Grass by Cathy MacPhail Reading Guide Contents
Author Biography
How to Use this Guide
Pre-Reading Activities
Chapters 1-5 – Meeting Leo and Sean
Chapters 6-9 – The Shooting
Chapters 10-14 – The Aftermath
Chapters 15-20 – Armour’s Boy
Chapters 21-26 – Aidan’s Party
Chapters 27-33 – Leo Against the World
Chapters 34-39 Facing the Truth
Chapters 40-46 – Leo’s Plan
After Reading
Further Topics for Discussion & Study Author Biography
Cathy MacPhail was born and still lives in Greenock, Scotland. She always wanted to be a writer and, although she didn’t send her first published story away until after she was married and had children, it was actually written when she was 17!
Cathy won the Kathleen Fidler Award with her first novel, Run Zan Run, and the Scottish Arts Council Award with her second novel, Fighting Back. Roxy’s Baby was one of the winners of the inaugural Royal Mail Book Awards.
Catherine MacPhail’s work is enormously popular with young teenagers, her trademarks being pacy and topical storylines. She says of her writing: “I like writing about real life themes. I’ve written several books with a bullying theme, for example Run Zan Run, Missing, Picking on Percy and Sticks and Stones all examine the theme of bullying. I like taking young characters in to situations which would be challenging for adults. In Missing, in which a boy disappears, I look at how this affects his younger sister. Young people deal with such situations so differently from adults. But the theme I really love is relationships, particularly strong family and friendship relationships.”
Find out more at www.macphailbooks.com
How to Use This Reading Guide This guide has been designed to support reading groups taking part in the Royal Mail Awards for Children’s Books. The guide includes ideas for pre-reading activity, followed by suggested discussion topics for each section of the novel. Ideas for further discussion and study can be found at the end of the guide. Of course, teachers and librarians may wish to add other topics as they see fit. For each section, there is also an idea for a task which would be suitable as an extension – or homework – activity. These often involve more extended work and are designed to promote an active engagement with the text and its thematic concerns. Again, though, these are suggestions and teachers and librarians will be able to choose which tasks to use and decide how they might be adapted. The extension activity on chapters 27-33 (p11) is intended as a task which will support parental involvement. Finally, there is a section on post-reading activities, including guidance on writing a review of the novel.
All links to CFE Experiences and Outcomes are documented throughout. Of course, you may not cover all the links: for example, depending on whether or not you choose to do activities as a discussion, you may or may not cover the documented Listening and Talking Experiences and Outcomes. Pre-reading Activities
One
Look at the image below. It shows a boy walking past a graffiti-covered wall.
(The Tongs were a violent gang from the Calton area of Glasgow, which in the 1960s became known locally as Tongland.)
Think and discuss (Listening and Talking>Tools for Listening and Talking>Lit 4-02a)
Why do you think the gang would have painted this?
What message does it send?
What different reasons could the boy have for being there?
How do you imagine he might be feeling?
image from the 1996 film Small Faces, dir. Gillies Mackinnon Two (Writing>Creating Texts>Eng 4-31a. Writing>Enjoyment and Choice>Lit 4-20a)
Part of Cathy MacPhail’s inspiration for Grass came from some graffiti she saw which read ‘SHARKEY IS A GRASS’.
Imagine the kind of story that might be suggested by this. What kinds of characters might be involved? Where could it be set? What events might take place? Could the story raise any interesting issues or themes?
In the space below, write the blurb for the story you would write based on the graffiti!
When you have finished, you can compare it with the blurb from the published novel.
Extension/homework task (Writing>Enjoyment and Choice>Lit 4-20a. Listening and Talking>Tools for Listening and Talking>Lit 4-02a. Writing>Creating Texts>Eng 4-31a)
Look out for a written phrase or sentence in the world around you which you think could be the inspiration for a great story. It could come from anywhere, such as:
more graffiti!
a newspaper headline
a street or road sign
a text message
a website Bring your phrase back in to discuss your ideas. You might even like to go on and write the story!
