Street Child (Essential Modern Classics) (HarperCollins Children’s Modern Classics)

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Look at the use of similes in the description of the man and woman by the steps. Find other examples.

With poetic language, Doherty (Granny Was a Buffer Girl) creates an enigmatic bedtime fantasy. Every night a boy and his dog awaken to see the midnight man who ""comes riding through the town on his Continue reading » A Emily and Lizzie’s journey is very different from Jim’s. I’ve told their story in the companion book to Street Child, called Far From Home: The Sisters of Street Child. AOnly Jim Jarvis and Dr Barnardo. I don’t know whether Jim had any sisters, or if he knew someone called Rose – they’re all made up. Easy cross curricular links with history- children's place in society, men and women's roles, social classes. Could use this for letter writing from Jim to his sisters.With its sootily authentic atmosphere and its earnest reformist message,"" said PW in a starred review, this tale of a homeless boy in Victorian England ""calls to mind the ambience of Charles Continue reading »

At the end of Chapter Eleven, Rosie lies to Jim and tells him that his sisters Emily and Lizzie went to live in the countryside in a summer house with a grey-eyed lady. Street Child ends with Emily and Lizzie wanting to tell their story from the moment their ma leaves them in the care of Rosie at the big house. Their adventures have only just begun.

Set in the 1860s, the Street Child novel is based on the first Dr Barnardo boy. Penniless and alone when his mother dies, little Jim Jarvis is put in the workhouse, from which he is determined to escape.

So I’ve divided the story synopsis into small sections which I hope will be helpful for classroom work. In many schools ambitious projects involving drama, historical research into the Victorian period, art work and visits to places like Southwell (a Victorian workhouse owned by the National Trust), happen as a result of reading Street Child. Notice how the descriptions and pace alter from noise, voices and movement before Jim enters the workhouse, to silent images and slow actions once inside. Provide headings: Sights; Sounds; Actions; Feelings; and find descriptions for each aspect. But who was Dr Barnardo, what did he achieve in his work with children and young people,, and what is his continuing significance? If you also are into reading about orphans and a little tension, I highly recommend this book to you. The preface is written in the first person, and Jim is with someone he refers to as Barnie (Dr Barnardo). So, right from the start, the reader knows that Jim is safe and well.Your class task is to write a sequel to the story. They will use the grid in the resource to plan what will happen to the two sisters as they are forced to leave the big house because the housekeeper panics… The story ends well with Jim being found by Dr Barnardo who sets up homes for boys and later girls like Jim. Barnardos still does great work with children today. Approaching his seventeenth birthday Thomas Barnardo experienced 'conversion' (on May 26, 1862). He became a strongly evangelical Christian 'impatient to convert others, urgent for action' (Rose 1987: 24). Barnardo began teaching Bible classes in a Dublin ragged school and became involved in home visiting. His mother and brothers were already members of the Plymouth Bretheren - which Barnardo also joined. He also became a member of the Dublin YMCA - and often gave talks there. His commitment to social work strengthened - and on hearing Hudson Taylor speaking in Dublin about the work of the Inland China Mission, Barnardo believed his future lay in such work. The Brethren provided him with a small allowance, and the plan was to first study medicine at the London Hospital (friends from Dublin YMCA gave him an introduction).

The author is good at describing the settings ofthe Victorian period which makes the story feel more real. I felt sorry for Jim. But I really liked his character. The plot brought out all kind of emotions but mind this, I DID NOT CRY. I don't have much to say for the plot.A At the time of meeting Barnardo, he is about 10. He was probably born in 1858. There is no record of when he died. This is the story of Jim Jarvis, a boy who is orphaned and forced to work in an East London workhouse. Eventually, fearing that his whole life will be spent in the workhouse, Jim decides to escape. The rest of the book follows his journey through London. During this time he tries to find his sisters (who he was separated from when he was put in the workhouse), works for a cruel and abusive man on a coal boat and lives as a ‘street child.’ It is during his time on the streets that he meets Barney (Dr. Barnardo). With the help of Barney Jim is given a second chance as a Barnardo’s child.