. Sonny is more of a thinker and feelstrapped and out of place. One night they rob a fancy house and score big,changing both their lives. It's a pretty nasty read, and gets a littletiresome at times as the duo move through a familiar cycle of hopelessness.Duff strings the two men's conversation together into single blocks so thatwho's saying what is a little confusing at times. Reminiscent in some waysof the Australian film "Romper Stomper."

Excellent novel
I really liked this book - it's about two men who rob a house one night and it changes their lives forever.Duff is a great writer.Incidentally 'Errol' who wrote the review above this is actually talking about another Duff book called 'What Becomes of the Broken Hearted' (it's the sequel to 'Once Were Warriors' - it's really good - don't be put off by the cheesy title or the fact that it's a sequel) - I guess Errol got the titles mixed up - because 'One Night Out Stealing' is NOT the sequel to 'Once Were Warriors'.

Error-spotting with Alan Duff
In case you didn't read what I said about Alan Duff's previous book "Once Were Warriors", I shall point out again that I am not an Alan Duff fan, not by half!
This new book was a far better read than "Once Were Warriors".Sadly though it was also transparently obvious that "One Night Out Stealing" was written with the movie sequel in mind.Thus Jake is redeemed, he is proven to be innocent of the rape of his daughter and the rape is vaguely attributed to Uncle Bully to fit the movie.
There is also another of those charming deliberate factual errors of which Mr Duff is so fond;although this one is far less important than getting the Maori Land Wars and the Treaty of Waitangi `round the wrong way (many NZers at rec.sport.rugby might dispute that).
It's a subtle error this one.In a conversation with the (unrealistically English-squire-like) Mr Trambert, Jake discusses the drop kick by Zinzan Brook in the 1995 World Cup final against south Africa - but the goal was actually against the English in the semi.The irony being that the English kicking game had disposed of the Aussies in the quarter by a drop goal you see.
Well spotted huh?Do I win a prize for spotting these Mr Duff? ... Read more

Product Description
This revised edition offers a wide variety of interesting and practical ideas for using literature in the language classroom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Great Entry Point
"Literature" is a great little book for those wishing to start utilising literature in the classroom. The book is arranged into broad sections with a variety of texts and activities that can be done with a class.

There would be very little preparation for the tasks themselves, other than photocopying. One would need to provide some supplementary work to go with the activities and texts, which would make them all the more useful.

The "Starting Points" section is mainly shorter texts to get the class started in using literature. The "General Approaches" section gives ideas that can be used with other texts, though with a sensitivity to the text type and its suitability to the activities. The "Developing Ideas" section brings a more personalisation to the task, which more input required from the students. The final "Over to You" section gives ideas on bringing out the language of the text. There is an appendix, as well, so that you can take some ideas and use them with texts of your own choice.

Overall, this is a pretty good book. I think it is a useful addition, coupled with one's own development of texts.
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Customer Reviews (1)

`A warrior dies in battle,'
This is the final book in the `Once Were Warriors' trilogy.In order, the three books are: `Once Were Warriors'; `What Became of the Broken Hearted?; and `Jake's Long Shadow.I would recommend that intending readers read them in order as that is the easiest way to follow the development of characters as well as to appreciate the sequence of challenges they are attempting to meet.

In this book, are the stories of Beth, Jake and their remaining children.Each of them are scarred in different ways and each has adapted to the past.Beth has remarried, Polly is pursuing wealth and Abe avoids violence but attracts it anyway.And Jake? Jake is on his own questand perhaps, just perhaps, he has learned more than anyone else.

This book and its predecessors are not `comfortable' books.They tell stories which many of us would like to ignore, and wander into the margins of society which many of us prefer did not exist.For all that, the novels are well worth reading.The setting is New Zealand, but the issues could be anywhere.


Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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"The Inward Ear" is a collection of ideas based on the use of poetry to promote discussion and co-operative poetry-writing in the classroom, and is a resource book for teachers which demonstrates the potential of an inexhaustible supply of material. Clear guidelines are given. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Tennyson's The Eagle
A resource book aimed using encouraging EFL teachers in ways to use poetry in the classroom.
By and large, I bought this book for the activity given in it that I know will work in the EFL classroom. This activity gives two variations on the Tennyson poem, The Eagle, and asks students to decide which is the original. It's a great idea, and works not least because of Maley and Duff's brilliance in the alternatives they have created. The activity comes alive when learners consider nuances in context with words such as 'crumpled', 'furrowed', and 'wrinkled' to describe the appearance of the sea from an eyrie perched on high. Interestingly, Learners never choose the original; they much prefer one of Maley and Duff's rip-offs.
Purchasing the book gave me a chance to reassess some of the other ideas in the book; while nothing else apart from The Eagle lends itself to instant classroom use, the ideas remain valid if adapted to use with appropriate material. ... Read more

