"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" written by Mark Haddon in 2003 won both The Whitbread Novel of the Year and the Overall Winner in 2004. It is narrated by a fifteen-year old boy with autism, who lives with his father in Swindon, England. We hope the intermediate students will enjoy this innovative novel and post their comments in this section.
Check out the webpage we have for this novel at our Website!
69 comentarios:
We´ve just started reading this novel and I think you´ll like it and won´t have any difficulty to understand the story. As it is narrated by a child the structure is very simple: subject + verb + object, perhaps the vocabulary is too colloquial, but don´t worry if you do not understand everything.
What do you think of the beginning? Has it grabbed your attention?
Hello,
I'm not in your class but I just wanted to wish you a nice time reading this book. I did it some time ago and I enjoyed it very much!
Ana 3B
Dear Cristina,
what a wonderful coincidence! I have also chosen this book for Intermediate 1 at Carabanchel and I was searching the web when I found out you were doing the same. We're meant to work together!This is wonderful reading in fact! Style is not too difficult but has interesting vocabulary on moods and metaphors in English which I am exploiting in class with the help of the book. I enjoy it so much because I had a student suffering from Asperger Syndrome (which is very close to autism but not exactly the same) some time ago when I was teaching at a Secondary school. Miss you lots. Please give all my love and kindest regards to all the gang there and forget my being nosey!
Hello:
I am in Cristina's class. When she told us that we had to read this book I thought it was going to be quite boring. Usually I don´t read bestsellers, I prefer to read clasical books. But now that we have begun to read it, I have change my mind, (not my opinion about betseller)and I am enjoing it.
I´m reading this book at the moment, but I don´t like it very much. I think it´s very strange. I think it is much more better to read a classical book. The other year we had to read The Thirty Nine Steps, and I didn´t enjoy it. I think that the version that we had to read was too much simple and easy, it was been better to read the original book, not an adaptation.
What a nice surprise! I´m very happy to hear from you, Ana, we also miss you and wish you all the best in Carabanchel. As for the book, I´m not sure if it´s been the best choice, as you can see from the last posts it´s really difficult to please everybody.
"Anónimos", will you please say your name and group? It will be easier to address you. I also prefer the classics to a bestseller, but as this is the novel the department has chosen for this year we must make the best of it.
I agree with the first "anónimo" that the book is not boring and you´ll learn lots of colloquial expressions that are used nowadays.
I´m sorry for the second "anónimo"
it´s true that the book is a bit "strange", being narrated by a child, including graphics and charts, using prime numbers for the chapters. I hope that as we go further with the reading you´ll enjoy it.
As for the child, Christopher, what do you think of his reaction to the policeman´s questioning? And the policeman? How would you describe the way he treated Christopher?
I´m Rose.
It´s true that the book is very useful to learn colloquial expressions, but I think that, if you are studying English, you need to read the classic English authors, and it is not easy do it for your own, specially if you are in a pre or intermidiate level.
I´m Rose again.
I say that because I think that a book it is not the better way to learn colloquial English. I think for that it´s better watch movies or TV programs, or hear songs in English, which are usually recent and reflects better the real life. Books are better to learn the literature and the formal (the correct) uses. And I think that if you are learning a foreign language is important know its literature.
Rose,I absolutely agree with you,but as I said in my previous post this what we have this year. The rest of the courses, intermediate 2 and advanced 1 and 2are reading classical authors and enjoying them. I think that by reading O.Wilde J. Austen or E. Bronte ,students can get a highly profitable and enjoyable experience, and when they leave the school they´ll always remember the insight into the culture and literature of Britain they have gained.
However, I insist that we must make the best of what we have, and that´s why I´d like you to comment on the novel we are reading. Rose, you could answer the questions I posed in my last post, it will give you the chance to practise the language we learnt in yesterday´s chapters.
