Teachers’ Notes
OMNIBUS BOOKS
OMNIBUS BOOKS
Category
Author
Junior Fiction
Secret Agent Derek
‘Danger’ Dale and
the Case of the
Really, REALLY Scary
Things
Michael Gerard
Bauer
Illustrator
Joe Bauer
Publication date
February 2015
Format
190 x 160 mm
Extent
128 pp
Binding
Paperback
Printing
Mono
ISBN
978 1 74299 066 8
Title
Secret Agent Derek
‘Danger’ Dale and the
Case of the Really,
REALLY Scary Things
Written by Michael Gerard Bauer
Illustrated by Joe Bauer
Teachers’ Notes by Rae Carlyle
Contents
Introduction………………..……………………………….
2
About the Author ….…………………….………………
2
About the Illustrator….…………………………………
2
Before Reading the Text….……………………………
3
Reading the Text…….….…………………………………
3
After Reading the Text ….……………………………..
7
Previous publications
Michael Gerard Bauer
Ishmael and the Hoops of Steel
(Omnibus Books, 2011)
Just a Dog (Omnibus Books, 2010)
Dinosaur Knights (Omnibus Books, 2009)
Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs
(Omnibus Books, 2007)
Don’t Call Me Ishmael!
(Omnibus Books, 2006)
The Running Man
(Omnibus Books, 2004)
Michael Gerard Bauer & Joe Bauer
Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale and
the Case of Animals Behaving Really,
Really Badly
(Omnibus Books, 2014)
Eric Vale – Off the Rails
(Omnibus Books, 2013)
Eric Vale – Super Male
(Omnibus Books, 2013)
Eric Vale – Epic Fail
(Omnibus Books, 2012)
Extension Activities ………….………………………….. 8
OMNIBUS BOOKS
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Introduction
Secret Agent Derek Dale first made an appearance in the Eric Vale books, where he was the
main character in an ongoing story that Eric was writing in his free (and sometimes not so
free) time. Here, in The Case of the Really, REALLY Scary Things, Derek is starring in his
second solo adventure, and it is as action-packed and filled with impossible conundrums for
him to solve as the first. Derek saves a pool full of children from a giant squid, tracks down
and battles the reprehensible Doctor Evil MacEvilness, and most terrifyingly of all, faces
down his own childhood fears. The over-the-top cast of stereotypically villainous henchmen,
goons, and their mastermind don’t stand a chance against a hero as impervious to fear, and
incapable of keeping his shirt on, as Derek.
From the first page to the last, Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale and the Case of the Really,
REALLY Scary Things is a fun-filled foray into a world where the bad guys simply don’t stand
a chance, in spite of their constant stream of seemingly foolproof plans. No matter the peril,
Derek is bound to win through. After all, Danger is his middle name.
About the Author
Michael Gerard Bauer was born in Brisbane. He taught at schools before resigning in 2000 to
pursue his dream of being a published writer. His first novel The Running Man won the
CBCA’s Book of the Year (Older Readers) Award in 2005 and he has since garnered many
other honours including international awards. His other books include Don’t Call Me
Ishmael!, Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs, Ishmael and the Hoops of Steel, Dinosaur
Knights, You Turkeys!, Just a Dog, Eric Vale – Epic Fail, Eric Vale – Super Male, Eric Vale – Off
the Rails, and Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale and the Case of Animals Behaving Really,
REALLY Badly. Many of Michael’s books have been published in other countries and in
different languages.
Michael blogs at http://michaelgerardbauer.wordpress.com and has an author page on
Facebook.
About the Illustrator
Joe Bauer is a young filmmaker whose recent film The Killage has enjoyed international
critical success. In addition to making comedy films, Joe has been drawing since childhood.
He is the creator of the original covers for his father Michael’s first two Ishmael books, and
has illustrated the Eric Vale series as well as the two Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale
books. He is working on the third book in the series.
2
Before Reading the Text
Class Discussion
While it is not necessary to have already read the Eric Vale books, or the first Derek Dale
adventure, mentioning that Derek was originally the creation of another fictional character,
and that this is the second book starring Derek, would be of value. Ideas for questions to
prompt discussion include:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Who has read any of the Eric Vale series?
What happened in the books?
What do you know about Derek Dale and his adventures from the Eric Vale books?
Who has read the first Derek Dale book?
What happened in the first book, and what do we know about Derek Dale from his
adventures in it?
6) If you have read any books with Derek in them before, what sort of format would
you predict that Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale and the Case of the Really,
REALLY Scary Things has (e.g. novel, graphics, layout, writing style)?
7) Looking at the cover art, what are some of the things that you think Derek might
encounter in the story? What does it look like he is doing on the cover, and what
does he seem to be battling?
Reading the Text
Part 1
Class Discussion
After reading the opening scene, discuss your initial impressions of the story and characters.
Some points to consider are:
• What impression does the opening sentence give of the setting?
• How does the first sentence contrast to the ‘place’ listed in the chapter heading?
