Haphazard House (Sky Books)

This volume is part of a series of easy reading for GCSE/Key Stage 4 containing a selection of accessible, modern short novels and stories. The series is intended in particular for those teenage readers who find other books difficult or heavy-going. Many cross-curricular themes emerge from the reading: ecology, animal rights, apartheid, Vietnamese boat people, the Nazi persecution of the Jews, physical handicaps, the treatment of women in society and mixed marriages. Each book includes some ideas for participation with the text based on the National Curriculum. Students are encouraged to respond personally through log-keeping, note-making and after-reading activities. There are also interviews with the authors of the books.