Hi everybody, I´m María, a "fifth". I don´t know very well what your course is (with the strange change EOI has suffered, you know). As you have seen (if not, I´ll tell you), it´s difficult to join in the blogs, to participite every day or every week, in order to improve our English. The most important thing is that you are motivated, in every single way. If you are interested, you´ll post your comments regularly, for sure. And that depends on your effort. Sometimes it´s difficult (in this case, it´s because some of you doesn´t like the novel), but you all must try, because you know you need English and want to learn it.
Rose, I also agree with you as for the importance of reading classics to learn English accurately, both grammar and culture, a perfect way of writing. If you want to read some classic, you could take Jane Eyre, which is the novel fifths are reading. You´ll be very welcome in our thread!! I have to fly. Bye!
I'm surprised at the short-sighted reactions to a Reading Proposal by an English Department (which is full of outstanding professionals). I think it's wonderful there are free language schools where teachers take the trouble of making Reading proposals, and also the trouble and the extra hours of working also on-line! Obviously, there is no work that will please all, but that shouldn't imply playing down such a positive event.
What's the use of learning a language if you are unwilling and unable to open your mind to other people, to other worlds? Not that autism is something we know a lot about, far less from a teenager's point of view! Learning about how an autist sees the world (and for literature lovers, learning how art can depict life) is a great chance to expand horizons!
It's a pity the people who are interested in the book haven't posted much! Let's see if they join in! Anyway, dear teachers and students who are taking part in this activity, in both schools, and elsewhere (for more people loved this book, or found it interesting): congratulations for your work! Enjoy it and tell us about it, please! :)
Hello everybody! I´m Ana (M y J 18:00-20:00). I hope you can understand me. I loved this book. I couldn´t stop to read it. I think it is a good book and Christopher seem to me an adorable child. He remembered to me my nephew Luis who is very intelligent but fortunately he hasn´t any illness. Also, we have the opportunity to hear his voice in class and it is more funny. I would like to encourage to everybody to read this book because in the next chapters it is more interesting and surprising.
See you on Tuesday! Good weekend!
Hello, I´m Rose again.
I´m agree with María. It is no easy to join every day to the blogs.
Respect the subject of reading classic litterature, there are no much english books in spanish libraries, and the books in english are imported and usually expensive. I have read several classic books in English, but it was not very easy. I had read the Poe´s poems, some of the William Blake´s Poems, Mazzeppa by Lord Byron, Keats´ Poems, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and some others more. I have seen a lot of movies in original version.
Dakota, thanks for your support, it´s a pity you´re not in our school any longer,we miss you a lot, but thanks to the blog and the web page we can still feel your presence.
Ana, I´m glad you´re enjoying the book,I hope more students decide to join us and send their comments, a lot of thrill and excitement lies ahead.You said that Christopher REMINDS you of your nephew, in what way? It would be very interesting to know what our protagonist , being autistic, has in common with other children.
Rose, you haven´t said anything about Christopher yet.
Hello, I´m Rose.
I don´t know any authistic person, so I think I cannot say much about Chris. And I don´t know, I think, a such clever person. But don´t I think that a people like Chris be really very clever. I think he´s only very strange. It´s a pity...
And about the tapes, I don´t think he has a such nice voice. It´s childish. A nice voice is, for me, for example, Richard Burton´s voice. But it´s true that the pronunciation of the boy is fine and very good.
However, I´m still reading this book.
Check out the Activities - Literature section at the Department's Website! :)
Well,Michelle,again and again I have to thank you for all you do for us.I´ve just read and watched and listened to all the stuff you have included in the literature section of the Department´s Website and it´s fantastic. I strongly recommend everybody to check it out, it´s a great help to understand this book which has generated very strong reactions among readers. I hope it motivates students to keep on reading it and post their comments.
Thanks again.
