My Name is Mina

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When Michael first ventures into the derelict garage, he finds what he believes to be a tramp – immobile and close to death. Alex: The themes of your books are very varied and aimed at different audiences, from young children to YA readers. Do you know before you start writing which readers your new story is going to be for? Mina loves the night. While everyone else is in a deep slumber, she gazes out the window, witness to the moon’s silvery light. In the stillness, she can even hear her own heart beating. This is when Mina feels that anything is possible and her imagination is set free. West, Dave (19 March 2008). "Sky One sets three major HD series". Digital Spy . Retrieved 2 September 2008.

I read widely. I read all kinds of things. I think I was the same when I was younger. I just used to go in and browse. When I was reading the children’s selection then I moved to the older sections, I would read a lot about ghosts and spirits and that kind of stuff – I was fascinated by ghosts and parapsychology so I would look for that. I read novels, poetry and I remember the moment when I first read Ernest Hemingway. I was in Felling library – this shows the influence of a good library – I was in that library and I remember taking the book off the shelf, it was a book of short stories by Hemingway. I felt that suddenly when I started reading it, I had grown up as a reader. I think I was about 15 and I fell in love with those kinds of books. To Eijiro Kirishima) "The old you's not going anywhere with that emo look on your face! If you overcome that gloomy self of yours... let me know. Or else I'll start spreading rumors about high school debut man." [9] I couldn't put it down! Seriously, I cut myself off from society to read it (basically barricading myself in my room, refusing to get out until I read it all) This has got to be one of the best books I've ever read in my life! This book really makes you think about how the world works, how people would see things that we take for granted; like 'Dust'. I love Mina, a misunderstood little girl, who just wanted to be free. I loved the way Mr Almond wrote this book, how he put things how they ... A blank notebook lies on the table. It has been there for what seems like forever. Mina has proclaimed in the past that she will use it as a journal, and one night, at last, she begins to do just that. As she writes, Mina makes discoveries both trivial and profound about herself and her world, her thoughts and her dreams. Mina is extremely courageous and is viewed as an ideal personality for hero work. Before entering U.A., Mina would condemn bullying in middle school and even convinced some bullies to come around with her upbeat and friendly attitude. She can also put her life on the line to save others, even if she can't deal with the fear afterwards. This stalwart attitude was seen when she lied to Gigantomachia to protect her friends from the behemoth’s anger and successfully got the giant to leave, just before collapsing into tears of fear and relief, showing that the ordeal had terrified her as well.Worrying enough, but in his heart Michael senses that all is not as it seems. With the help of a neighbour, Mina, who is being home-schooled, he slowly begins to learn the truth about Skellig. Dracula’s major conflict emerges when the diabolical vampire Dracula travels to England, where he preys on the novel’s protagonists until they pledge to destroy him. While Dracula has wreaked destruction in Transylvania for hundreds of years, his move to England makes him a major threat to the foundations of the protagonists’ own society. The protagonists seek not only to remove this threat to their safety, but to rid the world of Dracula’s evil forever. Their underlying motivation includes a sense of duty to both nation and religion: Dracula’s presence is not only a danger to English society but also a threat to Christian life, as he can make dutiful Christians into unholy agents like himself. There’s an empty notebook lying on the table in the moonlight. It’s been there for an age. I keep on saying that I’ll write a journal. So I’ll start right here, right now. I open the book and write the very first words: My name is Mina and I love the night. Then what shall I write? I can’t just write that this happened then this happened then this happened to boring infinitum. I’ll let my journal grow just like the mind does, just like a tree or a beast does, just like life does. Why should a book tell a tale in a dull straight line? In this stunning book, David Almond revisits Mina before she has met Michael, before she has met Skellig.

The book is Mina's journal, not a record of events but an exciting journey into words, nature, poetry, mythology, and because of a sadness in her life, into quite frightening places. I like her because she doesn't mind what other children think of her. In March 2011 the play was performed at the New Victory Theater, New York by The Birmingham Stage Company who previously toured the UK with their production, from 2008 in London and Birmingham. The BSC founder and manager Neal Foster played Skellig. [14] [15] 2008 opera [ edit ] Mina loves the night. While everyone else is in a deep slumber, she gazes out the window, witness to the moon's silvery light. In the stillness, she can even hear her own heart beating. This is when Mina feels that anything is possible and her imagination is set free.

