The Watertower

Product Information

This book draws you in right from the beginning with the cover. The cover is eerie and also has some foreshadowing to what is to come. This is a great mystery book for children and I really believe that older children will love it.

Crop Circles: The circular design on the water tower as well as the book's aesthetic all allude to this. A great Halloween read-aloud, good for grades 3+, with large, bright illustrations and tons to discuss... The characters are illustrated in a lifelike manner, and some are positioned as if they are looking right at us. How does that make us feel and how does that change the story? Why would the author and illustrator want to change the direction of the layout throughout the book? What do you think Bubba saw when he was by himself in the water tower and why didn���t the author let us know? This book drew me in by the eery cover. I was also anxious to see how anyone could make a water tower interesting. The story is set in the small town of Preston, with the Water Tower sitting atop Shooter’s Hill. The two main characters, Spike Trotter and Bubba D’Angelo got together one day and headed to the water tower to swim. The illustrations did a great job of continuing to depict the eery feel that the author wanted his readers to feel; one picture would show the outside bright and cheery while the next picture showed the dark and gloomy inside as the boys descended down the ladder into the water. Unfortunately when they went to leave, Bubba’s clothes had blown away or had been taken so, Spike ran to the house to get Bubba some clothes so he wouldn’t return home and get in trouble with his mom. Spike and Bubba could sense something weird going on around them but just couldn’t figure out what was going on, even the people in the town all stared strangely at Bubba has he ran through to the house.

The Corruption: Bubba's fate at the end. It's implied the adults in Preston have gone through this as well.

Nothing Is Scarier: It's never revealed exactly what made Bubba go from scared to confident. Beneath the Surface reveals that the water itself is what changes people. Currently using this book as part of a Year 5 'suspense and mystery' unit, with a boy-heavy class with many behavioural challenges. I can honestly say I have never seen these children respond to any lesson as enthusiastically as they did when I showed them this story. The book follows the codes and conventions of a subgenre of science fiction, known as gothic science fiction. It involves a "pleasing hobo sort of terror" related to gothic tradition but also has references to technology corrupting life. This is represented through the use of satellites. In 2004, a sequel was published called Beneath the Surface, casting a clearer light on what the water tower is really for, while still keeping some of its mystery. The ‘Watertower’ is essentially a graphic novel or visual text, making use of both words and art to impart the story. The books itself centres around two boys who decide to explore an old water tower, which towers over the small mid American town of Preston. The Water tower dominates the town, standing high upon Shooter’s hill.

Find a Scheme of Work

Whilst I was reading, I was confronted with a strong haunting feeling that something wasn't quite right. The way the book is set out is a massive contributor to this- the way you have to rotate the book and the layout of the text/illustrations signify much more than just an interesting form of presentation. Abandoned Area: Played with. The water tower isn't well-guarded and just barely kept from falling into disrepair. The sequel reveals that whoever put it there wanted people to think it was this. Bubba is described as not particularly liking the water. He only gets in the water up to his knees, splashes around a bit, and glances up towards the light "imagining." Perhaps he is wondering where Spike is hiding. As a reader, I assumed Spike had descended into the tank first. He finally calls out to Spike telling him that he is going to climb out of the tower and get dressed. Still there is no answer from Spike, and Bubba assumes Spike is somewhere beneath him in the water. When Bubba climbs out of the tank, he wraps his towel around his waist and begins searching for his clothes. He sees Spike's clothes wedged beneath the hatch but can only see his shirt flapping in the wind. He cannot find his pants. He calls to Spike, whom he assumes is down inside the tank and asks him if his pants are "down there," when all of a sudden Spike appears behind him, dripping wet. How did Spike get out of the tank before Bubba? How did Spike get behind him? Something strange and unusual is taking place here.