Overview mahtabs story library guides at mentone girls. However, it remains compelling because gleesons choice to relay the story through the eyes of a young girl lends the book emotive thrust, allowing it to challenge the stereotypes and preconceptions the reader may harbour, however unconsciously. Read mahtab s story by libby gleeson available from rakuten kobo. She felt hungryfor water, for her father, for her grandmother, her aunts and uncles, for the trees in the back yard, the cabinet on the wall, the silver and glass objects so lovingly collected, for her mountains, the jagged peaks that cut the sky. Despite its simplicity, untouchable is a powerful work that exposed the dehumanizing contradictions and systematic oppressions inherent in indias stratified society. The novels format is very simpleit follows the day in the life of an untouchable, a member of indias lowest social caste. Libby gleeson wrote this book being inspired by a true story. Try to describe the theme in a sentence rather than a single word. The story opens with the hint of a tragedy about to befall a young unmarried woman, anahita.
Describe what mahtabs life in afghanistan was like before the taliban. Mahtabs story is a novel about escaping from an oppressive government, a dangerous ocean voyage, living in detention, and the bravery of a young girl. When mahtab s family decide to migrate elsewhere they are put in many dangerous situations. A heartfelt story about the true meaning of family, the tiffin by mahtab narsimhan gives insight into the colourful world of india. One day while out with her best friend she meets ashkan who has recently come back to iran after being away for years. In studying the mahtabs story, students should have learned about the issues of asylum seekers and refugees, developed an understanding of the texts structure, themes and techniques, and engaged in creative responses to literature. Dec 16, 2011 the tiffin by mahtab narsimhan dancing cat books 176 pp. Stay connected to your students with prezi video, now in microsoft teams. Her debut novel, the third eye dundurn, 2007, the first of the tara trilogy, won the silver birch fiction award in 2009. In 1984, 5yearold mahtob mahmoody and her mother, betty, found themselves trapped in iran by their abusive father and husband, sayed mahmoody. Short stories often have just one theme, whereas novels usually have multiple themes.
Mahtab s story is situated within a subgenre of journey and survival narratives specifically focused upon the experiences of refugee and asylum seeker child protagonists. About the story mahtabs story is the story of a young girl who escapes from afghanistan and makes a long and dangerous journey to australia to seek refuge. When your child gets invested in a certain character, theyll be more likely to pick up subsequent books in a series. Ask students to consider the impact of this shift and what reasons the author may have had for changing the tense of the story as the journey is coming to an end. Tehran moonlight is the story of mahtab, she s a young girl living with her family who are very traditional in their way of thinking and up bringing.
Youtube video only teachers will be able to access it. The protagonist of the novel is a young girl named mahtab. Tehran moonlight is the story of mahtab, shes a young girl living with her family who are very traditional in their way of thinking and up bringing. The tiffin by mahtab narsimhan the tiffin is an beautifully crafted story about a young boy full of courage, integrity and hope written by bombayborn mahtab narsimhan. Parents will love the educational element and the caring message, and im sure children will love trying to read new. Away novel highlights may be more memorable than the characters. During this time mahtab has to be responsible for her brother and sister on many occasions. Mahtabs story by libby gleeson and parvana by deborah ellis published as the breadwinner outside australia both look at the harsh life under the taliban in afghanistan the same regime that jamal and bibi were living under at the beginning of boy overboard. Filled with a colorful cast of characters and presented in a bewitching voice that mingles the rhythms of eastern storytelling with modern western prose, a teaspoon of earth and sea is a tale about memory and the importance of controlling ones own fate. Mahtabs story by libby gleeson jfgle the vivid and compelling story of a young girl fleeing afghanistan with her family and their journey to australia. Considering the limited knowledge and understanding of what the family would experience after leaving afghanistan.
Mahtabs story by libby gleeson 9781741753349 booktopia. Suggested book titles that relate to the theme belonging. She felt hungryfor water, for her father, for her grandmother, her aunts and uncles, for the trees. The vivid and compelling story of a young girl fleeing afghanistan with her family and their journey to australia. Along with his family, they face numerous challenges as. As the plot progresses, mahtab must increasingly call upon her inner resourcefulness and bravery to endure the difficulties she faces. This compelling novel by one of australias bestloved childrens authors is based on. Hungry for water, for her father, for her grandmother, her aunts and uncles, for the trees in the back yard, the. Libby gleeson ao is a popular and highly acclaimed writer who has published over twenty books for children and teenagers, including eleanor, elizabeth, iam susannah, dodger, love me, love me not and the hannah series.
