Year 6 – Extra English

My Year 6 students who are non-native Slovaks have a couple of lessons a week with me. One of the activities we have been doing is reading and discussing a novel by Kate DiCamillo, Raymie Nightingale. DiCamillo is an American author, who has won several awards, including two Newbery medals.

Raymie Nightingale is a novel set in 1970s Florida about a 10 year old girl (so the same age as Year 6 students) whose father has just left the family for another woman. She is determined to find a way to bring her father back, and this sets her off on some very exciting and moving adventures with her two friends, Beverly and Lousisiana. Will she get her father back? And what will happen along the way?

DiCamillo’s novels are some favourites of mine because they capture what it feels like to be a child of this age, and are very relatable for upper primary students. The characters are also portrayed in a realistic manner. We have had many very interesting class discussions about how kids can deal with real problems and dilemmas which they may face in their lives.

Highly recommended, as well as all of DiCamillo’s other works (at least one of which has been adapted into a film).