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Transcript

Plot

The journey of three children who were taken from their safe environment and are trying to get home.

Zimbabwe

Year 2194

Along the way, they encounter "the evils of the past, the technology of the future, and criminals with plans far beyond what anyone can imagine."

A coming of age that happens through a journey.

  • 13 years old
  • Oldest of three kids
  • Son of a rich, important military official
  • Very sheltered from the outside world

Inner desires:

  • To grow up
  • To be brave
  • To get the approval of his father

The book ends on Tendai's 14th birthday.

"Tendai nodded. He was proud his father was speaking to him as an adult."

Ear, Eye,

and Arm

  • The Three Detectives that Tendai's mother hires to find her children.
  • These three have physical abnormalities and special abilities due to being exposed to toxic waste before their birth.
  • Detectives are at this point a very antique idea, due to the lack of crime, so their business isn't that great.

Their desire: Acceptance

Word Selection and Paragraph Structure

"The villagers gasped in horror. They pounced on the children and stretched them out on the ground. Someone handed Garikayi a club. Oh, Mwari, he's going to kill us, thought Tendai. Garikayi stood over them a long, long moment. Tendai gritted his teeth as he waited for the first blow. But the old man's face suddenly contorted with anguish. He threw the club away and tottered back to his stool. His face was etched with deep lines, and he seemed to have aged ten years."

  • Strong verbs to create suspense
  • Gets inside Tendai's thoughts for better insight to the story
  • Short sentences make the fast-paced parts of the story even more suspenseful
  • Nancy Farmer does a very good job of showing the reader what is happening rather than telling

Dialogue

The majority of this book consists of dialogue.

Any narrative or descriptive paragraphs are short enough so that readers won't lose interest quickly.

In addition, you see into the thoughts of Arm and Tendai quite frequently, which gives a dialogue-type effect.

Each character has their own distinct voice.

"H-have you got any news?" said Mother.

"It's just that . . ." Mother paused, unable to go on. "It's almost Tendai's birthday. He would have been fourteen. Will be fourteen, I mean. I always took him to the Starlight room . . . to ride the elevator . . . and have dinner . . ."

"Guess what we're having for dinner," Rita said brightly as they washed their hands at a sprinkler.

"Don't start," said Tendai.

"Yummy canned peas. Lovely boiled squash and cream crackers with -- are you ready? -- fish paste a la margarine. The best kind, with the little bones inside."

"They are welcome," said Chipo, clapping her hands in greeting. "Do you suppose, Myanda, that our guests would enjoy a refreshing bath?"

The Ear,

the Eye,

and

the Arm

Setting:

Target Audience

Children

Ages 10-early teens

For both girls and boys

Tendai

Outer Goal: To go on an adventure -- his Scout trip

Outer Desire:

To go on a Scout trip

Mother:

Rita and Tendai

Chipo, a woman from Resthaven

by Nancy Farmer

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