Hi
I'm in a Cristina's class. At the beginning this book didn't like me because I'd like read a classic book this year. But now, while I am reading, the book has got grabbe my attention. I'm discovering many things about autistic person. It's very interesting to me. I think Christopher is very special boy and we can learn a lot about many question with him
Hello
I´m also in Cristina class, and i want to say that the book we are reading is very interesting. I also prefer classic books, but I think taht in this level is better read something actual, because it will be easier for us. I have had to read many times "The Hound of Baskerville" in differents english schools, and even I think it´s a very interesting book, it was prepared to the intermediate level, and I think it lost all the interest. So I agree with the decission of the Department
Regards
I´d like to welcome Olimpia and Anónimo to the blog. I´m glad you´re enjoying the novel despite not being a classic novel.You´ll see that are still many things to dicover in this book, besides it will provide you with an interesting insight into present England.
Olimpia, your comment is very good but remember that it´s "I didn´t like the book" not "the book didn´t like me".
Anónimo, remember that adjectives don´t have plural form, it´s "different schools".
Keep posting, it will help you to improve your English.
Hi!
My name is Sonia and I'm in Cristina class too. This book is one of the best I read because it's special for me. As somebody said in this bog, I had a pupil at secondary school with the same problem (asperger syndrome)and if there is a illness which can be described exactly, that is. I read two books about that to know better my pupil and I can say that it's a cross between autism and a person with an incredible intelligence. An article talks about a boy who learnt danish by reading "The little prince" in this language.
I miss a lot my pupil! I knew a lot of from him and I specially remember as he could not to understand methafors at class.
I felt a great hapiness when I started to read the book!
Welcome to the blog, Sonia.I´m very glad to see you´re enjoying the book,you seem to understand Christopher much better than other readers since you can compare his behaviour to your pupil´s. In the novel Christopher is attending a school for special children, is that your case? It must be really difficult to teach children with different mental conditions as you don´t always know what their reactions will be.
I hope you keep posting your comments and tell us more about your experience with children with the same condition as the protagonist in our novel. It will be very good for your English and illustrating for the readers of the blog.
Remember that the infinitive after "could" does not take "to".
Hello everybody!
I'm Africa and I'm in Cristina's class too.
About the book, in general, I think that it's fantastic. It show us how think an "autistic" boy at the same time we can learn a lot of colloquial words.
The grammar is easy and his voice is very sweet.
But, this blog is to speak about the pages that we are reading yet,or only about the book in general?
I don't know. Cristina, can you answer my question?.
Thanks.
Hello, it´s me again, Rosa.
Do you think that not be able to speak to your teacher it´s be intelligent? And do you think that know all the things about the Apollo Expedietions it´s to be intelligent? I don´t think so. I think that know that kind of things it´s only be informated, wich it´s not the same that be intelligent, or clever.
I had read more of the book. And I think that the way of doing Chris his research it´s, al less, vary curious.
I hope see you soon.
Africa, I´m very happy to know you´re also enjoying the book.This blog is a very useful tool to express your opinions and improve your writing skills. You can write about what we´ve read so far, or about any idea you come up with after reading the novel.The only advice I´d like to give you is not to disclose parts of the novel we haven´t read in class yet as it might spoil the thrill for other readers.
Rosa,I´m not of the same opinion as you about intelligence.In my view, someone who knows so much about the Apollo expeditions, prime numbers, and is able to make mathematical calculations in such a short time must be intelligent, not only fully informed.
I,m Rosa. Good Evening.
I think that be intelligent, or clever, its not the same that have a lot of knowledge that you have adquired. If you can do things with prime numbers, or know the history of Apollo missions, is because you have had known, by reading that in a book, for example, or somebody has had taught you (I am not sure of the way of say this, I´m sorry). Me, for example, I know very well the things about the Appolo Missions, because I love Astronomy, but it´s because I had read it, not for other reason, if I had not read, I won´t know that. And I don´t think I´m really very clever. You see, I think that be clever is know how to do a talk, get an interesting conversation, say your opinions as they are, exactly, but, without made someone feels offended, or feel bad, how to behave in the different places or situations, be able of answer a lot of different questions... I don´t know how I can say this better in English. And my keyboard doesn´t work very well.
