We all stare at Mr Carey,
who turns off the music,
bows, smiles,
and says,
‘Thank you, children.
One day, I hope we’ll sing together.
After lunch,
we’ll read poetry.’
This going to be
one very interesting year!
Mr Carey wears t-shirts with slogans, has long hair and sings along to Bob Dylan songs. He is also Class 6C’s new teacher. They are not impressed.
But as the year progresses, Mr Carey and his class begin to discover their talents. Class 6C have all sorts of talents – and come from all sorts of backgrounds, each with problems and insecurities of their own. This crazy class share their unpredictable year through free verse poetry, using the first-person voices of the students.
This is Steven Herrick’s eighth novel in verse, and again he shows his genius with the form. The use of verse allows an intimate viewpoint of events, with multiple perspectives, loads of humour and a brevity which young readers will love. This would be especially good for a read-aloud to classes of upper-primary students.
Fantastic.
Naked Bunyip Dancing, by Steven Herrick
Allen & Unwin, 2005