Teachers’ Notes
Abacus Aardvark
and the Arctic
Adventure
M.J. Faranda
Teachers’ notes written by Madeline Holmes
OMNIBUS BOOKS
Contents
Category
Title
Junior Fiction
Abacus Aardvark and
the Arctic Adventure
Author/Illustrator
M.J. Faranda
Extent
192 pp
Age
9+
ISBN
978 1 86291 881 8
Introduction………………..……………………………………......
2
About the author……………………………………………………
2
Note on the text………………………………........................
2
Before reading the text.………………………………………….
3
Reading the text.........................................................
3
After reading the text……….……………………………….......
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Introduction
Abacus knows there’s something fishy about his new science teacher but he wasn’t
expecting Professor Malovenski to have an evil plan to change the world and
become impossibly rich or that he would drag Abacus in to his madcap scheme.
Abacus, his off-the-charts bizarre parents, and the newly freed albino lemming,
Houdini, find themselves aboard Lady Leaky heading for the Arctic with Professor
Malovenski and his unnerving crew of sailors. When his parents prove utterly useless
at foiling evil plans, it’s left to Abacus and Houdini to save the day – but from what
exactly, Abacus isn’t entirely sure. He knows the lemmings are involved, that there’s
something strange about those cloudberries, and, thanks to some clever
eavesdropping, he’s sure it’s happening at the North Pole. Now he just has to stay
alive to save the day.
About the author
M.J. Faranda lives in an extinct volcano with her own Houdini – a virtuoso escape
artist chicken. As a teacher, she started telling stories instead of shouting or begging
(though she tried both of those first), and has since worked in hundreds of schools
throughout Australia and England. When she unglues herself from the computer,
M.J. Faranda has amazing adventures – living as a ghost in a grand old New York
mansion, sleeping in forests with wild boars, vipers and an Italian baby rabbit, and
almost being swept off a cliff by a Himalayan griffin that thought she was a giant pink
and purple sheep. She has written fifteen books for young people, published in
Australia and internationally.
Note on the text
Abacus Aardvark and the Arctic Adventure is a fast-paced, rollicking adventure story.
Author M.J. Faranda has created colourful characters that leap off the page and has
infused her world with atmospheric landscapes. Abacus is a determined hero, who
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shows that persistence really does pay off. Dastardly villains, an albino lemming
called Houdini, and a quest to save the world will charm a young readership.
Before reading the text
Have a class discussion about genre. What do students think this word means? Do
they have favourite genres? Do they have certain expectations of books written in
specific genres?
Part of this story takes place in the Arctic. It might be a good idea to familiarise
yourself with this part of the world. Check out:
http://www.discoveringthearctic.org.uk/
This interactive and educational website is a terrific resource for students.
Reading the text
Part One
Class discussion: first impressions
As you read the initial chapters talk as a class about your impressions. What kind of
world do you think this story is set in? What kind of characters have you
encountered? This is an adventure/mystery story with some fantastical elements at
play. Has anyone read anything similar before? Consider what makes a good
adventure story. Brainstorm what you’d expect to find in an adventure story.
Identify the conflict. Conflict provides the tension that holds our interest. As readers
we are curious to see whether the conflict will be resolved and how this will happen.
What conflicts have occurred so far? How do you think the novel will proceed?
Research task: be an activist
Zachary Zimmerman is an activist for alphabetical discrimination, believing that there
is a bias for letters at the beginning of the alphabet and against those at the end.
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Think about your daily life and how things affect you. Is there something that
bothers you or that niggles at you because it doesn’t seem right? Maybe it’s
something that happens to someone else or perhaps you’ve read or heard about
discrimination in the wider community. Imagine that, like Abacus’ father, you are an
activist. Write a short speech about how your cause is being discriminated against.
Research as much as you can so you have some evidence to back your argument.
You might like to talk to your parents, siblings or friends to get their opinions. Be as
silly or as serious as you like.
Literary component: response journal
Start a response journal to record your impressions of the novel. Keep a character
record and add visual descriptions as you gather more information. You could
include chapter summaries and map the journey of the characters. Write about what
you like and what you don’t like, your thoughts and predictions. The author uses
some unusual words. Start a word bank of unfamiliar words you come across.
Part Two
Class discussion: important ideas
Zelda Zeitgeist is dedicated to thinking up world-saving ideas. Think about the value
of ideas in our society and over the course of time. What do you think are the most
important ideas in history? Talk about how ideas arise from particular needs.
