SuitabookKing of the Castle
Kathy Stinson
- Reading
- Read together if useful, pausing around the moment Mr Elliot chooses to learn. Let the child decide whether to talk about embarrassment, support or the hurtful treatment, rather than pressing for personal disclosure.
- Themes
- Learning to read: Mr Elliot has hidden that he cannot read despite being useful and valued at school; after recognising a child’s difficulties, he decides to learn. His choice to begin learning is presented as a constructive response to a difficulty he has kept private.
- A child’s treatment at school: A child is called stupid and falls into traps that Mr Elliot remembers from his own experience. The child is called stupid and encounters traps, connecting the school situation with Mr Elliot’s recollections.
- Worth knowing
- A child is called stupid and encounters traps that recall Mr Elliot’s own past difficulties. This includes hurtful language and a school-based social conflict.