Miracle on
Separation Street is an adolescent novel written by Bob Graham. It is a
short story which follows a young boy named Jack and his family through many
ups and downs and eventually miracles. Or at least according to Jack’s mum. The
family finally have enough money to buy a car, but before they know it suddenly
disappears. Little does Jack know that the miracle is right around the corner.
This story is retrospectively told by Jack, meaning it is
told in the first person. This gives the reader a feel for what is inside Jack’s
head and the world around him, making the reader feel a closer connection to
the story and characters. Jack also tends to drift off on tangents while telling
the story which create many humourous moments.
Because this book is told in first person and in past tense,
it is a good example for students of how to write like that. It can be a very
confusing way to write but also very effective. This book could be analysed as
a learning exercise. In fact, Jack mentions this during the book when he
jumbles his tenses, claiming his teachers always tell him to fix up his tenses.
This was a very clever ploy by Graham as it is a sub-conscious teaching tool for
how to write. This novel also has some illustrations which help bring the words
to life for the reader.
This book is best suited for students from Years 3 and up.
Josh Rouse
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