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Awful Auntie
2014 HarperCollins (411 pages)
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NOVEL STUDY GUIDE
Awful Auntie, by David Walliams
SUMMARY
Aunt Alberta is on a mission to cheat the young Lady Stella Saxby out of her inheritance - Saxby Hall. But with mischievous and irrepressible Soot, the cockney ghost of a chimney sweep, alongside her Stella is determined to fight back...And sometimes a special friend, however different, is all you need to win through.
The book has 43 chapters.
CHARACTER REVIEW
Aunt Alberta
Stella Saxby
Soot
Gibbon
Wagner
Detective Strauss
Lord and Lady Saxby
SEL THEMES IN THE BOOK
Friendship Problem Solving Good winner/ Good loser Feelings review: upset, worried, scared/afraid, proud, smug, anger, misery, horror, sad, happy, nervous, malicious
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STUDY QUESTIONS
Chapter 1 - Frozen
The chapter is called ‘Frozen’. Which part of the story do you think this is describing? When Stella is frozen in bed and can’t move because of the casts. What feelings do you think Stella would have when she felt frozen? Petrified, scared, horrified, confused, sad. Have you ever felt so scared you have frozen? What happened? You might want to give your own example here e.g. when you were younger you seen people dressed up on Halloween and you wanted to run away but you were frozen stiff, luckily when you realized that it was only people dressed up you were fine. Reinforce that all feelings are OK.
Activity Complimenting and Literacy The title of the book is ‘Awful Auntie’ which is alliteration about awful aunt Alberta. In SEL lessons, we like to compliment people so can you think of some complimentary alliteration for the children on your table? E.g. Amazing Amy, Helpful Harry, Lovely Laura, Sharing Sarah etc.
Chapter 2 – A baby vanishes
Mother was “wracked with pain” when the baby vanished. What does this mean? Is it physical? Is it feelings? What feelings? It can feel like you are hurt but on the inside, nothing physical has harmed you. It can feel like a broken heart. After a while, mother and father learned to ‘put on their happy faces’. Were they really happy? They were pretending to be okay to try and move on. What was the feeling they were having if they were hiding it? They were remaining private. Discuss private and when you might have this feeling. Give an example e.g. you were invited to a friend’s house for dinner and they gave you fish and chips which you don’t like and you felt disgust but you didn’t want to be rude so you just ate the chips and explained that you were full so you didn’t have to eat the fish or feel rude.
Activity Homework Research Have a look at the Saxby family tree. Can you create your own family tree? How many generations can you find out about?
Art Draw a split portrait of someone who is showing their real feelings on the left and what it looks like when the same person is hiding their feelings on the right (one face split down the middle showing two different feelings).
Chapter 3 – A beastly child
Who were the main characters involved in chapter 3? Chester, Alberta, Gibbon, Lord and Lady Saxby How do you think everything Alberta did to her brother Chester made him feel? Sad, upset, annoyed, confused Why didn’t he say anything? He loved his sister Did Chester enjoy playing Tiddlywinks? Why/why not? Was Alberta good at loosing? How do you know?
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Activity Comparison table Can you complete the table giving examples of character traits shown by a good winner/good loser
Good Winner Good Loser Doesn’t tease or boast Doesn’t get upset
Game Can you play a game of Tiddlywinks and show the traits of a good winner/loser that you have just listed?
Chapter 4 – Great Mountain Owl
Do you think the Owl and Aunt Alberta are friends? Can animals and humans be friends?
Activity Art Draw an owl you would like to have a pet/friend. What would they be like? What would they look like? Label personality traits they would have.
Chapter 5 – Mummified
‘A trace of a smile crossed her aunts face “I have some rather upsetting news about your parents”…’ Why would she say this with a smile? She might have been happy about what happened to them. She didn’t love them. She wanted to upset Stella and was looking forward to seeing her upset. Stella was feeling a lot of emotions in this chapter can you list 3 and tell me what makes you think she felt this way?
Activity Writing Prompt - Try to predict what you think is going to happen in the rest of this story based on the information you have so far.
