SuperZero (school edition) Read online

  Clinging to the helicopter, the small boy made a list of the things he believed.

  It is better to be harmed than to harm.

  It is better to be weak than to make other people weak.

  It is better to be a sheep than a wolf.

  “You were half right, Ulric,” he said aloud to the howling night. “I am a zero. But I’m not just a zero. I am a zero that stands up for other zeroes. I am a zero that pushes back against the ones. I am the zero without end.”

  He raised his eyes to the falling rain and he said it aloud, for the first time.

  “I am SuperZero.”

  After reading

  1.

  What does Zed mean when he asks “Do enemies really die”? Do you think that Ulric is really dead?

  2.

  Zed has many unanswered questions and thoughts going through his head. Which one is the most important to him do you think?

  3.

  Ulric believes that the world is made up of ones and zeroes.

  3. a)

  Which of the two is Zed?

  3. b)

  Which of the two are you? Why?

  4.

  What do the words “the people he would spend his life protecting” reveal to us about how Zed sees the future?

  5.

  Look at Zed’s list of things that he believes in. Which ones do you believe in? Why?

  6.

  What do the words “I am the zero without end” tell us about how Zed intends to live his life?

  7.

  Is Super Zero a good title for both Zed and the novel? Why?

  Glossary

  Chapter 2

  poking – searching casually

  higgledy-piggledy – disorderly

  random – without method or conscious choice

  haunches – half-seated with bent knees

  lever – a handle to operate a mechanism (the brakes, in this case)

  jolt – jerk

  pollen – fine dustlike grains from male part of a flower which fertilize female part

  Chapter 3

  klutzy – clumsy and awkward

  slick – skilful

  rubble – rough pieces of stone or brick

  rage – fierce anger

  surrender – give in to another’s power

  vaulted – leap or spring

  suspended – hung (up)

  ominously – threateningly

  sheer – very steep

  Chapter 4

  spangled – covered with sparkly objects (like sequins)

  frayed – worn through

  turban – a headdress of fabric wound round the head

  kohl – thick black eyeliner

  crimson – a rich deep red

  burden – a heavy load

  tiers – rows (of stands in this case) one above the other

  lacquered – coated with a thick layer of shiny paint

  robe – a long loose jacket or dressing gown

  writhe – twist or roll

  filament – the conducting wire in an electric bulb

  infinite – very great or endless

  repertoire – the pieces that a performer knows or can give

  headlong – head first

  jutting – protruding or standing out

  ghastly – horrible, frightful

  resplendent – brilliant, dazzling

  publicity – public exposure

  civilian – (in this case) a person from outside the circus group, but usually means

  a person not in the armed services or police force

  descended – go or come down

  fanfare – a short showy piece of trumpet music

  Chapter 5

  hesitantly – paused in doubt

  Chapter 6

  wheeling – going in circles or curves

  destiny – fate, a predetermined course of events

  lurk – hide, for sinister (evil) purposes

  Chapter 7

  graffiti – writing or drawing scribbled, scratched or sprayed on a surface

  pupil – the dark circular part in the centre of the eye

  burlap – coarse canvas used for sacks

  gingerly – carefully or cautiously

  gloom – darkness

  allegiance – loyalty

  momentum – strength gained from his first movement (as used here)

  cowered – shrink back in fear

  dank – damp and cold

  keening – penetrating or piercing sound

  mottled – spots or smears of colour

  Chapter 8

  cronies – close friends

  sentries – soldiers stationed to keep guard

  parapet – low wall at the edge of a roof or balcony

  ricocheted – rebounding (off a surface, when something hits a surface and is flung back)