I hope you get better soon.
Thanks Rosa. I see what you mean, being intelligent involves more than just having knowledge, but I still think that someone like Christopher, who is so good at understanding complicated mathematical formulae,and is able to remember everything he´s read and can talk about it must be intelligent.
As for your English,it´s improving with the practice you get by writing comments on this blog,you can express your ideas very clearly, it´s a pity that not everybody in class does the same.... and I do think you are clever, you should be more self-confident.
However, there are some mistakes I´d like you to draw you attention to:
-I think that "be" intelligent....
-..because you "have had known" by reading..or somebody "has had taught" you
-if I had not read I "won´t know"..
-without"made" someone "feels" offended..
The words in inverted commas are wrong, can you correct them?
Hi all.
I am also in Cristina's class and I think the book is nice.
During the reading I have noticed that when the child do an enumeration, he says "and" between the enumerated things instead of commas. I don't know if it is right or is a special characteristic of the child.
Good Evening, I´m Rosa.
There is a kind of intelligence which is called Emotional Intelligence. Now, it´s very fashionable, and a lot of books have been wroten about it. In the enterprises and in the laboral relations, specially, is a thing that is very spoken. The major books about that has been wroten by Daniel Goleman. The book, Emotional Intelligence, Social and Emotional learning, has been a really success and a best- seller. I think it´s important have knowledges, but it´s important to know how you can use them in your life
Thanks for your advice.
I, m Rosa.
I think the first mistake is "be intelligent", it must be "being intelligent".
I don´t know what is the right form for the second.
The right form for the next is, probably, "make someone feel offended".
Good Evening and good recovering.
Welcome to the blog, Miguel.I´m glad you also like the book and hope you post more comments about the novel.As for the numbers, in British English, "and" is normally used before the last two figures(tens and units).In American English, this is unusual.
Ex. 645 six hundred and forty-five(US:six hundred forty-five)
Rose, very interesting information about emotional intelligence. I´ll try to find out about the book "written" (not wroten) by Daniel Goleman, it must be worth reading it.
You were right in the correction of the first mistake, the others:
"you have had known" is "you have known"
"somebody has had taught" is "somebody has taught" remember the present perfect is: have/has + past participle.
"if I had not read I won´t know" is "if I had not read I wouldn´t know".
Hi, I´m Jimena
I have written before in the blog, but I chose de "anonimo" option, and I didn´t put my name. I´m sorry for that
I want to talk here about authism. I think is a very important mental illness, and people don´t know very well how it is. I saw a TV program that talked about this boys and girls. It said that in the 60s ot 70s ther was a doctor who said that the mother of an authism child is the only guilty of their illness. This theory was accepted for many years, until other doctor could say that it was wrong.
This boys and girls was educated in special centers, and was treated as crazy persons.
Now I think is very different, but still many people don´t understand this illness very well
Very good comment, Jimena, only remember that "boys and girls" is plural:- "these" boys and girls "were" educated...
I can´t understand how a doctor can blame a mother for an illness her child has been born with.It´s true that we don´t know much about this illness and we don´t know how to treat these children.I think they don´t go to special schools any more, but I´m not sure if this is the best option.It must be very difficult to teach them at the same pace as other children as some of them, like the protagonist of our novel, seem to be more intelligent for their age and may need more attention to develop their skills.
Should they attend ordinary or special schools?
I´m Rosa, Good Morning.
I think it´s very difficult to educate those boys in normal schools, but, it could be useful in order of make easier their adaptation to the world.
In the book, Chris said that he want to be astronaut, when he will be bigger.
I don´t think that he could achieve that, because autism is a very serious disable, and the tests for being an astronaut are very hard, but I think he could be a excellent engineer, or scientifist. He could be the man that is in the spacial staion, in the Earth Base (as Cabo Cañaveral), performing the results and data provided by the spacial probe, or the spacial ship that could be in the Moon, or in Mars. I think he could do that very well.