Chapter 6 – Some terrible nightmare
Stella received some bad news in this chapter which made her feel upset. Auntie Alberta wasn’t very nice about the way she gave the news or her reaction to what happened. How do you think you can best support someone who has just received upsetting news? Talk to them, listen to them, be a friend, let them know you will be there. Try and cheer them up with their favorite activity – movie, joke etc.
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Activity Problem-Solving Activity – At the end of this chapter, Stella is faced with a huge problem. In co-operative learning groups, identify Stella’s problem, how she/and others would be feeling, decide on a goal for Stella, think of 3 possible solutions, think about the consequences of each one, choose the best solution and make a plan that you think Stella should try out. Role-play this in your group.
Chapter 7 – The Human Caterpillar
When Stella was trying to get out of the bandages she at first felt exhausted and dejected, then she felt exhausted and determined. In both cases she was exhausted but what do the other two feelings mean? Are they similar feelings or completely different? How could she feel different feelings in a few minutes? Dejected – sad and depressed – dispirited, Determined – committed to/insistent on
Chapter 8 – The Great Escape
Stella heard footsteps coming towards her ‘CLOMP, CLOMP, CLOMP’. How would she be feeling? Worried, scared, nervous, petrified etc. What would show on the outside? Shaking, sweating What would be happening to her body on the inside? Heart beating fast, feeling sick, can’t concentrate. What do you think the owl will do?
Chapter 9 – Hunted down
Activity Feelings Can you list all the feelings mentioned in this chapter? Do you know what they all mean? How many have you experienced? Worry, fear, fright, sinister
Chapter 10 – Locked in the cellar
Stella could see her Aunt becoming angrier and angrier and she began ‘twitching with fury, but she was trying to hide it’. Why would she try and hide her feelings? Stella was catching her out on her lies but she didn’t want to let her see how annoyed it was making her. Where do you think the deeds are hidden?
Chapter 11 – Behind the walls
Chapter 11 talks about how Aunt Alberta doesn’t follow the rules or follow the rule books. Do you have rules in class? Do you think they are important? Why/why not? Refer back to the school rules – Rules give us order and help us feel safe, Rules make it easier to learn, Rules keep us out of trouble. Refer to Alberta and how if she had followed the rules when she was playing games, more people would have wanted to play games with her, she may have had more friends etc. Have you ever had issues with rules when playing games? What issues? What could you do differently next time to make sure this doesn’t happen? Clarify rules before starting the game (different children may have heard different rules and may not be playing differently on purpose – come to an agreement).
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Chapter 12 – Posho
Stella felt ‘offended’ by the way the ghost was talking about her. These were only words. Can you be ‘hurt’ by words? Have you heard the saying ‘sticks and stone may break my bones but words will never hurt me’? Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Activity Comparison - Compare how Soot feels about Stella and how different this is to how Aunt Alberta views her.
Chapter 13 – A light in the shape of a boy
“I heard ya crying and it made me sad. I thought I might be able to help” said Soot. Have you ever been in need and a friend has helped you? Can you list things that Soot could do to cheer up a friend? Tell a joke, do their favorite thing, watch their favorite movie etc. Soot and Stella decided to try and be friends. Stella started by shaking hands with Soot and introducing herself. Is it easy to make a new friend? What else can you do when you first make a new friend? Talk about what you like/dislike, hobbies you have, do you have anything in common etc.
Activity Literacy – write a set of instructions on ‘how to make a friend’. See if you can display these around the school so you can help others who may be struggling.
Chapter 14 – Ghost Snot
Why didn’t Soot have any manners? What do you think Stella is going to ask for help with?
Activity Comparison table Can you list what traits are good manners and which are bad manners? Can you think of any other words for then people show bad manners? rude
Good manners Bad manners Listening thoughtfully Interrupting Saying thank you Talking over others
Chapter 15 – The Ghost detective
“Stella took a deep breath and pulled herself up”…Why would she take a deep breath? To calm herself and prepare. To have time to calm down so she can concentrate What feelings would she be having at this time? Nervous, Worried Have you ever had to take a deep breath before something important? Have you ever seen a famous person do this? Footballers before taking an important goal/penalty, singers before they go on stage (lots of videos on YouTube of this).
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Activity Working together Stella and Soot decide they will work together to try and sort Stella’s problem. Is working together a good idea? Do you like working in a team? Why/ why not?
