Besides, I want to know what kind of a camper he is, because there's no way I am going to South America with him if he's going to complain the whole time.
Will gets up. 'I'm going for a walk.'
'Don't go far,' Mum says.
'I'll go with you,' Dad says.
We watch them lurch down the aisle as the train sways.
Mum runs her hand over the shoulder of my top. 'This is a good colour for you.'
'You said that already.'
'Well, it's still a good colour for you.'
We stare out the window.
After a while Mum nudges me with her elbow.
'What were you doing in the laundry that day, Jenna-Belle?' she asks quietly, under the hum of the engines.
'What do you think I was doing?'
She shakes her head. 'I've always wondered, but I thought it was private and I didn't want you to be embarrassed. Were you . . .?'
'Yes!' I blurt.
'And is it . . . effective? That way?'
'Not really,' I laugh.
As I look out the window I run my finger around the jagged edge of my pinch pot.
I think our family had so much stuff that we got buried in it and couldn't see each other any more. Then we had nothing and could see each other too much. There has to be a balance somewhere.
I'm looking forward to Wombat Crossing. We won't be the same people we were last time we were there. We won't even be the same people we are now, but I'm glad we are all trying to start afresh together.
READING GUIDE
The following questions for classroom or reading group discussion are from the Reading Guide for Girl Next Door, which is available on the Random House Australia website.
Random House Australia Reading Guides and Teaching Support Kits are designed to facilitate reading group and classroom discussion and further exploration of the themes and issues, writing style, characterisation and plot of the book, as well as providing further information on the author's inspiration and the writing process.
Find out more at www.randomhouse.com.au/teachers
1. Alyssa has said that she was inspired to write Girl Next Door after hearing a radio program that challenged her ideas about how and why people become homeless. How did Jenna-Belle's perceptions of poverty change through her experiences? Has your perception of homelessness or poverty been challenged at all by Girl Next Door?
2. Jenna-Belle refers to the 'pineapple on everybody's heads' (e.g. p. 48, p. 52, p. 152, p. 174, p. 200, p. 231). What do you think is at the core of this idea? How do you think it contributed to the way Jenna-Belle and her family cope with their situation – and how might it have contributed to the situation arising in the first place?
3. Is Jenna-Belle a likeable character – and is she meant to be? Did your reaction to her affect your sympathy for her as the book progressed? Why do you think the author might have chosen to portray Jenna-Belle as she has?
4. Jenna-Belle's immediate family seem distant from their extended family. How might the novel have been different had Jenna-Belle's family situation been different? Do you think her family situation is common today? Is it different from, say, your great-grandparents' generation?
5. Why do you think the author chose to have Jenna-Belle narrate the story in the first person, and using everyday speech? What did Jenna-Belle's narrative voice tell you about the character – and how might the story have been different if it were told by a third-person omniscient narrator? Would elements of the story have been lost?
6. 'If I wasn't so mature and chic I would definitely want to play a game of smugglers, or vampires, or something like that.' (p. 7). Is there a disconnect between the way Jenna-Belle describes herself and what she reveals through her narration? Do you think Jenna-Belle is unaware of the space between how mature she feels she is and how mature she wants others to believe she is – or is she playing with the idea (and the audience) deliberately? Why might the author have chosen to create this effect?
7. 'Mum thought you could buy self-esteem.' (p. 11) What do you think of Jenna-Belle's mother's attitude to self-esteem? Why do you think Jenna-Belle's mother might not have offered support or communication when Jenna-Belle felt she most needed it (for instance, p. 21, p. 198)? Which characters in the book do you think actually have the worst self-esteem – and is this surprising?
8. Can you give examples of ways in which concepts such as pride and respect inform what happens in Girl Next Door – between married couples; friends; parents and children; males versus females; school peers; people from different neighbourhoods and socio-economic groups?
9. What did you think of Jenna-Belle's frustration with the different roles she thought boys and girls were expected to play? (e.g. p. 128, p. 203 and pp. 241–242). Do you agree with Jenna-Belle that gender roles can be unfair? Can you think of instances where Jenna-Belle might have made Declan 'feel bad so casually' (p. 241)?
10. Jenna-Belle encounters many new and difficult experiences throughout the novel and along the way slowly gains a broader view of the world and greater empathy for others, including those she depends upon and strangers. Do you think such drastic events are necessary to develop empathy for other people? Do you need to sometimes step 'out of your comfort zone' in order to change your views?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alyssa Brugman's young adult novels Finding Grace, Walking Naked, Being Bindy and Solo are distributed around the world and have been shortlisted for numerous awards in Australia and overseas. Alyssa has also written five novels for younger readers about a girl called Shelby and her pony, Blue: For Sale or Swap, Beginner's Luck, Hot Potato, Hide & Seek and Greener Pastures. This series has been shortlisted for a number of Children's Choice awards and was also selected for the 2007 'Books Alive' campaign. Alyssa recently published Book Two of the new Quentaris series, The Equen Queen. She lives in the Hunter Valley and is currently writing more novels for children and young adults. Visit www.alyssabrugman.com.au for more information about Alyssa and her books.
Girl Next Door Page 19