  Chapter 10

  murmured – words spoken softly

  indignantly – with scornful anger

  refuge – a shelter from danger

  embed – fix or insert

  Chapter 11

  torrential – great downpour of [rain]

  contorted – twisted out of normal shape

  flume – a channel of water

  apprentice – a person who is learning a trade

  Chapter 12

  roustabouts – casual labourers

  mortal – very great

  reluctant – unwilling

  aquaplaned – glide uncontrollably on a wet surface

  transparent – easily seen through

  plaque – an ornamental tablet fixed to a building to commemorate something

  unfurling – to become spread out

  tentatively – hesitantly

  willing – exercising willpower

  shards – broken pieces of glass or pottery

  abyss – deep or seemingly bottomless opening

  brink – suffering or danger

  Epilogue

  gullible – easily deceived

  The genre of the novel

  A novel is written in prose (full sentences) and tells a long story that is sometimes divided into chapters. In most novels we find a central theme. The most important elements of the novel are the

  characters

  events

  milieu

  Characters

  These can be people or animals in the story who do things and experience feelings. All characters in a story are not equally important, and we usually speak about main characters and minor characters. The main characters are also called round characters (they are described in detail and become well known to the reader), whereas the minor characters are also known as flat characters (they are not described in detail and remain in the background). We get to know characters through

  their words and thoughts

  what other characters say about them

  how they behave in different situations.

  The language a character uses should be true to that person and credible. That means the vocabulary, pronunciation and so forth should fit in with the character. Adults should not speak like children, and vice versa. Banal language can put the reader off.

  Events

  Events are all the actions, emotions and thoughts in the story. The sequence of events is carefully planned by the author so that the reader can get to know the characters. This is also done to add tension and to keep the reader interested.

  All events in the novel must have a specific function. Anything that does not contribute to the story should be left out.

  There are different types of novels, such as thrillers, science fiction, detective stories, and so forth. The novel is different from a drama, which is written to be performed on stage, and poetry, where the choice and use of every single word is important.

  Milieu

  The milieu includes

  Time: This refers to when (for example three o’clock on Tuesday, ten years ago, the future) and for how long (for example hours, days, years) the events
take place. Stories are often told chronologically – from the beginning to the end. Authors use different techniques to portray the behaviour of their characters:

  Flashback – going back into the past

  Disclosure – telling what will happen later on in the story

  Setting: This refers to the place or places where the characters experience the events. The use of well-known places makes the story very realistic.

  Background: This is used to refer to different periods in time and circumstances, and include time and setting.

  The function of the milieu:

  It makes the book credible.

  The reader learns more about different lifestyles.

  It provides some background to the central conflict in the story.

  It develops the theme of the story.

  The narrator

  The author chooses a narrator to tell the story. This person tells us what happens, and describes the setting and characters. The author is not the narrator. The narrator is the voice of the story. The narrator creates the setting in which the story takes place, tells how time passes and uses different ways to give the reader insight into a character’s feelings and observations.

  First-person narrator

  Characteristics:

  A first-person narrator is a character in the story – usually the main character.

  Words such as “I”, “we” and “my” are often used.

  This type of narrator creates the illusion of reality and credibility.

  This narrator only tells us about his/her own thoughts and experiences. So the reader is not given the perspective of any other charac­ters. This can increase the tension line and benefit the story.

  Third-person narrator

  Characteristics:

  A third-person narrator is not a character in the story and is therefore invisible.

  He or she refers to the characters by using their names or pronouns (“he”, “she” or “they”).

  This type of narrator is sometimes all-knowing and omnipresent (present everywhere).

  This narrator usually knows the characters better than they know themselves; the third-person narrator knows what they are thinking and planning, how they felt and what they are going to do.

  The reader gets to know the thoughts of all the characters.

  A glossary of literary terms

  Alliteration

  The repetition of a consonant.

  Anticlimax

  A build-up towards a dramatic event that suddenly changes and ends in a different way from what you had expected.

  Antithesis

  The use of opposing concepts together, for example life and death.

  Figurative language

  The pictures that an author paints in the reader’s imagination, for example “Pick the sun for me.” (Also see: simile, metaphor, personification.)

  Prejudice

  You are prejudiced when you believe certain things about a person, group, idea or matters that make it impossible to treat them fairly.

  Cliché

  Expressions used so often that the words lose their real meaning and power, for example the word “shame” no longer shows real sympathy.

