Moon at Nine on Vimeo.
Moon at Nine | Deborah Ellis| Iran| Pajama Press| 2014 | ISBN: 19247485576
Synopsis:
Against the backdrop of post-revolution Iran, fifteen year old Farrin struggles to find acceptance – within a family where her mother considers her a commoner; within a school where she is viewed as a lazy troublemaker; within a society where women are insignificant. When Sadira arrives at the school, her optimistic perspective is contagious and everything changes in Farrin’s world. As their friendship deepens, so does their determination to work hard at school and help others. And as they challenge and support each other, their friendship develops into a forbidden romance. If they deny their feelings, they will die inside; if their feelings are exposed, they will be executed.
3. Rationale for Use in the English Classroom (where/how it would “fit”, complement to other English Language Arts content, etc.)
This novel would have application and be appropriate for several high school ELA classes, including core courses and electives such as English in the 21st Century, Speech, Journalism, and Women in Perspective. Relevant topics, such as social justice, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, and war are explored, and many students will be able to relate to one or more of these themes. This novel would be of high interest to today’s adolescent readers. Though based on a true story, Moon at Nine reads like a novel and gives students an opportunity to study author’s craft, point of view and make personal connections to one or more themes presented in the book.
Awards or Honors:
- 2015 Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award nominee
- 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List selection
- 2015 Bank Street Best Book
- 2015 Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice
- 2015 Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award shortlist
- 2015–2016 BC Teen Readers’ Choice Stellar Award nominee
- 2015 SYRCA Snow Willow Award nominee
- 2015 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award nominee
- 2014 Quill & Quire Book of the Year
- 2014 OLA Best Bet
- 2014 Best Books for Kids & Teens Starred Selection
Before-Reading Activities:
Before reading Moon at Nine, students should gain some background knowledge about Iran by watching one of the following videos:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P82j90p7hYc (2:24 min)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2eDkOaeEbA (3:43 min)
Students should also read (on-line or printed handout) about the structure of the Iranian government & political system, especially the Supreme Leader & Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sections.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tehran/inside/govt.html
Discussion: What are human rights? Following discussion, watch video:
http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/what-are-human-rights.html
Introduce essential questions:
How does culture and social status affect one’s childhood/life & perspective?
Is it ever a good idea to keep a secret?
During-Reading Activities:
Reader response journals: Students read assigned chapters & respond by identifying passages for discussion, personal connections or reaction, and one open-ended question. During class, participate in Socratic seminars about responses & the essential questions.
Character journals or chart: Students randomly select a character from the novel and write journal/chart entries from their character’s POV (point-of-view) on the following themes:
- secret(s) – what secret(s) is the character keeping? How do they affect his/her relationship with others?
- character traits – how have life experiences shaped &/or changed your character?
- loss – what loss(es) has the character experienced (literal & figurative) ? What impact has that loss had on the character?
- choices – are the choices the character makes driven by emotion or by logic? Is it truly a choice? Are their choices in their best interests?
- power of love – how has love (or lack of) impacted the character?
- symbols – what symbol best represents your character? Why?
After-Reading Activities:
- Personal journal – for one week, keep a journal that includes the following: what you eat, how you travel, who you talk to, what you wear, where you live (neighborhood & kind of house), surroundings, events, how you feel about everything you are experiencing. At the end of one week, write an entry about how you feel about this activity and how your life differs from Farrin’s life in Iran.
- Response to essential question(s): Select one character & discuss (in writing) how culture and social status affected the character’s life.
- Research human rights issues in a selected country and write a news article on progress or setbacks, trying to avoid media bias.
- Persuasive writing: Write a review of Moon at Nine, emphasizing one event or subject that you felt was interesting/compelling.
- Read another book about a young person living in a violent society/war zone & select one issue (civil rights, women’s rights/education, human rights, social justice) to compare with Moon at Nine.
- Reader response: What groups in the United States face discrimination?
Amnesty International
www.amnesty.org/www.amnestyusa.org
Youth for Human Rights
www.youthforhumanrights.org
Iranian Gay Human Rights Group: Homan
www.homan.se/English.htm
Deborah Ellis – author website
www.hypable.com/deborah-ellis-talks-about-moon-at-nine-and-creating-cultural or
deborahellis.com
PBS - Frontline
www.pbs.org
Connections to Other Content Areas/Disciplines:
Topics and themes explored in this book provide opportunities for collaboration with World History, Government, World Religions, Journalism, Women’s Studies or International Studies classes. It could also be an excellent case study for a Speech or Forensics classes (human rights/social justice).