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The fully revised edition of this 'classic' helps teachers give their learners the tools they need to express themselves through a range of stimulating drama contexts.This completely revised edition of the classic title Drama Techniques provides:*150 ideas for interesting and productive fluency practice*a large selection of drama-based techniques which focus learners' attention on communicative tasks or activities*techniques suitable for all levels*clear instructions for the teacher*advice on how to use the techniques in the classroom ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Indispensable - particularly the introduction
The introduction (not given in "Look Inside"), provides the premises behind this resource book of communication activities, and is a must for any teacher, and not only for EFL teachers.
The approach to learning is so different from what we have all endured at school, and even though clearly presented with tangible examples, it is so rich that no review could do justice to the massive foundation stones provided.
The introduction is a tool: what to consider when creating a living classroom environment for sparking natural communication. The instructions for choosing and leading the exercises provided (use "Look Inside" to see the categories in Contents) show how to put the theory into practice in your language acquiring workshop. Competence in the use of the target language in the real world is clearly acquired, even though the language isn't directly ""taught" during these workshops.
Each and every student is emotionally and physically involved and the lively group dynamics engendered, the imaginative creating, and the obvious fun of the students make the class a joy for the teacher to witness.
It is advisable to use professional level classrooms where movement is possible, and where more than one person can speak at the same time without it becoming irritating noise. The ideal group size for any EFL workshop is 12, but I have used the approach successfully with 40, and once 80 (:o) in an appropriately sized room.
The edition used for this review dates back to 1982 but the the whole approach is still revolutionary for most teachers.
First, read the introduction again and again, try out the "A day's work" (9am to 5pm for an intensive course but which can be spread out over an extensive course), and from then on design your own mix. Quite soon, you will adapt the exercises and even design your own exercises based on this common sense approach.
Have fun :)

Drama review
this book contains plenty of drama activities which vary from mime to action role play.However, I wish there was more information about drama techniques- the theory not only the practical usage. All in all, it is useful to all the teachers planning to introduce some drama techniques to their lessons. ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Not illustrated. Excerpt: Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler, DCNZM, QSM (born 7 February 1944), generally known as Witi Ihimaera (pronounced ), is a New Zealand author, and is often regarded as the most prominent Mori writer alive. Ihimaera was born near Gisborne, a town in the east of New Zealand's North Island and is of Mori descent (Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki) and Anglo-Saxon descent through his father, Tom. He attended Church College of New Zealand in Temple View, Hamilton, New Zealand. He was the first Mori writer to publish both a novel and a book of short stories. He began to work as a diplomat at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973, and served at various diplomatic posts in Canberra, New York, and Washington, D.C. Ihimaera remained at the Ministry until 1989, although his time there was broken by several fellowships at the University of Otago in 1975 and Victoria University of Wellington in 1982 (where he graduated with a BA). In 1990, he took up a position at the University of Auckland, where he is Professor, Distinguished Creative Fellow in Mori Literature. Most of Ihimaera's work consists of short stories or novels. He has written a considerable number of stories, with the most notable being works such as Tangi, Pounamu, Pounamu, and The Whale Rider (the last of which became a film of the same name). His stories generally portray Mori culture in modern New Zealand. His work often focuses on problems within contemporary Mori society. In 1995, Ihimaera published Nights in the Gardens of Spain, a semi-autobiographical work about a married father of two daughters coming out. He had come out to himself in 1984 and began the work, but out of sensitivity to his daughters, did not finish or publish it then. He was made a Distinguished Companion in... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=447727 ... Read more

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Chapters: Mo Foster, Louis Barnett, Roy Swinbourne, Andy Thompson, Neil Cutler, Alan Duff, Thomas Dadford, John Hodgetts-Foley, John Grey, Henry Hodgetts-Foley, Francis Monckton, Kenneth Dobson. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 47. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Mo Foster is a British session musician, playing primarily jazz, jazz-fusion and rock bass guitar. He is also a music producer and songwriter/composer. In over 40 years as a musician Foster has played on and produced countless albums, singles, and film soundtracks. He is a published author and occasionally teaches at music seminars all over the UK. Foster's first dalliance as a musician in public was in primary school playing the recorder and violin. In secondary school he changed to a "much cooler" instrument and became the bass player (utilising a Dallas Tuxedo bass) in his school band, The Tradewinds. Foster cites his interest in bass guitar as coming from hearing Duane Eddy's song "Rebel Rouser" for the first time. "A school friend played the 78 on his parents' big radiogram and it just filled the room with this powerful sound. It was one of those rare moments when your soul is touched and I realised that the deep sound behind Eddy's guitar came from something called a bass guitar, though I didn't see one until I watched Jet Harris on TV. So I bought an acoustic guitar for £2 and figured that I'd get that bass sound if I just tuned the strings down an octave, but of course it just made a pointless, flapping noise." Mo Foster studied physics and mathematics at the University of Sussex in the mid-1960s. During his student days he played both drums and bass in a wide variety of bands including the US Jazz Trio and The Baskervilles. Once he left university, a short spell as a laboratory research assistant convinced him t...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=9749828 ... Read more

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Each unit of "Beyond Words" contains a written text and a parallel listening text on a similar theme followed by comprehension questions and ideas to stimulate further oral and written work. ... Read more

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This book examines the many areas where sport and law meet, and is the first book to look at these matters primarily from a Scots perspective, although it also provides additional legal citation for lawyers in England and abroad. Written by leading academics and many of Scotland's best known sports lawyers, coverage includes the running of a sports club, judicial review, the use of drugs in sport and, and negotiation of sports contracts. The book also looks at issues in selected sports - football, rugby, golf and skiing. "...this book contains a mine of information for the lawyer who is sailing uncharted waters and will be a valuable reference." - "SCOLAG". ... Read more

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Sounds Intriguing offers an unusual and effective approach to oral work: sounds rather than words or pictures are used as a stimulus for free oral expression. The cassette recording is composed of short sequences of sound, each of which suggests the unfolding of a story or incident. The sequences are open to many different interpretations, and there are no 'correct' solutions. This stimulus releases the students' creative imagination and gives them a genuine reason to speak. The book explains to the teacher how the sequences can be used, and the exercises provide for both spoken and written work. The book also offers a systematic approach to vocabulary building, and the introduction gives detailed information on the language functions needed to discuss the sequences. ... Read more