Chapter 16 – A Bitter aftertaste
Stella cried when she seen the car. Why did this upset her? Memories of what happened to her family, she couldn’t believe she didn’t remember such a horrific accident Stella was touched by Soot’s kindness. How has he been kind to her so far? He was worried about her, he offered to help, he comforted her when she was upset, he supported her with her plans etc. “Kept a stiff upper lip” – what does this mean? Self-restraint in the expression of emotion Stella’s mum and dad stayed private about their feelings – why?
Chapter 17 – Desserts Galore
Auntie Alberta is very greedy. What does this mean? Can you think of a time when you felt greedy and share this?
Activity Complimenting – in SEL, we know its nice for everyone to hear a compliment. Thinking of only ‘good’ traits, can you make a compliment list for Aunt Alberta?
Chapter 18 – Crackle crackle
Do you think the policeman believed Stella? Why/why not?
Chapter 19 – Deeply creepy
Stella admitted she was scared. Is this an easy thing to admit? Have you ever felt scared but were nervous to admit it? It can happen at times where we think people might make fun of us for showing our feelings e.g. a boy might feel like he can’t say he’s afraid of spiders as he fears people making fun of him. Discuss the theory ‘big boys don’t cry’ you can’t admit your fear or feelings as you ‘have to be tough’. Did Soot react well to being told about Stella’s feelings? He smiled supportively, rested his hand on her shoulder, listened and helped her come up with a plan
Chapter 20 – Absolutely crackers
Activity Planning - Make a plan how to convince the detective to believe Stella’s story.
Chapter 21 – A crime thriller
Stella felt embarrassed. Why? Have you ever felt embarrassed about something? Share a time where you felt embarrassed first and children will feel at ease to open up. Discuss the fact that we all get embarrassed at times and some of us get embarrassed easier than others.
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Can you only feel embarrassment on the inside or do other people know? Others might realise your embarrassment as you can features that show on the outside such as a red face, wide eyes.
Chapter 22 – Shadow of a doubt
Do you think the detective has a plan?
Activity Maths – can you make a feelings graph pin pointing the feelings of Stella from the beginning of this chapter all the way through to the end.
Chapter 23 – Foul Play
Activity Literacy – imagine that when Stella left the room she found her old diary and began to write an entry with all the events that have happened so far and how she feels.
Chapter 24 – Stuffed Owls
Why was Wagner dressed as Aunt Alberta? Stella got an uncomfortable surprise when she lifted the covers, can you list the difference between a comfortable and an uncomfortable surprise? Where do you think Aunt Alberta really was?
Chapter 25 – Biting the air
Activity Role play – Can you choose 2 scenes from this chapter and create Freeze Frames? Can the other children guess which parts you have chosen?
Chapter 26 – Lurking death
The detectives face was reddening. What feeling did he have here? Cross/angry, furious Do you think detective Strauss is telling the truth? What signs might there be that he is lying?
Chapter 27 – Battle of the billiards room
Activity Art - Draw the scene of Soot and Wagner the owl – label the feelings that they would be feeling at the time.
Chapter 28 – Under the cover of darkness
Aunt Alberta is planning something horrible and has tricked Stella into thinking she is detective Strauss. These are things we wouldn’t want happening to us. Is she following
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The Golden Rule? Can you remember the Golden Rule? Treat others as you would want to be treated. Does Alberta ever follow The Golden Rule?
Chapter 29 – Grisly toupee
How did Stella feel about being tricked? Tricks are sometimes ‘funny’ and sometimes they can be mean, can you think of examples of a funny trick? A mean trick? Are they always funny for everyone?
Activity Comic Strip – can you create a comic strip showing the different tricks played on Aunt Alberta?
Chapter 30 – The Owl Rack
Why couldn’t Wagner watch? “We start the fight back” what would you do if you were in Stella’s shoes? A smile lit up her tear-stained face. Can you be smiling and crying? Discuss feeling two emotions at once; you can be excited and nervous, upset and hopeful etc. Can you give any examples of a time where you felt 2 or more emotions at once?
Chapter 31 – Ants in pants
Activity Imagination - Can you come up with any more ‘fun’ tricks to play on Aunt Alberta?