A theme of a story is woven all the way through the story, and the characters actions, interactions, and motivations all reflect the story s theme. Books to read on world refugee day reading australia. The tiffin by mahtab narsimhan, is a story about a 12yearold boy, kunal, an orphan who works in a dhaba a. Would you and your family have embarked on that journey. Mahtabs story depicts a young girl that is seeking to flee from her country afghanistan, together with her family due to continued persecutions. Born in young, new south wales, she is one of six children, the sister of former abc tv washington correspondent michael gleeson, and the mother of home and away actress jessica tovey and sydney morning herald journalist josephine tovey. Choose words, sentences or extracts from the text to share one at a time with students,for example in the beginning of chapter 1.
May 08, 2020 short stories often have just one theme, whereas novels usually have multiple themes. By mirroring mahtabs own thought processes the book unfolds piece by piece making the action real and mahtabs experiences even more harrowing. Importantly, the novel also shows us that these people are so much more than just boat people a term used to flatten and deidentify asylum seekers when they arrive on our shores. Buy a discounted paperback of mahtabs story online from australias leading online. With timely immediacy, this novel highlights the plight of a family fleeing afghanistan after persecution by the taliban, narrated by 12yearold mahtab. Mahtab narsimhan was born in mumbai, india, and immigrated to canada in 1997.
The tiffin by mahtab narsimhan amys marathon of books. Share a variety of book bits from the novel with the students. This compelling novel by one of australias bestloved childrens authors is. Mahtabs story is an exhilerating novel about mahtab the main character and her family. A theme of a story is woven all the way through the story, and the characters actions, interactions, and motivations all reflect the storys theme. Surprisingly, there are moments of humour between the characters during the truck journey.
Theres the stories that saba tells about mahtab that actually reflect the state of her own life. If you have read parvana you might like this book as it is adapted. Libby gleeson themes within the book identity separation courage literature. Compare the style to other books the students may have read as a class or other books that they. Her books for teenagers include eleanor, elizabeth, i am susannah, dodger, love me, love me not and refuge. What are the characters in anas story a journey of hope. Growing up, iran of course, friendship, love, and inevitably storytelling. Her latest young adult release, mahtabs story, was published in 2008 and was launched at auburn library by the governor of nsw, professor marie bashir. Deborah ellis kept me turning pages and holding my breath. Was the loss of family, home and familiarity worth the arduous journey to the unknown. A searingly honest story about separation, journeys and unbearable injustice. Jun 06, 2019 book informationprimary resource secondary mahtabs story, by libby gleeson. Empty, as if her flesh and blood, her energy, that kept her breathing and running, thinking and talking, was gone.
The persuasive writing genre is used in parallel so that students might obtain an understanding of how language features can be used for emphasis and how specific details can be applied to support a point of view. The classic childrens story told from the perspective of a horse. Libby gleesons novel provides a glimpse into the lives of those who arrive by boat, through the eyes of a young afghani girl named mahtab. This is what makes mahtabs story particularly powerful. A teaspoon of earth and sea is a warm story about many things. See more ideas about book characters dress up, character dress up and book character costumes. Dear libby gleeson, i thought your book, mahtabs story, was amazingly written. Bookbairn the book s message makes it applicable to any child and the icing on the cake is the colourful illustration filled with speech bubbles that display welcome in many languages. Libby gleeson s latest novel sees her on familiar ground, writing a gripping story about an issue that is too often ignored by writers for young people. Jun 17, 2014 when he finds out hes not an orphan after all, kunal seeks to use the tiffin system to find his mother.
The way you described the utter turmoil the characters had to go through in order to. Which members of mahtabs family stay in afghanistan. Refugees mahtabs story library guides at mentone girls. Mahtabs story, a work of fiction, is based on the experiences of an afghani teenager. The vivid and compelling story of a young girl fleeing afghanistan with her family and their. Her sister, margie gleeson, works as the head teacher of creative. Presented at the peta conference, powerhouse museum oct 5 2002 english years 7 10. Mahtabs story persuasive writing novel study year 56. Libby gleeson s novel provides a glimpse into the lives of those who arrive by boat, through the eyes of a young afghani girl named mahtab.
