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CBC Books The First Page: Linwood Barclay
Linwood Barclay reads from the opening of his novel Escape, a sequel to his book Chase. He believes that what makes a good first page is something that grabs you right away: “You’ve got that first page, maybe two, to really grab the reader’s attention.” Download the First Page teacher guide for discussion questions on Barclay's novel, key concepts to writing a ...
- 2019
- 00:05:06
- 9-12
- Added on: 11/12/2019
CBC Books The First Page: Fonda Lee
Fonda Lee reads from the first page of Exo, her young adult sci-fi novel. She remarks that, when she starts a novel – particularly because she writes science fiction and fantasy – she thinks about presenting something familiar and presenting something strange; the idea being to make the reader feel comfortable while also giving them something to be curious about. She ...
- 2019
- 00:06:28
- 9-12
- Added on: 11/12/2019
CBC Books Shakespeare Selfie: David Chariandy on getting into your character's head
Novelist David Chariandy (Brother) delves into his writing process, how he gets into a character's head and the importance of the question "what if."
- 2019
- 00:02:42
- 13-14
- Added on: 03/26/2019
CBC Books Canada Reads 2019: Lindsay Wong on The Woo-Woo
In this video Lindsay Wong discusses The Woo-Woo, her dark, witty and touching memoir that gives an honest account of the impact of mental illness on her family. The Vancouver-based writer delivers a raw and emotional look at whispered secrets, dysfunctional relationships — and how her grandmother, mother, aunt and even herself initially blamed the mythical "woo-woo," Chinese spirits that plague ...
- 2019
- 00:03:02
- 13-14
- Added on: 02/27/2019
CBC Books Canada Reads 2019: Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette on Suzanne
In this video Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette discusses Suzanne, an English translation of her celebrated 2015 novel La femme qui fuit. Barbeau-Lavalette’s novel is an imagined account of the life of her estranged grandmother. A novel that blurs the lines between fact and fiction, Suzanne tells the story of more than eight decades of art and political history through its portrait of a conflicted woman and ...
- 2019
- 00:05:35
- 13-14
- Added on: 02/27/2019
CBC Books Canada Reads 2019: Max Eisen on By Chance Alone
In this video Max Eisen discusses his deeply moving memoir By Chance Alone. When Eisen was 15 years old he and his family were taken from their home to Auschwitz, where he worked as a slave labourer. He survived the Holocaust and emigrated to Canada in 1949. Eisen has toured the world, educating people about the horrors he survived during the ...
- 2019
- 00:04:32
- 13-14
- Added on: 02/27/2019
CBC Books Canada Reads 2019: David Chariandy on Brother
In this video David Chariandy discusses Brother, his novel which takes us inside the lives of the mixed heritage sons of Trinidadian immigrants. Rooted in Chariandy's own experience growing up as a person of colour in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, the novel is a beautiful meditation on discrimination, agency, grief and the power of human relationships.
- 2019
- 00:03:38
- 13-14
- Added on: 02/27/2019
CBC Books Canada Reads 2019: Abu Bakr al Rabeeah and Winnie Yeung on Homes
In this video Abu Bakr al Rabeeah and Winnie Yeung discuss Homes, a memoir of al Rabeeah's childhood in Iraq and Syria. Just before civil war broke out, al Rabeeah's family left Iraq for safety in Homs, Syria. Al Rabeeah was 10 years old when the violence began in his new home. He remembers attacks on his mosque and school, car bombings ...
- 2019
- 00:06:16
- 13-14
- Added on: 02/27/2019
CBC Books The First Page: Omar El Akkad
Author Omar El Akkad reads the first page from American War, his debut novel that was featured in Canada Reads in 2018. He suggests that what writers hold back from the reader in the opening pages is just as important as what they include. Download the First Page teacher guide for discussion questions on Omar's novel, key concepts to writing ...
- 2018
- 00:03:10
- 9-12
- Added on: 10/19/2018
CBC Books The First Page: Jennifer Chen
Jennifer Chen reads the first page from her debut YA novel, Super, and talks about the importance of not only finding a great hook, but building on the intrigue of the hook. Download the First Page teacher guide for discussion questions on Jennifer's novel, key concepts to writing a compelling first page and more.