Three (Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Lit 4-16a, Eng 4-17a)
Here is the official blurb from Grass. Use this to help you make predictions about:
the genre and style of the novel the plot how characters might develop
To help you, use the main image and cover design along with the title, tagline and lettering style. All of these are saying something about the book you’re holding in your hands!
It would have been hard to miss what was written on the wall. Painted in giant whitewashed letters:
SHARKEY IS A GRASS
I hadn't a clue who Sharkey was, but I knew one thing.
Sharkey was a dead man.
Leo knows the value of never grassing; never grass on your friends, for a start. And you certainly don’t grass on the gang leaders in town. Not unless you have a death wish - like Sharkey. Then Leo is witnesses a murder committed by a man called Armour, one of the gang leaders. Soon Armour has an insidious hold not only on Leo, but also his family: a hold that will test his family relationships and his very sense of what is right and wrong. It will take bravery, luck and sheer daring to extricate himself from Armour's deadly web.
A riveting and hard-hitting new novel from Cathy MacPhail. During Reading
Chapters 1-5 – Meeting Leo and Sean
Discussion Topic (Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Lit 4-16a, Eng 4-17a, Eng 4-19a)
Given their close relationship, why do you think Leo doesn’t tell Sean about the guns?
Extension/Homework Task (Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>4-19a, Lit 4-16a)
Create a character map for the novel so far.
1. Take a large sheet of blank/coloured paper and draw Leo in the centre, as you imagine him.
2. Branching out from Leo, draw lines leading to the other characters you have encountered. You could draw them, or just write their names. Along the connecting line, write the relationship – friend, brother etc. You could use a different colour for each character.
3. If you can, find a quotation which you think shows something important about each character. Write this out beside their picture or name on your character map. Remember to use quotation marks.
4. Leave space on the page – you can add to the map as you read further!
Chapters 6-9 – The Shooting
Discussion Topic Reading>Enjoyment and Choice>Lit 4-11a. Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-19a, Lit 4-16a)
“Why couldn’t I ever do the sensible thing?” (p44) Why does Leo follow Armour? What would you have done in this situation? Extension/Homework Tasks (Writing>Creating Texts>Eng 4-31a. Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Lit 4-16a, Eng 4-19a)
1. Rewrite the shooting from Armour’s point of view. Use what we know from chapters 7 & 8 to help, but feel free to be creative and imagine beyond what we are told by the author. Think about things like: Armour’s thoughts as he approaches the door; the feel of the gun in his hand; the shooting itself; recognising the wee boy (Leo) across the road and signalling to him; hiding the gun.
Armour’s narrative ‘voice’ will be very different to Leo’s, remember, because he’s a very different character – no mint imperials and zombie games for him! See if you can suggest his tough, cold and cruel nature in your writing...
Research the issue of gun crime in Scotland. A KWEL grid like the one below might be a good way to organise your thinking: (Social Studies>People, Past Events and Societies>Soc 4-04a. Reading>Finding and Using Information>Lit 4-14a, Lit 4-15a)
What I Know What I Want to Where I could look What I have know to find Evidence Learned
Some useful sites to check out are:
www.gun-control-network.org www.crimestoppers-uk.org www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus713/ccjs_gun_crime_report.pdf
Chapters 10-14 – The Aftermath (Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Lit 4-16a, Eng 4-19a, Eng 4-17a)
Discussion Topic
Armour is walking towards Leo at the end of ch.14. What do you think will happen next?
Extension/Homework Tasks Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-19a, Eng 4-17a. Writing>Creating Texts>Eng 4-31a. Writing>Creating Texts>Eng 4-27a. RME>Development of Beliefs and Values>RME 4-09b)
1. Imagine you are Leo, trying to decide whether or not to ‘grass’ on Armour. Write down as many arguments FOR and AGAINST as you can.
2. Write the newspaper report which runs either the day following the shooting or after McRae’s funeral. Choose an appropriate headline and picture. You might want to include statements from key witnesses such as police, family members or affected characters such as Mr Sheridan...