Hello every body
I'm Rachel. It's de first time I write here. I read the book very long time ago, in spanish. My boss gave me like a present one day. When I started to read it I thought that she gave me it becouse I couldn't read books for adults, whith a litle bit of dificult. But when I finished it I liked very much.
Now, in english, I think that the expresions are changed to fit them our level. But It's the first english book I can read without go to the dictionary all time.
Rosa, you´re right,autism is a very serious disability and Christopher wouldn´t make a good astronaut, but as you say he would probably be fit to perform tasks which involve calculations and data managing.Anyway,I guess that it must be really hard to become an astronaut, apart from the training they must have special qualities, physical condition and perhaps qualifications.
Some sentences I´d like to draw your attention to:
...in order to + infinitive.
..he wantS to be ...when he + present tense(you can´t use "will" after "when" in this sentence).
Raquel,I´m glad you like the book and you can understand the vocabulary as we are reading the unabridged version,it has not had any words removed from it.
Remember that you must use a capital letter at the beginning of nationalities: English, Spanish.
Hi everybody, I'm Laura A.
I can't go to the next class that's why I will say Happy X-mas and new year!
About the book, I have read until page 64. I would like to say that I love it the capter 61 when Christ are going to do some detective job and the conversation with Mrs Alexander. It's so curious to me to know that there is a kind of food with special colour that Christ can't eat. In my opinion this book bring us an opportunity to understand autistic people. Autism are a very complex illness.
Regards,
Laura A.
Hi again,
Cristina I have a question.
What does mean "let's rustle up som tucker"? It's on page 55.
I hope you get better soon.
Laura A.
Hi!
I´m Sonia and I was reading your opinions and sometimes we forget these boys are not autistic properly. For Christ,being an astronaut is very dificult but he is clever than most of people. The boy I know goes at a "normal" secondary school because Spanish law says that about pupils with "Special Needs" if possible. He is happy with his classmates and they with him. When this pupil arrived to my former school, we were very worried about him because his problem but as he went with children he knows everything was okey.
In my opinion I´m sure Chirst is very intelligent and we have a great oportunity of learning from him reading the book. Is not intelligent don´t worry about a person who is not in our life?
Cristina, I hope you´re getting better.
Thanks for your "get better" wishes.
Laura, the expression:"let´s rustle up some tucker" is colloquial and means:"let´s improvise a meal".I also find chapter 61 very interesting, specially when Christopher explains why he thinks that heaven doesn´t exist, and that people believe in heaven because(1) they don´t like the idea of dying,(2) they want to carry on living and
(3) they don´t like the idea that other people will move into their house and put their things into the rubbish.I´d never thought of the third reason but I guess he´s right, we become sentimentally attached to our things.
Laura,remember third person singular:..."when Christ IS going to do..." ..."the book bringS us ....."
Sonia,I don´t really know the difference between autistic behaviour and Asperger´s syndrome, but I agree with you that Christopher is very intelligent, he has a logical mind and sees things very clearly in spite of having problems to adapt to some situations.
Some small corrections:..."he´s MORE CLEVER/CLEVERER than most people"......"arrive AT my school"
.."is it not intelligent NOT TO WORRY about".....
Good Morning, I´m Rosa.
I´m sorry, but I am not agree with Sonia. I think that if you are not able of mean about the other people, you have a very seroius problem, because you don´t know how to make relations with othe other people. If you are not able to live with the people, with who or what are you able to live with? We can not live with the animals, although the people are bad. And the people which Chris doesn´t care is in his live, not out.
Hi, I am Rose.
In other order of things, I think that Chris doesn´t have imagination. He has an amazing ability for seeing things, and analyse them, but it seems that he is inable of imagine things. I don´t think that doesn´t have imagination were be clever. Animals doesn´t have imagination. Chris only believes in the things that he can see, so he doesn´t believe in heaven, or hell. Because we have imagination, we have an ability of anticipation. The cleverest people are usally the most imaginative too.
