Why do you think there is a World Book Day? What were your thoughts on your holiday reading? What did you think about the setting of the story? What did you think about the main characters? How did the ending make you feel?

Virtues – Introduce pupils to the Wiseman Virtues briefly and ask which of them relate to the story. For example, loving towards our families, curious to find out what happened on the train, compassionate towards those living with disfigurements etc.

Let’s see your analysis of the story! Task 1: Write 3 words or phrases which you think are effective in making the description of the station and photo booth vivid: Did you get any of the following? Were there any others you found? Platforms are long and curve round Photo booth was an ugly metal box…almost as if it had landed there from outer space A devil eye, winking at me. Task 2: Find one quote from the opening paragraph which engages the reader, and state the reasons why: I want to tell you how it happened – immediately want to know what happened. But it’s not easy – why does he find it hard? Maybe I never did – what does he mean by this? See some of the potential answers pupils could have given for their analysis of the text. These are only rough guides so use your discretion to check their understanding.

True/False task – let’s see how many you highlighted correctly! Which of the following statements are true? Use a highlighter to show your answer.   • The writer says that he thinks from the beginning he was a little scared of the photo booth. He wants the reader to be afraid too. • The train station is new and very small – it was built in the Stone Age and has a very low ceiling. The station is old and very big, built in the Victorian era and has a high ceiling. • The writer mentions ghosts five times in the first paragraph, which suggests that there might be a ghost in this story. The writer mentions ghosts twice in the opening paragraph • The story takes place in York, which is a very old city. • The photo booth is completely different because it is very modern and small. • The photo booth is situated in the main part of the train station – next to away the hustle and bustle of trains and passengers. The photo booth is situated in a section of the station far away from the hustle and bustle • When the writer goes near it, the wind picks up as if a train is approaching, but there is no train. • The wind is cold – this hints at pain and danger. Pupils completed a task based on the story where they had to identify whether comments were true or false. Check the answers pupils gave – in bold is the correct answer for any which are false.

Collect in book reviews completed by pupils and display some of the best on your DEAR display!

Prayer: a thank you for books Father God, we thank you for all the good books that we enjoy. Thank you for the people who make them, the people who read them to us, and the people who help us to learn to read. We thank you especially for the Bible: the good book that you gave us, where we can learn more about Jesus. Amen