When readers first meet mahtab, her family has been torn apart by the taliban and she, along with her father, mother, and younger siblings, is preparing to make a dangerous escape by way of pakistan. Other characters in the novel include mahtabs siblings, farhad and soraya, her parents and extended family, as well as her best friend laila. In this video, youll learn the definition of character. The family feels it is no longer safe to remain in herat so. Mahtabs story explores overcoming obstacles through the character s events, such as 1 mahtab being responsible in taking care and protecting her younger siblings, 2 accepting their loss of belongings in order for mahtabs family to travel to australia and 3 being open to australias culture in their life. Libby gleeson am born 1950 is an australian childrens author. The novel was inspired by the story of a young girl called nahid who now lives in sydney. Mahtab and her family are forced to leave their home in herat after her grandfa ther is killed by the taliban and her father is beaten. The book will appeal to activist scholars and students from various social sciences and humanities, particularly those across the fields of law, cultural and media studies, gender, sexuality and intersectionality studies, race, and conflict studies, as well as. Presented at a board of studies symposium february 2001 history forum.
Aug, 2019 mahtab s story our experiences throughout life teach us that our attitude towards change is essential. Jul 01, 2019 letter to libby gleeson sophia franze. The way you described the utter turmoil the characters had to go through in order to get to australia and start a new life was brilliant. Its a bit like someone throwing a party for children, but inviting only adults. I loved narsimhans writing because she took me right to. Literature literature and context language expressing and developing ideas. When readers first meet mahtab, her family has been torn apart by the taliban and she, along with her father, mother, and younger siblings, is preparing to make a. Therefore they resort to moving to australia where they think that all is going to be well. I felt it would be terrible for young people of that community in australia and so i was determined to write something. However, it remains compelling because gleesons choice to relay the story through the eyes of a.
Mahtab and her family are forced to leave their home in herat and journey secretly. All are welcome by alexandra penfold 9781526604071. The content presented connects with the contentious, divisive issues and political rhetoric concerning asylum seekers and refugees in australia. See more ideas about book characters, character costumes and book characters. Leave room for any more characters that may be introduced further along in the book. Mahtabs father tells mahtab and her siblings about a special signal he will use during their journey, knocking twice on the wall of the cabin. Books to read on world refugee day reading australia abc. Her writing style is fluid, and it captures readers attention from the very beginning. Buy a discounted paperback of mahtab s story online from australia s leading online bookstore.
Why does mahtab want to go to iran rather than australia. Literature and context a teachers guide unity mahtabs story a childs view of migration from afghanistan to australia support resilience. A captivating character is what truly hooks kids on a book or an entire series, which is why the most popular childrens books feature unforgettable figures who kids can relate to or look up to. Throughout the journey, mahtabs mother recounts folk tales to the.
Through a harrowing journey, they managed to escape and move back to the united states, where they spent years hiding in fear. While not a biographical account, the book is heavily inspired by the real lives of actual australians and one student in particular. About the story mahtab s story is the story of a young girl who escapes from afghanistan and makes a long and dangerous journey to australia to seek refuge. She must dress quickly and quietly if they are to escape from their taliban controlled city. August 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message. This award is part of the forest of reading program celebrated across the province of ontario where students select the winner. Activity discuss this approach to the plot structure of mahtabs story. Mahtab narsimhan books, author biography, and reading. Task for mahtabs story chapter questions chapter 1. This article may require cleanup to meet wikipedia s quality standards. Point out to students that the first chapters of mahtabs story are written in past tense, before a change is made to present tense at the start of chapter 14. Mahtab s story is an exhilerating novel about mahtab the main character and her family.
May 01, 2008 this compelling novel by one of australias bestloved childrens authors is based on the true story of one girls voyage to australia with her family. Mahtabs story, by libby gleeson the strength of libby gleesons mahtabs story is that it is told through the perspective of a young girl we feel her every hope and every crushing fear as she flees her home and makes the perilous journey through mountains, snow, ocean to. Mahtab s story, a work of fiction, is based on the experiences of an afghani teenager. Read mahtabs story by libby gleeson available from rakuten kobo. Once her father determines that the family will immigrate to australia, they embark on a harrowing journey two weeks of fear, of the ice stone in the belly, of holding your breath. This book is featured in our refugees and displaced people page. The tiffin is a novel about a 12yearold boy named kunal, who was left in the hands of foster. Libby gleeson is the awardwinning author of more than 30 books for children and teenagers. Mahtab and her family are forced to leave their home in herat and journey secretly through the rocky mountains to pakistan and from there to faraway australia. Stop at the end of this passage and see if this story has the elements of a legend in it. This course provides students with activities to assist them in a novel study of the book, mahtabs story by libby gleeson. This book is featured in our refugees and displaced people page, a collection of the best books to understand the courage and plight of forced migration, including books for children of stories and issues. The strength of libby gleesons mahtabs story is that it is told through the perspective of a young girl we feel her every hope and every crushing fear as she flees her home and makes the perilous journey through mountains, snow, ocean to australia. Youtube video only teachers will be able to access it at some schools.