Good Evening, I´m Rosa.
I have read the part in the book in which Chris has a talk with the old neighbor -I think her name was Mrs, Alexander-, and she talk him a little secret about his mother. and I think that it´s getting more and more interesting, like this blog.
You´re right Rosa, the story is getting more and more interesting ,and you´ll discover unexpected things about Christopher´s mother.You still think he´s not intelligent but wait and see how he manages in the next chapters, he will be able to overcome difficult situations using his logic and common sense, which is something not all "normal" people can do.
A few corrections:
....I (am not agree) don´t agree ......
...he is (inable of) unable to imagine....
..animals (doesn´t) don´t have imagination...
Good night
Good Morning, I´m Rosa.
I haven´t said thar Chris is not intelligent, or stupid. But I think that he is not as intelligent as he seems. It´s true that he is very good at Maths, or Astronomy, which are not easy, but there are a lot af things that he can not do, at les, as we, the "normal people", can do.
I'm Rachel.
I wrote one but I think it lost. There I said that it's important that children have dreams like Chris. All chlidren need to have dreams like be astronaut or doctor or futbol player or ... becouse when you grow you can proove that the real life is different. Chris is 15 years old and it's a complicated person but he can make things that i can't (like know the primary numbers).
Welcome to the blog, Raquel,I hope you write more often.It´s true that all children should dream about the future, but unfortunately things have changed, I see that children don´t use their imagination as they used to because they are not given the chance to do so, with the sophisticated toys, tv programs, computers and out of school activities they don´t need to think about anything.It´s a shame,they are not experiencing real childhood and they will regret it one day.A few corrections:
...it got lost ( not "it lost" -to lose- is a transitive verb and needs a direct object)
...dreams like being an...
( not "like be"-like- is a preposition and is followed by a noun or -ing)
What did you dream of when you were a child? Did you want to have the job you have now?
Hello, I´m Rosa.
I am still reading the book of The Curious Incident... but a I´m reading now too a new book. Unfortunately is in Spanish, but I would want to read it in English if I can find it and it´s not expensive. The writer is Raymond Chandler, and author whose books I love, I have read The big Sleep (and I had saw the film in English, with Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart), The Lady in the Lake and The High Window. Now I´m reading Farewell My Lovely. I say this because there are detective stories, like The Curious Incident. But I prefer much more Philip Marlowe than Christopher, the boy. It´s for me the ultimate detective character. Better than Sherlock Holmes, better than Joseph Rouletabille, than Chevalier Dupin, Philo Vance, Sam Spade and many others.
Hello Cristina.
This is the third message I write. Thank your for the corrections you made. When I was a child I liked being many things. One I changed it was have many children but many like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt but now I can see it's vary difficult. You need time, and money too. Whith one or two... to me the best it's tree but...
Like Rosa I am reading El viaje del Elefante of Saramago. It's the first book I read of him. But there is a italian writer I like very much. He is Andrea Camilleri. He has many books about an inspector of police in Sicilia: Montalvano. He is very sarcastic and funny.
I wonder all of you have a nice Chritsmas time and enjoy
Raquel
Hellow and merry Cristmas for all.
How are you, Cristina?
While reading the book I started thinking about the book's writter and it seems that he knows very well how an autistic child's mind works, don't you think so? How does he do it?
Hello Miguel
Christofer has the Asperger Syndrome. The witter worked with children with this ill when he was younger. I read that this experience could help him to create the charater of Chris.
Raquel
Hi,
I'm Laura A.
I'm reading and reading the book and I can't stop. It was really a surprise for me when I read the letter, not only because the letter come from this person, also because the address sender was the same street that I was living in 1997. In Chapter Road, Willesden Green, and the letter is also the same year. What a coincidence!
London it's so huge for that coincidence. Thank goodness it's not the same house if not I'll scare.
