KS3 Reading for Pleasure Travel Writing

KS3 Reading for Pleasure Travel Writing. Year 9 A guide for parents & students The Reading Challenge To encourage frequent reading, we are setting a challenge to you our KS3 students. Below is a reading list ranked in challenge order from Bronze to Silver & Gold. These books can be used as your reading book in school or you could read them at home. You can earn prizes and certificates from your teacher if you read titles from these lists: Gold reads 1) Destinations by Jan Morris. Jan Morris is a journalist and writer. She was the reporter who broke the news that Hillary and party had reached the summit of Everest. Her writing has taken her all over the world. Now, over 90 years old, she lives in a cottage in a small village in North Wales and continues to write. Destinations gives a flavour of her writing as she captures various places she has travelled to. She also reports on key points in history, for example, one essay is about Washington just after Watergate, another about Panama on the eve of the U.S. treaty debate, another on Cairo at the time of the Israeli-Egyptian peace talks. If you enjoy this dip into Jan Morris’ writing you could then go on to read one of her other works. 2)The Kingdom by the Sea by Paul Theroux Paul Theroux is an American travel writer. After graduating, he started to travel. He went first to Italy and then on to Africa. He lectured at a university in Uganda before working at the School of English in Singapore. He lived in England for 17 years and wrote many books and pieces whilst here. In The Kingdom by the Sea, Theroux travels clockwise around the country from London, discovering more about the country and the people. The journey took place in 1982, just after the Falklands War at the Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana so Theroux gains an interesting view and perspective of Great Britain at that point in time. 3) On the Road by Jack Kerouac Jack Kerouac was an American poet and writer. He is known as the pioneer of the Beat Generation formed in America. The Beat Generation were seen as an underground and anti-establishment group whose writing influenced much of post war America. Kerouac was heavily influenced by the jazz and bebop genres. On The Road is based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across America against a backdrop of jazz and poetry. It is considered the pioneering work of counterculture and the Beat generation. 4) Travels in West Africa by Mary Kingsley ~ 2 ~ Mary Kingsley was an English scientific writer, and explorer whose travels throughout West Africa and resulting work helped shape European perceptions of African cultures and British imperialism. She wasn’t given a formal education, as it was deemed necessary for girls at the time, she did, however, have access to her father’s vast library and was an avid reader. After her parents died, she used her inheritance to travel and wrote about her experiences. Travels in West Africa is her journey. In 1893, defying convention of the time, she set off alone to collect specimens of plants and flowers. She had local tour guides and quite often was the first western European and woman to visit these places. Along the way she fought off crocodiles with a paddle and hit a leopard over the head with a pot. When she fell into a trap lined with sharp sticks, she was saved by her skirt--for she always dressed like a lady. 5) A Woman in Arabia: The Writings of the Queen of the Desert by Gertrude Bell Gertrude Bell was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist. She became highly influential to British policy-making due to her knowledge and contacts, built up through extensive travels. She played a major role in establishing and helping administer the modern state of Iraq. During her lifetime she was highly trusted by British officials and had immense power. A Woman in Arabia: The Writings of the Queen of the Desert is her story in her own words. It uses her letters, dispatches, diary entries and other writings to give a unique perspective on one of the most interesting and influential women in British history. 6) West with the Night by Beryl Markham Beryl Markham was quite a woman! She was a bush pilot who also bred and trained racehorses in colonial Africa, and in September of 1936, she was the first pilot to fly solo non-stop from Europe to North America. West With The Night is her memoir and the tale of her life in Kenya in the 1920s and 1930s. She was determined to fly solo across the Atlantic but she took the more difficult route of England to America. Despite good reviews, the book did not sell very well and quickly went out of print. It wasn’t until 1982, when some letters of Ernest Hemingway were found in which he praised the book so highly that a publishing house was convinced that they should re-release it. Silver reads ~ 3 ~ 1) Notes from a Small Island Bill Bryson Bill Bryson was born in American but has lived in England for much of his life, He mainly writes about the English language and Science and has received praise for making science more widely accessible. Notes from a Small Island was written in 1995 just before Bryson left to go back to America. It is a journey around the country where Bryson explores and tries to explain what he has loved about the country. You will analyse the Liverpool chapter as part of the scheme of work in class so if you enjoyed that, then give this a read. 2) French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France by Tim Moore Tim Moore is a British write and travel journalist. He has written numerous pieces for The Telegraph, The Observer and The Sunday Times. French Revolutions is Moore’s journey round France. Just before the actual Tour de France race began, Moore decided to ride the whole route himself and this book is his account of that bike ride. He cycles 3630 km around France and has many adventures on his way, this is an entertaining book so if you want a more light-hearted read, then give this one a go. 3) Pies and Prejudice: In search of the North by Stuart Maconie Stuart Maconie is maybe better known for his Radio 6 radio show. As well as being a DJ he is a writer, journalist and TV presenter. He is a proud northerner despite living down South for many years! Pies and Prejudice is a journey round the north of England. There are so many generalisations and stereotypes surrounding many of the cities and Maconie uses this journey to discover how much truth there is in these stereotypes. 4)) A Visit to Don Otavio by Sybille Bedford Sybille Bedford is not the most well-known writer. She was born in Germany and travelled a lot when young particularly to England and ~ 4 ~ Italy. With the rise of fascism in Italy her family relocated to France. During the war, with help from friends she moved to America before settling in England in the late 1970s. A Visit to Don Otavio is her journey to Mexico just after the war. Before going back to the old world (Europe) she has a desire to visit the new world and so travelled to Mexico. She is quite frank in her description of the horrors of travelling and the bug infested jungle, the heat of the trains and her experience of being slapped in the face with a fish on a bus but she does fall in love with the country eventually! 5) Wild: From lost to found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed Cheryl Strayed is an American writer. She is the author of four books as well as being a podcast host. Her mother died quite suddenly when Strayed was a senior in college and this loss features heavily in many of her books. At the age of 26, completely on her own, Strayed hiked more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Coast Trail. She describes the journey as a physical and mental one as it helped her work through the grief of losing her mother. 6) Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne Jules Verne was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. He was born in the seaport of Nantes, where he was trained to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer, but quit the profession early in life to write for magazines and the stage. Considered a classic, Around the World in Eighty Days follows Phileas Fogg and Passepartout as they circumnavigate the world. After accepting a bet in London, Phileas Fogg and his servant Passepartout, Fogg go on a mad dash around the world; from London to Egypt, India to Hong Kong, and onto America’s wild west where nothing goes as planned. Complicating matters is the Scotland Yard who wrongfully pegs Fogg as a wanted criminal. Bronze reads ~ 5 ~ 1) Around Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks. Tony Hawks is a comedian and writer although he originally wanted to be a singer-songwriter. He is also the author of six books. Around Ireland with a Fridge is the outcome of a drunken bet! Hawks takes his fridge on a month long adventure around Ireland and this book is the story! Highlights include surfing together and meeting the poorest king on earth.

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