  Ambiguity

  Using words or sentences in a way that can have different meanings, for example “to give someone a ring” can mean that you are calling the person on the tele­phone or that you are giving the person a ring to wear on their finger.

  Ellipsis

  A sentence that is not finished, indicated with three dots (…).

  Euphemism

  Expressing something that is seen as negative more gently or hiding it, for example calling death “the eternal sleep”.

  Genre

  A form of literature, such as poetry, novels, essays, film scripts.

  Hyperbole

  Intentionally exaggerating something to achieve a certain effect.

  Humour

  A fast, original and witty saying or remark.

  Idiomatic expressions

  Proverbs and idioms that have a different meaning from the individual words, for example “She lost her marbles” and “He’s off his rocker.”

  Plot

  A series of events that take the story in a certain direction and lead to a climax that is eventually solved.

  Irony

  When the opposite is said of what is meant, for example when you say to an unfriendly person “You really are so friendly.”

  Character

  Any being (usually a person or animal) in a story who speaks and has thoughts. A character we know well is called a rounded character, and the ones we know little about are flat characters.

  Caricature

  To exaggerate certain characteristics of a character, making the person look ridiculous.

  Onomatopoeia

  Words that sound like the object they name, for example “zip”, “boom” and “bang”.

  Conflict

  The battle, clash or problems that characters end up having with something or each other. Conflict can be internal (in thoughts) or external (in deeds).

  Contrast

  Things that differ but usually share one characteristic.

  Metaphor

  When two things are compared as in a simile, but without the words “as … as” or “like”, for example “When he kissed her, she was a tomato.” (She blushed and turned as red as a tomato.)

  Milieu

  This includes setting, time and background and is also a collective name that includes customs, clothing, places, objects, times in history, etcetera to create atmosphere in a story.

  Motif

  A motif is repeated during the course of a story, maybe in a different form every time. The motif emphasises the theme and helps to link the different parts of the story.

  Trigger moment

  An event that steers the story in a specific direction, for example when a character decides to do something unusual.

  Paradox

  When it seems as if two words don’t fit together, for example “She listens but doesn’t hear.”

  Personification

  When lifeless things, animals or plants are given human traits, for example “The haunted house glared at us.”

  Register

  The words, style and grammar that speakers and authors use. Official documents are written in a formal register, while a humorous register is usually used in a skit.

  Rhetoric question

  A question to which you don’t expect an answer, or that everyone knows the answer to, for example when there is a power failure and everyone asks, “What’s going on?”

  Sarcasm

  A nasty comment a speaker makes to hurt someone.

  Symbol

  An object or sign that represents something else (usually abstract), for example a heart for love and the colour red for romance.

  Stereotype

  A fixed and often prejudiced view of specific people, for example “dumb blondes”.

  Structure

  The way a text is constructed or put together.

  Theme

  The central idea or message in a novel. We discover this by asking, “What can I learn from this story?”

  Time

  This indicates when, during which era or at what time the story is set.

  Simile

  Comparing the similarity or differences between things and/or people by using the words “as … as” and “like”.

  Narrator

  The “voice” that tells the story.

  Narrative point of view

  The perspective from which the story is told. Is it an invisible narrator (third-person narrator) or is a first-person narrator telling the story?

  Pun

  A word used in a clever (and usually humorous way) to give it more than one meaning.

  A note to the teacher

  The reading process

  The reading process consists of pre-reading, reading and post-reading. Activities include
the following:

  Before reading

  Activate existing knowledge.

  Determine the source, author and date of publication.

  Read the first and last paragraphs of a section.

  Draw conclusions.

  During reading

  Take a break to test understanding of learners and allow ideas to sink in.

  Compare the contents with conclusions that have been drawn.

  Where possible, use the contents to determine the meaning of unknown words, otherwise a dictionary may be used.

  Readers must be able to visualise what is being read.

  Readers should continue reading, even if they don’t understand some parts.

  Readers reread the parts they didn’t understand at all. Read parts out loud and at a slower tempo if the contents are confusing.

  Readers may ask a friend to help them understand difficult parts.

  Make reading marks and notes on main points.

  Readers report back on what has been read.