Regards,
/Laura A.
hello everybody!and happy new year!I'm Irene and I'm in Cristina's class too.I want to comment the chapter 73, where Christopher talked about his behavioural problems and it made me think that maybe everybody can also do a list with our "behavioural problems"(I hope less important than Christopher's problems). For exemple, I'm a bit maniac person, and I always check if I have closed the door or the tap many times, etc.
About the book and about Christopher's problems I think that, despite of his autism, he hasn't a easy life (the dead of his Mother, his father gets drunk...)and I think thant all these things can do that Cristopher's problems get bigger.
(sorry for my faults)
I´m glad some of you keep posting during the holidays.Sorry, Raquel, I didn´t know the previous posts were yours, I thought they were somebody else´s.As for your dreams of having many children, no wonder you´ve decided against it, bringing up a big family is hard today although it brings you happiness, specially on these days when you gather them around the table.
I didn´t know that the writer had worked with autistic children before writing this novel, as Miguel says, he seems to know Christopher´s mind very well. I guess most writers try to be documented so that they can reach their readers´ interest.
Laura,it´s absolutely amazing!!!
Life is full of coincidences but the same year and the same street in such a big city is really surprising.
I hope you all enjoy New Year´s Eve and wish you all the best.
Hi I'm Aurora from Cristina class and this is my commentary about The curious incident of the dog in the night-time.
The book is funny and sad.
Sometimes I laugh because the boy has a funny logic, for example, his theory about stars and numbers.
However, it is hard for his parents to cook for him because he can´t eat yellow or brown things, only red and green food.
He doesn´t go to places where there are too many people because nobody can touch him. His parents can neither cuddle nor kiss him, only touch him with their fingers.
So this book makes me think that it is very difficult to live with an autistic person.
For that reason this book is sad although I am not depressed when I read it.
Very interesting comment, Irene,making a list of our behavioural problems could certainly be helpful.Psychologists say that writing down our phobias and manias can help us to get rid of them and can be a good therapy.Christopher´s problems are more difficult to overcome, his parents´ situation is hard enough for anybody, let alone an autistic boy.
A few corrections:
"...despite his autism" not "despite OF his autism"
"...can make Christopher´s
problems get bigger" not ".. can DO THAT Christopher´s problems get bigger...
Aurora, a well written comment. It´s true that the story is sad but also tender and we learn a lot about how Christopher being autistic can cope with difficult situations.
hello I´m in Cristina´s class and I wish you a happy 2009.
About the curious incident of the dog in the night-time,I think that is a funny book but this is the first english book that I read and sometimes if I want to understand the meaning of a page,I have to read twice or three times the same page so in my opinion it had better read a spanish book next year Cristina ;) although I´m sure that this is only my opinion.
Christopher is 15 and he has a problem(Asperger´s Syndrome).I think that Christopher´s irony prove intelligent in spite of his short age and for this reason this book is entertaining for an adult although a little sad.
Also I think that when we listen Christopher´s voice in class this book is sadder than this book when we read at home.
Bye
Luis intermediate 1-E
Luis,don´t despair if you don´t understand all the words, you´re doing well and reading in English will help you to improve, I hope when you finish this book you will start a new one in ENGLISH. Reading is not only useful to learn a language, it also provides entertainment.You seem to be enjoying the book and I´m sure that the more you read the more you will like it. Christopher will live interesting experiences and will show us many things about life which will surprise us.
Hi, I'm Maria Eugenia, from Cristina's class.
I'm enjoying this book because though it treats the Christopher's problem, the way that he explains things makes him more sweet, and I think it can be similar with autistic children, they need a lot of attention and patience, but they get to be more loved. You can see that in all the “Behavioural Problems” that tells in chapter 73. And I like the way he describes his familiar situation, and combines it with mathematical problems, but I don't understand the jokes at all, like Christopher, I don't find it funny. But I'm finding this book more entertaining than the last year's book, The Thirty Nine Steps.