Chapters 15-20 – Armour’s Boy Discussion Topic (Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Lit 4-16a, Eng 4-17a, Eng 4-19a)
“You’re Armour’s boy, are you?” (p101) In what ways is Leo’s relationship with Armour affecting him? Do you think the benefits of doing what Armour wants are worth it?
Extension/Homework Task (Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-19a)
Prepare for a hot-seating activity in which Leo and Armour will be interviewed. Two members of the group should take on these roles. The rest of the group should prepare questions to ask them.
If you are to be in the hot-seat, read over the text again to get as much of a feel for your character as possible!
If you are asking a question, try to come up with several interesting questions – in case someone else asks your best idea before you have a chance!
Chapters 21-26 – Aidan’s Party
Discussion Topic (Listening and Talking>Tools for Listening and Talking>Lit 4-02a. Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-19a, 4-17a)
How is his ‘friendship’ with Armour affecting Leo’s relationships with his Dad and Sean?
Extension/Homework Task (Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-19a. Writing>Creating Texts>Eng 4-31a, Eng 4-27a)
Imagine that Sean does text Leo after the fight at Aidan’s party. Write out the text conversation between the two boys.
Your messages should be short and can use text language, but try to show the way each character is feeling as clearly as you can.
Chapters 27-33 – Leo Against the World
Discussion Topic (Listening and Talking>Tools for Listening and Talking>Lit 4-02a. Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-17a)
Leo thinks that, by helping Armour, he is being ‘the change he wanted to see in the world’. Why does he think he is doing good? How has Armour persuaded Leo this is true?
Extension/Homework Tasks (Reading>Finding and Using Information>Lit 4-14a. Health and Wellbeing>Mental, Social and Emotional Wellbeing>HWB 4-05a. Health and Wellbeing>Mental, Social and Emotional Wellbeing>HWB 4-01a)
1. The Scottish Parliament has a ceremonial silver mace inscribed with the words Wisdom, Justice, Compassion and Integrity. These are some of the qualities people might associate with good government – and good citizenship.
First, make sure you understand what each of these four words means. Then, try to think of a moment from the novel when a character’s actions show one of these virtues. Can you also think of actions which show a definite lack of these qualities?
2. Leo’s Dad is trying to change their town for the better by campaigning against guns, starting a petition and organising a gun amnesty. He talks to Leo about a “wise man” who inspired him – Mahatma Gandhi. Can you think of anyone who has inspired you or who you look up to as a hero? At home, try talking to your parents or carers about people who they look up to and respect, or who have inspired them in some way. Maybe you could chat about your ideas from task 1, too. You could even carry out an interview and, if you like, share your conversations back in the reading group.
Chapters 34-39 - Facing the Truth
Discussion Topic (Listening and Talking>Tools for Listening and Talking>Lit 4-02a. Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-17a, Eng 4-19a)
When Leo discovers the reality of Armour’s motives, how does this revelation change his opinion of Armour? How does it affect his opinion of himself?
Extension/Homework Tasks
One (Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-17a)
You have been asked to produce chapter titles and illustrations for a new edition of the novel. Looking back over the events of these chapters, which titles would you choose? Chapter titles should be short and suggest something of the chapter’s significance – without giving too much away!
If you could choose one moment to illustrate from each chapter, what would it be?
Two (Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-17a, Eng 4-19a)
Now that we have a fuller picture of Armour, create a ‘ripple chart’ showing his effect on other characters and events in the novel. Write/draw Armour in the centre of a piece of paper, then surround him with 2 or 3 larger circles – or ‘ripples’. Imagine he is the stone dropped into a pond: Now, in the first circle, note how he has DIRECTLY affected other characters – such as Leo or McRae - through his actions. On the second circle, show how he has INDIRECTLY affected other characters (eg. Sean, Mr Sheridan, Leo’s family) through his influence...try to include as much detail as you can!
