A first novel by writer Carla Gunn who also teaches psychology at St Thomas University, in Fredericton NB.
Mission Amphibian is the brainchild of Phin and his friend Bird. The plan is to rescue a white frog ( Cuddles) from the classroom aquarium.
However Amphibian is about so much more . Phin is in grade four and his mum is very much a part of his story - she is exasperated by his fear of sleeping alone in his own bed, and by his use of inappropriate language at school. Even though she sometimes agrees that he was provoked.
Phin is a boy who thinks and worries about almost everything. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the natural and scientific world which leads to even more anxiety about what the future holds for plants and animals.Thus leading to the freeing of Cuddles the white frog.
It is hard not to be utterly charmed by this brilliant boy - whose thoughts are very wise for one so young. He questions everything , a nuisance to his teachers, an irritant to his psychologist , even his mum sometimes wishes he would just stop his constant demands on her time.
Readers I will write more about Phin later- HJR
2 comments:
Thanks so much for your comments about Amphibian! Phin is still very much in my head -- distractingly so, as I tackle the voice of an older protagonist in a novel I have just started.
At the request of a book club I spoke with recently, I have created a list of real websites Phin visited in the novel. They can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=93376187085&share_id=122670676559#/topic.php?uid=93376187085&topic=9746
(On this site, I am also soliciting help from readers in creating a readers' guide.)
A teacher recently asked me if I would be willing to 'skype' in and chat with her class and/or leave comments on a blog they will keep of their impressions of the book. Absolutely! I would very much love to talk about Amphibian with kids. I can be reached at cgunn@nb.sympatico.ca
All the best,
Carla
And oh, on the topic of Skyping, teachers and librarians might find this site an excellent resource for bringing authors "into the classroom": http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/
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