The
Golden Compass
by Philip Pullman
The
Golden Compass
|
by Gail Hildenbrand author/illustrator study by Pat Nock classroom connections by Julie Kasakitis list of related books by Melanie Windsor web activity by Jan Weisner links |
by Phillip Pullman
|
An ALA Notable Book An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults Winner of the Guardian Prize for Fiction A Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book |
The Golden Compass is a scientific, fictional book in the high fantasy genre about a young girl named Lyra, who is caught spying on her scientific uncle, Lord Asriel, at Jordan College. Lyra and her daemon discover that he is working on a machine in the Far North that will take pictures of Dust illuminating people, but not children. Lyra is later sent away from her home at Jordan College and is given the opportunity to work with Mrs. Coulter, a renowned woman scientist who also works in the Far North. During Lyra's time with Mrs. Coulter, she discovers that her uncle has been captured and is being guarded by large, amored bears and witches. She also learns that Mrs. Coulter is one of the Gobblers, the people who kidnap children and take them up North to do scientific experiments on them. Lyra escapes from Mrs. Coulter and meets up with friends who are trying to rescue the kidnaped children and prevent other children from being kidnaped as well. Lyra also learns that her uncle, Lord Asriel, is really her father and that Mrs. Coulter is really her mother. She also learns how to use her Alethiometer, or truth meter, to help her find her uncle and the missing children in the Far North. This book would be enjoyed by upper middle school or high school students who have an interest in science and fantasy.
Philip Pullman was born in Norwich in 1946. Part of his childhood was spent in Australia at a time when that country did not have television. Most of his early experience of stories came from the radio. He listened to gangster serials, cowboy stories, and his favorite was Superman. He also loved Batman and ghost stories.
Pullman was educated at Oxford University. He worked several years as a middle school teacher and between 1988 and 1996 he was a Senior Lecturer in English at Westminster College where he taught courses in The Victorian Novel, The Traditional Tale, and Creative Writing.
Over the years, he has written and lectured on various aspects of the relationship between text and images. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Center for the Children's Book. Pullman has also been on the judging panel for the Guardian Children's Book Award for 1994 and 1996, and the Betty Trask Award in 1997.
Pullman now lives in Oxford with his wife, Jude. They have two sons, Jamie and Tom.
These ideas are general and would have to be refined to suit the grade level and the particular students:
Language Arts:
The author speaks of electrons and neurons and photograms,
as if he is writing a college level science textbook and he uses a lot
of intellectual jargon to explain the plot. Have the children create a
glossary of confusing words and their definitions to accompany the story.
Science:
Have the children perform an experiment with the refraction
of light. Give each child a penlight and have them shine the light through
various surfaces like ice, water, flour dust, and glass to see what will
happen to the beam of light when it passes through these objects. Then,
have the students find out why the light reacts this way.
Research the climate of polar regions like what Lyra would experience in the North Pole. Discuss how and where people would live, what they would eat, and how they would survive the cold climate.
Art:
Create missing children posters for the children who
were kidnaped in the story. Include descriptions of where they might be
and who kidnaped them and why.
Debate:
Discuss scientific testing on animals and its implications.
Research the two sides of the issue and be able to defend your position.
Social Studies/Math:
Have the children map Lyra’s journey from Oxford to London
to the North Pole using the website http://www.indo.com/distance
and find the number of total miles that she travels. Then convert it
into kilometers since the British use the metric system.
Other Books by Phillip Pullman
Related Books about Science
Fiction/High Fantasy
One of the subcultures in this story is that of the Gypsies. Although Gypsies are shown in a most positive light in this story, many fairie tales and folktales generally portray the Gypsies as mysterious, and even evil. In real life, the Gypsy subculture is found in many places throughout the world.
Go to the website of the Patrin Web Journal, http://www.geocities.com/~patrin/patrin.htm and learn more about gypsies. Read "A Brief History of the Roma," and think about what it might be like to be a member of a gypsy community. Choose one of the articles on either History, a Timeline, Customs and Traditions, or Culture and the Arts to research further.
Use "Ask Jeeves for Kids,"
http://www.ajkids.com
to find more information and write a one
page synopsis of your findings.
Be sure to include listings for
any websites that you use.