Chapters 40-46 – Leo’s Plan
Discussion Questions Listening and Talking>Tools for Listening and Talking>Lit 4- 02a. Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Lit 4-16a, Eng 4-17a)
Do you imagine Leo’s plan will work – that the criminals will suffer and the innocent will be safe?
Extension/ Homework Task Writing>Enjoyment and Choice>Lit 4-20a. Writing>Creating Texts>Eng 4-31a. Writing>Creating Texts>Eng 4-27a) The dramatic closing chapters of Grass might make for an excellent TV or film adaptation. Choose an extract you find exciting and make a storyboard to show how you would film the scene. Think about how camera angles, sound effects, lighting etc, could help you create your scene. You might even want to plan which actors you would cast in the roles!
After Reading
1. Create a plot/tension graph for the novel. It might start off something like this: Chart the main plot points from the novel and show how high you feel the tension is at that point. Think about what the climax of the novel is, and how skilfully the author has built tension towards that point.
(Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-19a)
2. Review the novel. Write a short review (up to 200 words) describing your response to the novel. What did you feel were its most successful features? Was there any aspect of the novel you didn’t like? Maybe you’d like to mention a favourite moment, or comment on a particularly interesting character or relationship. Your work on the novel so far will really help you with this!
(Reading>Enjoyment and Choice>Lit 4-11a. Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4-19a)
Scottish Book Trust will often publish reviews from young readers. To find out more, go to http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/children-and-young-people/books/reviews- and-recommendations.
Further Topics for Discussion & Study (Reading>Enjoyment and Choice>Lit 4-11a. Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 4 17a,Eng 4-19a)
Chapters 1-5 – Meeting Leo and Sean Who is the narrator of the novel? What do we find out about him in the opening chapters? Do you feel the author has created a convincing/interesting character?
How would you describe Leo and Sean’s relationship?
What do we learn about the setting of the novel? What kind of social problems affect the area?
Chapters 6-9 – The Shooting
What is the effect of the very short, stand-alone sentences at the end of ch.6? Can you find examples of the same technique in chapter 7?
Cathy MacPhail also uses simile, metaphor and onomatopoeia to bring the shocking events of ch.7 to life. Can you identify examples and comment on their effectiveness?
Why do you think Armour smiles and winks at Leo?
How does the shooting affect Leo’s attitude towards violence?
Chapters 10-14 – The Aftermath
Do you agree with Leo’s decision not to tell anyone about the shooting?
In what ways is Leo’s life changing as a result of what happened?
Chapters 15-20 – Armour’s Boy
What are your impressions of Armour as a character? How do you feel about him?
How successful do you think Cathy MacPhail has been in creating this character?
Chapters 21-26 – Aidan’s Party
Why do you think Leo continues to do as Armour wants?
A lot of tension comes to a head at Aidan’s party (chapters 24-26) What are the reasons for the night going so badly wrong? Chapters 27-33 – Leo Against the World
Leo is becoming more and more isolated from everyone but Armour. What is the final nail in the coffin of his friendship with Sean?
Leo’s Dad’s campaign is a very different way of trying to clean up the town. How do his motives differ from Armour’s? What different characteristics do Leo’s Dad and Armour show in these chapters?
Chapters 34-39 - Facing the Truth
How does the atmosphere in Leo’s home change when his Dad discovers the truth? How does this contrast with the atmosphere in the early chapters?
“He was confusing me. I couldn’t think straight...”(ch.39) How does Armour try to continue manipulating and controlling Leo, even after Leo overhears his real plans? Do you think this will work?
Chapters 40-46 – Leo’s Plan
To what extent do you feel Leo ‘wakes up’ in chapter 40? What does he come to realise – either for the first time, or by remembering things he knew before his aquaintance with Armour? What lies and mistakes have been exposed?
What qualities does Leo show in carrying out his plan? What thoughts do you think drive him on, even when he is scared?
What techniques does Cathy McPhail use to create tension during chapters 40-45?
How convincing do you find the ending of the novel?
Do you think Leo’s relationships with his friends and family will be repaired?