• What would you predict of the scene based on the opening sentences, and were
your predictions met?
• How do the pictures enhance our understanding of the action?
• What can we tell about the two characters introduced in the opening scene (Derek
Dale and Archibald Boss)?
3
Group Research Task
Secret Agent Derek Dale is a humorous book. The author and illustrator use several different
techniques to make it funny.
These techniques include:
-
Stereotypical characterisation.
Overblown, unrealistic and highly dramatic events and actions.
Characters misunderstanding events and descriptions.
Unexpected outcomes/statements/interpretations.
Exaggerated facial expressions in the illustrations.
1) As a class, discuss which parts of the first chapter you find funny, and look at what
the author or illustrator has done that makes the segment amusing. In small groups,
reread pages 1 to 7, and for each page discuss:
-
Is the section funny?
What is funny about it?
What techniques have the author and illustrator used to make it amusing?
(Remember, a single paragraph might feature more than one technique, and a
single page might have several amusing segments.)
2) Have each group choose (or be assigned) one or two pages to focus on. As a group,
write a brief analysis of the humour used in your chosen pages. Remember to
address the points for discussion that you looked at in part one of the exercise.
3) Individual groups present their analysis to the class as a whole.
4) As a class discuss the types of humorous writing and artwork that you identified in
the first chapter.
Extension Activities
As a class, look at different ways to display your findings from the Group Research Task. You
might want to create a graph, or table, or write a summary paragraph. You can include
pictorial representations, or use your own set of symbols with a key. Remember to indicate
areas where there was not whole-class or whole-group consensus; after all, not everyone
finds the same things funny!
Literary Component
Reread the scene on pages 3 and 4, where Archibald Boss asks Derek Dale how long he has
been on vacation. In this scene Dale responds to the question by firstly using a cliché, When
you’re on island time, you lose track of the days, and then requesting confirmation of the
date before going through what appears to be a fairly complicated process of calculations,
only to eventually answer that he has been there for 27 minutes. This is a clear example of
the author creating expectations for the reader that are then seen to be wildly wrong.
Individually, write a short story of your own that uses this specific technique to create
humour in your writing.
4
Part 2
Class Discussion
After reading the story, as a class discuss the cartoon-strip format of the illustrations, and
how the visual narrative contributes to your opinion and enjoyment of the story. Some
points to consider are:
• Why might the illustrator have chosen a cartoon-strip format for his artwork?
• Are the written narrative and visual narrative telling exactly the same story as each
•
•
other, or are there minor differences? If so, why do you think the author and
illustrator chose to not have them match exactly?
What do the illustrations add to your understanding of the action of the story that
you didn’t get from reading the words alone?
How closely do you think the author and illustrator had to work together to create
this book? Why do you think this? Could they have created this novel without
working in close collaboration?
Small Group Task
1) Individually, write a short story of your own, featuring a superhero who defeats an evil
villain. Using the Derek Dale story for inspiration, make your characters as ridiculously heroic
and villainously evil as possible, and make their adventure as exciting as you can imagine.
Remember to use a setting-complication-resolution format for your plot development and
narrative structure.
2) In pairs, collaborate with another student, and illustrate each other’s stories. Before
starting to draw, share with each other your ideas about which part of the scene should be
illustrated, and what the illustrations should show. Use a cartoon-strip format like the one in
the book, and start with black and white line drawings, only adding colour later. You will
have to work closely with each other, confirming that the pictures reflect the action of the
story accurately.
Literary Component
Individually, write a brief piece reflecting on your experience of creating an illustrated story
in your dual roles of author and illustrator. Some points you might like to address in your
reflection are:
- What were the challenging parts of the task?
- Which parts did you find easy?
- How does the experience of illustrating someone else’s story differ from the experience
of illustrating your own?
- What is it like as the author to have someone else illustrating your work? What does it
feel like, and what are your responsibilities as author?
- How did you overcome any problems you encountered?
- Which parts of the task are you proudest of?
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Part 3
Class Discussion
In the story, the street names, suburbs, and place names are all very closely related to the
nature of the establishments that are located there. For instance, Derek’s spy headquarters
is located at 16 Espionage Lane, Spyville, while Doctor Evil MacEvilness has his workshop at
1009 Lawbreaker St, Criminal Industrial Estate, Underworld City. These addresses may seem
at first glance to be somewhat ridiculous, but in reality there are a lot of streets, towns, and
areas that have taken their names from the industries and trades that historically could be
found there.
As a class discuss street and suburb names that you may have heard of, that could be said to
fit this pattern. Real names that you are used to using will probably be as ordinary-seeming
as Baker Street or Smith Street, so you will have to really think about the origins of them. A
good place to start might be to consider the different trades that were common a hundred
years ago, such as tanner, chandler, baker, blacksmith, scribe, potter etc. Some things you
might want to consider in your discussion are:
• Where do street names come from?
• Why do we name streets?
• What other conventions exist when it comes to naming streets? Make a list of the
•
•
different categories for street names that you can think of.