With the pupils urged by teacher and head alike to "do their best", Mina writes a nonsense passage for her Sats test, full of marvellous new words of her own creation, such as "cludderish", "glibbertysnark" and "claminosity". And it is this piece of work that culminates in her departure from mainstream school life, something about which she (and, secretly, her mother) is very pleased.

I didn’t go to book groups no, and again I think it’s that thing about the past and the present. You know people say to me “Oh, kids don’t read anymore” and I think “What??” Come and meet the children that I meet. They don’t believe you exist, or believe in you. Just come and see them everywhere I go! These are the young people who love books, they love writing themselves and when I was a teenager, no, we didn’t talk about books really, I only started to do that at 19 or 20 years old, when I went to university. I did have an uncle who was a printer who loved books and I did read a lot with him when I was maybe 16 or 17. Younger than that, not a great deal except I was bought books by my parents for Christmas and then we would talk about the books I’d been bought. Through a collection of stories, journal entries and meandering thoughts, Mina tells the story of her life so far; of grief, marginalisation, bravery, self-knowledge and love. MINA’s ideal type: “ Someone who is kind, well-mannered, and playful; Someone who can lead me; Someone decisive.” This is a story that hinges on the choices the characters make. Should Michael tell people about Skellig? Will Michael help Skellig? Can Mina be trusted? And many more opportunities for discussing the pros and cons involved.Oh I don’t know – obscure? That’s a hard question… That is the most obscure question I’ve had! I’m trying to think, there have been lots which I have been surprised by and I’m trying to remember…. I remember I was somewhere recently and somebody asked “how did you know what it felt like to be Skellig?” and I thought that was a really interesting question. Another question involved Skellig and Kit’s Wilderness (young people ask the best questions) and a boy looked at me and said “In Skellig, you’ve got Mina who has a cat and in Kit’s Wilderness you have John Askew who has a dog so obviously the relationship between children and animals is important to you.” And I suddenly realised yes it is! And then he says “So, Mina and John are like witches because they have their familiars” and I thought oh yes, they are its true! And I’d never thought of it like that before. So questions asked by different people kind of illuminate your own work for you; it’s those kinds of questions which help you understand what people get from your stories.

During the Joint Training Battle, Mina showcased her improvement, effectively switching between different acid-based techniques, while executing unorthodox, yet impeccable teamwork with Minoru. On Nabu Island, Mina and Fumikage Tokoyami tag-teamed against Slice, wherein Mina successfully weakened the red-haired villainess, and used her agility to evade the majority of the latter’s hair assault. Her abilities eventually garnered the attention of the Equipped Hero: Yoroi Musha, allowing Mina to intern under the now former No. 9 Pro Hero and improve her offensive and defensive abilities. In the Final War, Mina successfully melted through Gigantomachia's armored skin, which is an impressive feat given that Gigantomachia's exterior is nearly indestructible.Meanwhile, his friends from school become more and more distant as Michael stops attending school and spends less time with them. He meets a girl named Mina from across the road and over the course of the story they become close. Mina is home-schooled and enjoys nature, birds, drawing and the poems of William Blake. Often drawing or sculpting at home, she invites Michael to join in. She takes care of some baby birds who live in her garden and teaches Michael to hear their tiny sounds. Michael decides to introduce her to the strange creature. Michael's friends, Leakey and Coot, become skeptical about Michael and try to find out what he is hiding from them. Michael and Mina try to keep it a secret from them, and have to move "Skellig" to a safer space. Organise a trip to a local bird of prey centre to see the birds in action or invite handlers into school to put on a display. It would be great to arrange in advance for them to provide you with some owl pellets to dissect so children can learn more about the owl’s diet and digestive system. He was educated at the University of East Anglia and Newcastle Polytechnic. [5] After graduating, Almond worked as a teacher for five years; he then moved to an artists' commune in Norfolk and concentrated on his writing. [5] He returned to Newcastle and worked as a part-time special-needs teacher while editing the literary journal Panurge. [5] Career [ edit ]