Had a letter from school today :

[supermama212]

dear supermama212
in yr 8 lessons your child is studying a scheme of work called "disasters"
to support this scheme of work we are asking all children to read a following book at home:
flood child emily diamand

pompei my story sue reid
nation terry pratchett
running wild Michael morpurgo
anyones dc read them? she has to do a book review as well
tia

My DS read Nation when he was in Y6 (I think), and I'd read it beforehand. It's excellent, although my DS did have a few questions about the setting (it's sort-of Polynesia set in sort-of Victorian times but deliberately not historically accurate) and culture but then we do tend to chat about the books he's reading anyway. I think a Y8 would get to grips with it fine.

I haven't read Running Wild but Michael Morpurgo is a very good author so I'd have no qualms about trying that one either. The rest I don't know.

Pompei is part of the My Story series of historical fiction told by fictional characters who were supposed to have been alive at the time. They are very popular with the Years 5 and 6 at the school where I work. An easy read for a Year 8, I would think.

I'd recommend Nation - TP twines together lots of strands of disaster together, and it is as ever beautifully written

so nation?? Sorry i didn`t post before forget about the thread:o
i have had a tough time - broken my foot on saturday, thank you all for your suggestions!

she is reading running wild because we found it when tiding her room
her cousin has a copy so we don`t have to buy 1

'Nation' has a very strong anti-religion theme. I'm not pro-censorship but if this would not be the kind of book you would choose for your child to read, I'd avoid it. The disaster element of the book is strong as well, but it's more about disestablishing the notion of faith in gods, as well as reconstructing a new society.

All the "my story" type ones were dd2s obsession in yr 5&6 ( though she'd read a new one now if she had it- she's year 8) so if you think she's easily upset then go for those- they are pretty tame.

Nation is a great book - we saw it at the national theatre a couple of years ago ( so she would have been 10). From an adult point of view I found it terrifying - return from your " rite of passage jaunt" to find your world wiped out?? But I can't even face reading the boy in the striped pyjamas for instance - an adult head sees things very differently and far more scarily than a teen anyway.

The anti religion theme to me is less strong than his dark materials but it's there I agree - mind you all terry pratchett has that underlying thread really doesn't it - he sees religion as " that fantasy to explain the world " and explores it in many different ways - not only nation, but disc world and my personal favourite the bromeliad trilogy ( diggers truckers and wings).

she read all the "my story" in year 5 and 6. If she got one now she would read it.
she has been told that for a level 7 to read two books! so nation and running wild. i don`t want to be a pushy parent but i am going to make her as she wants to do well in english.