When people first settle an area and a town starts to grow, how do you think they
might decide what to name the streets?
Do suburbs have naming conventions attached to them as well? What about towns
and cities? How might these differ from street names?
Research Task
 Individually, looking at your own home address, classify your street name into one of
the categories discussed earlier. Is your street someone’s name, the name of a
geographical feature, the name of a trade, or does it fit some other category? It might
even seem to fit into two or more categories!
 Online or in the library, research to see if you can find any information about how your
street got its name. If you have classmates who live on the same street as you do, you
might want to work together for this.
 As a class, create a table that shows the names of streets where students live, and the
category of naming convention that seems to apply to the street name. Remember to
leave individual students’ names off the chart, to protect their privacy.
 Display your results in graph format. As a class, write a brief explanation of your
research and your findings to accompany your graph. In your explanation remember to
state what the most common convention was, the least common, and how many
streets you couldn’t find definitive answers for and so fit into the ‘unknown’ convention
category.
6
Extension Activities
Individually, draw a map of a fictional town and name the streets and suburbs using the
same convention and style as the places found in Derek Dale. Be as imaginative as possible
in your naming, using synonyms and foreign words if you can to make the addresses as
complete and as varied as possible. Some of the types of places you might want to include in
your fictional town are:







Schools.
Libraries.
Places where people work in offices.
Places where people build things.
Places where people buy and sell things.
Places where people go to eat.
Recreational areas or sports fields.
Literary Component
Write and illustrate a story set in your fictional town. It might be an adventure, a mystery,
science fiction or a fantasy quest. Have your characters move through the town during the
course of the action, and mention the places that they go to. Use your map as the main
illustration for your story, though you might want to include other illustrations of the places
and characters as well.
After Reading the Text
Class Discussion
Discuss what your overall impressions of the story were. Some points to talk about are:
• What did you enjoy about the story?
• Were there any parts that you found challenging or confusing?
• What was your favourite scene, and why?
• Who do you think is the silliest character?
• What was the funniest part of the story – and what did the author and illustrator do
to help make it amusing?
• Who is Derek’s new study buddy going to be – and how do we know this? (Hint,
think about what is happening in the final illustration)
Literary Component
The reader never does find out how Derek finally removes the giant squid from his leg. Write
the missing scene describing how he convinces the squid to let go of his leg. Try to write
using the same sort of style as in the novel, and be as imaginative and innovative in your
solution as possible. Remember, the story is highly dramatic, so your solution will have to be
dramatic as well!
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Extension Activities
1) Derek Dale is known for mysteriously losing his shirt – or at least, he seems to
somehow never be wearing one. Make a list of all the possible ways that you can
think of that an Agent like Derek might lose his shirt in the course of the action.
Think of as many as you can – and make them as funny and ridiculous as possible
while still being just barely believable!
2) Derek is first told that M.T. Head spells his name with a silent T, but then that is
changed to an invisible T.
• How many words can you think of that are spelt with silent letters? In pairs
make a list of as many as you can, and then as a class combine your lists to
make a master class list. 10 words is good, 15 excellent, and 20 is amazing!
• Do ‘invisible’ letters actually exist in English? Why do you think this is the
case? Try to think of a word that has a sound in it that is not represented by
any of the letters used to spell it.
3) FANGLE is an acronym, a word formed by using the first letters of each word in a
phrase or sentence. Think of a gadget that an arch-villain like MacEvilness might
invent, and make up a name for it that can be turned into a cool acronym. For a
challenge, see if your acronym can also be a real word!
4) One of Derek’s four childhood fears was a monster made out of Brussels sprouts,
which he defeated with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of salt before eating. Think
of your least favourite food or vegetable, and create a monster based on it. Make a
poster showing your monster, and write captions that explain all its evil features
and behaviours. Be sure to write a caption explaining how to defeat it as well
though!
5) I.T. Head always keeps salt and lemon handy to protect himself from butterflies, but
never explains how it works. Write a short story featuring an evil mutant butterfly
that you, the hero, manage somehow to defeat using salt and lemon.
6) In small groups, choose a scene from the story, and then act it out for the class. You
might want to perform some of the funnier scenes at your next school assembly!
7) Make a leaflet advertising Derek’s Nuclear Ninjarator toy for sale. Include the
descriptions from the story in your advertisement – remember to look at the picture
as well for extra information about it – and use your imagination for all the features
that aren’t mentioned but that you think the ultimate super-hero action-figure
should have.
8) In the very first scene Derek talks into his Emergency Wrist Communicator. Draw a
picture of the sort of Emergency Wrist Communicator that you would want to have
if you were a secret agent. Remember, label all the different parts of your gadget to
let people know what they do, and don’t be limited by the features mentioned in
the book – add as many of your own to the gadget as you can!
9) As a class make a wall display showcasing the book. Individually draw or paint
pictures of a character, event, monster, or gadget from the story, and write a review
of the novel to accompany your picture. Arrange the artwork and reviews around a
copy of the front cover of the book.
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