Will You Catch Me? – Teacher’s Notes

A story about identity and courage, and a tremendous young girl who cares for her alcoholic mother – and her ever-expanding menagerie of pets. Heart-breaking and heart-warming in equal measure. 

A thought-provoking, topic read, which addresses delicate issues such as addiction, familial conflict and belonging. Perfect for discussion and debate within the classroom.

These comprehensive reading notes include questions, activities and chapter analysis, suitable for English and PSE lessons based around the text. For years 5, 6 (KS2) and 7 (KS3).

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Will You Catch Me?

Nell Hobson lives with a tortoise called Bob Marley, guinea pigs Asbo and Chaos, goldfish Beyoncé and Destiny, gerbils Fizz and Tyrone, Aunty Lou the Hamster … and her mum, who drinks too much. Nell does everything she can to be a good daughter so that her mum will stop. But when things get really hard, Nell stands on her head. Everything looks better upside down, don’t you know?

Nell wishes she knew who her dad was, but her mum refuses to talk about him … ever. Meanwhile, new teacher Mr Samuels makes history come alive and tells his class the story of Nell Gwynn, the Orange Girl who became one of the first actresses on the London stage. Nell is captivated and feels an impossibly strong connection to this girl who lived hundreds of years before her. She’s determined to dress up as Nell Gwynn for the Costume Parade and, with the help her best friend Michael, hatches a sensationally dangerous plan to make her dad step forward and claim her.

Will Nell succeed? Will her mum step up to be there for her at last? Or is it all too late? A beautiful story which sensitively addresses a number of topics.

9781444927788 Pb £6.99

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