- 2018
- 00:04:39
- 9-12
- Added on: 10/19/2018
CBC Books Shakespeare Selfie: Current affairs in fiction with Sharon Bala
Novelist Sharon Bala shares what sparked her to write about the recent experiences of Tamil refugees. For students working on their entries for CBC Books' Shakespeare Selfie youth writing challenge, Sharon's advice will inspire them to search for real-life details when depicting current events through fiction.
- 2018
- 00:02:47
- 13-14
- Added on: 03/21/2018
CBC Books Canada Reads 2018: Craig Davidson on Precious Cargo
Craig Davidson drove five kids in a small school bus, each with special needs. His experience prompted a deeper understanding about disability and stigma. In this video, he discusses what so-called able-bodied people can learn from interactions with people with disabilities and other themes from Precious Cargo, his memoir about being a bus driver for special needs kids.
- 2018
- 00:04:28
- 9-12
- Added on: 03/05/2018
CBC Books Canada Reads 2018: Cherie Dimaline on The Marrow Thieves
Métis writer Cherie Dimaline won the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature. Watch the author discuss her Young Adult novel The Marrow Thieves, a futuristic, dystopian narrative rooted in Canadian history.
- 2018
- 00:02:52
- 9-12
- Added on: 03/05/2018
CBC Books Canada Reads 2018: Sharon Bala on The Boat People
In this video award-winning writer Sharon Bala discusses her debut novel, The Boat People, about a group of some 500 Sri Lankan refugees who arrive in Canada only to face deportation and accusations of terrorism.
- 2018
- 00:02:54
- 13-14
- Added on: 03/05/2018
CBC Books Canada Reads 2018: Mark Sakamoto on Forgiveness
Mark Sakamoto's grandparents endured much hardship during the Second World War. His maternal grandfather Ralph MacLean was a Canadian soldier, who spent years as a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp. His paternal grandmother Mitsue Sakamoto was one of thousands of Japanese‐Canadians interned by the Canadian government during the war. But instead of being bitter about their experiences, they ...
- 2018
- 00:04:27
- 13-14
- Added on: 03/05/2018
CBC Books Canada Reads 2018: Omar El Akkad on American War
In this video, Omar El Akkad discusses American War, his debut novel set in a future America devastated by war and plague. El Akkad is an award-winning journalist who has traveled the world to cover many of the most important news stories of the last decade.
- 2018
- 00:03:27
- 13-14
- Added on: 03/05/2018
CBC Books The First Page: Vikki VanSickle
Vikki VanSickle, author of the young adult novel The Winnowing, reads the first page in her novel and talks about the importance of hooking readers as early as you can in a story. Download the First Page teacher guide for discussion questions on Vikki's novel, key concepts to writing a compelling first page and more.
- 2017
- 00:02:38
- 9-12
- Added on: 10/18/2017
CBC Books The First Page: Cherie Dimaline
Cherie Dimaline, this year's judge for the CBC Books First Page Student Writing Challenge, reads the opening page from The Marrow Thieves and talks about how she sets the stage in her dystopian novel. Download the First Page teacher guide for discussion questions on Cherie's novel, key concepts to writing a compelling first page and more.
- 2017
- 00:05:00
- 9-12
- Added on: 10/18/2017
CBC Books The First Page: Katherena Vermette
Katherena Vermette, author of The Break, reads the first page in her novel and talks about the need to situate the reader in a story. Download the First Page teacher guide for discussion questions on Katherena's novel, key concepts to writing a compelling first page and more.
- 2017
- 00:01:57
- 9-12
- Added on: 10/18/2017
CBC Books The First Page: M.G. Vassanji
Author M.G. Vassanji reads from the prologue of his novel Nostalgia. Download the First Page teacher guide for discussion questions on his novel, key concepts to writing a compelling first page and more.
- 2017
- 00:02:06
- 9-12
- Added on: 10/18/2017
CBC Books The First Page: Erin Bow
Erin Bow, author of the young adult novel The Scorpion Rules, reads the first page on which the main character in her novel appears and talks about what she believes is important for a first page. Download the First Page teacher guide for discussion questions on Erin Bow's novel, key concepts to writing a compelling first page and more.
- 2017
- 00:03:50
- 9-12
- Added on: 10/18/2017