Well, I'll see you at school soon, I hope the new year will be better for everybody.
Hi, I’m Cristina and i’m in Cristina’s class too. This is the first time I wrote. I read completely the book at Christmas. I enjoyed it and I think is a good book for learning English because the vocabulary is very useful and the history grips you. The worst part is the final because it seems a bit boring and typical. I like the parents because they aren’t a typical perfect family like in the American’s films: they argued like in the real life. Sometimes Chris scared me. His mind and his behavior are very logical and it seems he hasn’t feelings. But other times I like his comments and his points of view about the world.
See you this afternoon!!
I´m glad you all seem to like the book, it´s really difficult to please everybody when it comes to choosing reading matter. At the beginning of the course there were more complaints about the book because most students said they prefer classic books but now the more you get to know Christopher the more interested you get in the novel.
Mª Eugenia, I don´t find the jokes funny either, first because they lack a context and secondly because English sense of humor is different, although sometimes I prefer it to ours.
A few corrections: "Christopher´s problem" not "the"Christopher´s...
.."sweeter" not "more sweet"
Cristina,how fast you´ve read the book! Good! but please do not disclose the end so that the rest
don´t lose interest. It´s true that Christopher´s family is not the typical one we see in films, but his parents are not far from real life examples.
As for the child´s feelings,it´s also difficult for me to discover them, sometimes he seems so cold and distant when he relates his problems that we don´t know if he´s talking about himself or somebody else,perhaps this is due to his condition, autism.
A few corrections:"It´s the first time I´ve written" not I "wrote"
PLEASE, GO TO THE FILM CLUB!
Thank you.
WE HAVE A CONTEST ON THE FILM CLUB!!!
Hello, I'm Pilar. (interm C)
At the begining I told you that I prefered classical books and now I think the same, but I admit that to read this book is usfull.
About the content of the book: It's true that Cristopher is a special boy, but I think that he is spoiled. For example, when he was with his mother in a shop center and there were a lot of people, he became sick. But when he is alone in the train station and he knows that anybody is devoted to him, he invents a game in his mind and he is able to
buy a ticket to London on his own.
I have not finished the book, but I am willing to do it,although sometimes he makes me lose the rang.
See you in class.
Please, visit the film club.
I´m Rosa. I already have read the book, and for me it´s finished. I have said about it all I think I have to said. I´m reading again some parts.
I´m glad to see you are enjoying the novel despite not being a classical one.As for Christopher being spoiled,I´m not so sure,Pilar,I think he´s unpredictable sometimes.It´s true that he coped very well in the train station and it was a really hard situation for a child with his condition, but perhaps he managed out of sheer necessity.However, in the shopping centre he was with his mother and his reaction was more similar to any other child´s, just behaving in an unreasonable and angry way when they don´t like something.
Rosa, now you´ve finished the book you could give us your opinion,Was it a good choice for intermediate students? Would you recommend it? Did you find it difficult to understand?Did you enjoy it?
I´m glad to see you are enjoying the novel despite not being a classical one.As for Christopher being spoiled,I´m not so sure,Pilar,I think he´s unpredictable sometimes.It´s true that he coped very well in the train station and it was a really hard situation for a child with his condition, but perhaps he managed out of sheer necessity.However, in the shopping centre he was with his mother and his reaction was more similar to any other child´s, just behaving in an unreasonable and angry way when they don´t like something.
Rosa, now you´ve finished the book you could give us your opinion,Was it a good choice for intermediate students? Would you recommend it? Did you find it difficult to understand?Did you enjoy it?
hello, I'm Pilar
Please, Rosa don't tell us nothing about the end of the book. Give me few days for finishing.
I suppose that you can coment other things, other chapters or ideas in general, about the book.
Thank you very much.
Hi! Last year I read this book in my class of the EOI but also I read it in the school, so I can tell you that it's very real book, and very easy to read it.
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