We have ideas every day. Talk about the ideas you’ve already had that day. Think
about when you come up with your best ideas. Maybe you think best in the morning
or in the afternoon or maybe when you’re walking outside or lying down. Does
talking with people help? Do you like to write things down?
What do you think would happen if people stopped having ideas?
Research component: think tank
Divide into groups of four people. You have been invited to attend the Meeting of
the Minds Conference, where your group is to present your world-changing idea to a
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panel. The winning idea will come into effect the following year. Research your idea
as much as you can. For example, if you think there is a need for a new law, look for
examples that demonstrate this need. Make a list of arguments to justify your case.
Consider questions like, how will you better humanity? How will it change lives? And
why shouldn’t we live without it? Come up with a tagline: one sentence that
advertises your idea.
As a group present your ‘idea’ to the class, who will act as a deciding panel. Use
visual aids to help communicate your idea. For example, you might like to include an
artist’s impression of what the world would look like with your idea realised. Be
prepared to answer questions from the panel. Make sure you can justify your point.
Literacy component: characterisation
Look closely at the characterisation in Abacus Aardvark and the Arctic Adventure.
The author has used many elements to give you an insight into the characters’
personalities. Look at visual cues – the dress and actions of the characters. Look at
their speech, what they say and what others say about them. Look at how other
characters react to a particular character and what that tells you as a reader.
Using the examples you find as a guide, write short pieces on a set of imagined
characters that convey their personalities to a reader.
Part Three
Class discussion: setting the scene
Discuss the importance of the setting in novels and look closely at how the author
sets the scene in Abacus Aardvark and the Arctic Adventure. Think about how
important the setting is to the action or the characters. Perhaps it’s more important
in one part of the story to another.
Could the setting be changed without altering what happens?
How is the setting established? Is it described in detail or just suggested? Is it
established immediately or is it revealed a bit at a time as the novel develops?
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Look at two significant passages where the images are powerful and the atmosphere
conveyed is strong, and comment on the effect achieved in each. How does the
language involve the reader’s senses? What connotations do the words carry?
Research task: prophecies
The Inuit people believe that Abacus will fulfil an ancient prophecy. A prophecy is the
foreknowledge of future events. People have been fascinated with prophecies and
many books use them as a premise. References to prophets go back to Greek
mythology with Cassandra, who is a prophet but no one believes that she can
foretell future events so her warnings do not prevent catastrophe.
Research a prophet or a prophecy in history or fiction and after you’ve gathered your
information think about what you’ve found.
Why do we want to know about future events?
Would you prefer to know what is coming or do you think that knowing tomorrow’s
events would defeat the purpose of living those events?
What is the purpose of a prophecy?
What would it do for the community?
Write a short report on your researched prophecy or prophet. You might like to
include a short summary of your own ideas or feelings on what you’ve discovered.
Literary component: creative writing
1) Write a short adventure story that involves a character travelling across a
changing landscape
2) Imagine you are a fellow passenger on Lady Leaky. Write a letter to your
mum or dad telling them of the troubling and peculiar chain of events and of
the bizarre passengers you’ve encountered.
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After reading the text
Class discussion: final thoughts
Explore the resolution, and have a discussion with the following questions as starting points:
 How did the novel end? Is the ending satisfying? Are the conflicts resolved
satisfactorily?
 Was there anything else that could have happened?
 How did the ending make you feel – satisfied? happy? disappointed?
 Think about the themes. What is this novel actually about? What ideas were
explored in the action, in the attitudes and the behaviour of the characters?
 How do endings of novels differ from real life?
Literacy component: writing a review
Think about what you’ve discussed: characterisation, setting, thematic concerns and
the novel’s ending. Use this information to write a short review for a reader. Think of
it as a discussion you might have with a friend where you tell them the essence of
the story but don’t give away any important plot details. If you enjoyed reading
Abacus Aardvark and the Arctic Adventure, then you need to persuade your
audience that they should read it too. If you didn’t have a good reading experience,
try to explain why and justify your comments.
Extension Activities
1) Design a new cover for the novel that you think would be relevant to the
story and would appeal to potential readers. Briefly explain your choices.
2) In groups, choose a scene from the book and write a script to act out. You
might like to record it if you have access to recording equipment or
alternatively you could perform it to the class.
3) Choose a scene and retell it from the point of view of the lemming.
4) Research the famous Houdini, who the lemming was named for, and write a
brief report.
5) Create a survival guide for living in the city or a location of your choice, much
like Cold Hard Arctic Facts featured in the novel.
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