Chapter 32 – My Bottom!
Why were Stella and Soot laughing at Alberta even though she was in pain? Do you feel sorry for her? Why/why not?
Chapter 33 – Cat and mouse
Alberta accuses Stella of being bad at lying. Stella doesn’t want to lie because she knows it’s wrong. Do you think she has to?
Chapter 34 - The driving lesson
Soot said “Only a girl would say that”. Why would this offend Stella? She believes that girls and boys can do the same things. They are as important as each other and there aren’t things for only girls and things for only boys. Do you agree/disagree? Why? Stella answered ‘with a gulp’. What feeling would she be having? Nervous, worried, anxious
Activity Group research Look up some famous people/things that challenge traditional gender roles. E.g. girls football teams (women’s world cup), famous male nurses etc.
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Chapter 35 - The frozen lake
“Frozen with fear” what does this mean? Have you ever felt like this? Why do you think it happens? “Feeling disheveled and broken, Stella lay on the ground”. At this point clearly Stella feels like giving up. What words of encouragement can you give someone who feels like giving up? Keep going, you can do it, you can achieve anything you put your mind to, tell them a story about someone who didn’t give up on their dreams.
Activity Reading Read biographies about those who didn’t give up on their dreams even when things seemed impossible e.g. JK Rowling, Walt Disney. Poster Can you create encouraging posters which you can place around school on display so that you can encourage others?
Chapter 36 – Easy – peasy – poo
Aunt Alberta wept with joy – this was the first time she had shown such emotions. Why do you think she was emotional? What emotions did she have?
Chapter 37 – Burn burn burn
If aunt Alberta loved owls so much, why was she willing to kill Wagner? She didn’t really love him she was just using him so she could get her way. She wanted more money and didn’t care about friends or family
Activity Debate Split the class into two and have a debate over which is better – Money or friends? Give the groups time to prepare their argument/statements and set clear expectations of how a healthy debate should work. All students should have an anonymous vote at the end of what they believe to be the most important.
Chapter 38 – The Perfect Murder
Do you think it was an accident that Gibbon came to Stella’s rescue?
Activity Aunt Alberta was ‘proud’ of her snow owl. Can you create an acrostic poem with the word PROUD mentioning what you are proud of?
P R O U D
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Chapter 39 – The big bad wolf
Alberta stomped and banged on the door in anger. Is there any plan she could make to calm herself down and solve the problem without violence?
Chapter 40 – End of a mystery
How do you feel about the truth of Soot/baby Chester?
Activity Literacy – Design a Newspaper headline announcing that the mystery of the missing baby has been solved. Explain who Chester is, what he went on to do and who was the culprit for the baby going missing.
Chapter 41 – Hide and Seek
Aunt Alberta made Stella feel guilty by saying if she was really a nice little girl she would help her. What does it mean to feel guilty? Uncomfortable feeling as you think you may have done/said something wrong. Have you ever felt guilty about something? What should you do if you have a guilty feeling? Aunt Alberta let go of the roof aiming to plunge both herself and Stella to their deaths. What do you think is going to happen next?
Chapter 42 – Dead calm
Why did Wagner save Stella? Why did Stella thank and hug him even after everything he had done to her? She was grateful to him, it wasn’t that Wagner wanted to do all these things; he was made to do them by Aunt Alberta who made him think he was doing the right thing as they were friends. “The bird tilted his head to one side – he was listening”. What do good listening skills look like? Nodding along, asking questions, repeating information back etc. What does bad listening look like? Interrupting, talking about yourself, not giving eye contact
Chapter 43 – Promise
Why was Stella’s heart breaking? What does Herbert/Scoot mean “I’ll always be here”? Herbert makes Stella promise. Have you made promises with your friends? What is good/bad about promises? Stella turns Saxby Hall into an orphanage, who does this help?
Activity History - This story happened 88 years ago. What was life like then? Review – review the book ‘Awful Auntie’. How many stars would you give it? Would you recommend it to a friend? What were your favorite bits? Literacy – write a letter to David Walliams and let him know how you felt about the book. Include a few illustrations and see if you can send them all to him. Will you get a reply?