It's back to school (see image) and hopefully everyone has read the books that we have assigned the students. I know a popular one this year is going to be Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. That is why I've started to create some materials on this work. The first page on this work went live today. It's called 'quote hunting', and it asks how we can guide students to the right passages in order to answer one of the prescribed questions for written task 2 (the critical response). 

I highly recommend Persepolis for several reasons:

• The worst reason first: It's originally in French and is on the Prescribed Literature in Translation (PLT). It will help you tick that box in case you know no other works on that list.

• The second to worst reason next: It's short, punchy, to the point, easily digestible and perfect for those students who do not like to read.

• In other words, it contains pictures. It's a graphic novel, which is a medium we all deserve to be exploring. The interplay between text and image is beautifully executed in Satrapi's master piece. If you haven't read it, you will be intrigued by the stark contrasts between blacks and whites, childhood innocence and the atrocities of war. 

• Satrapi gives us great insight into a world few of us know about. What do students know about Iran, the Islamic Revolution or the Iran / Iraq war in the 1980s? This book talks at their level as it shows a girl coming of age in the midst of this violence and religious fundamentalism. 

All in all it is a good read if you haven't checked it out already. There are reasons why it is so popular. Be sure to check out the new sample written task 2 on Persepolis to see how this work lends itself well to so many of the prescribed questions. And in case you're suffering from back to school stress just keep that image of young Marjane in mind. 'Everything will be alright...'