futurumbooks.com

A title in the Open Door series — original short novels from some of Ireland’s best authors, specially written for slow adult readers. An excellent combination of mature content and simple (but natural) language. Level: D-E

The city is Dublin, the year is 1972. Redser and Pancho are two teenagers from the North Wall. Redser is top of the class, especially good at maths. Pancho's knack is for finding money, not adding or subtracting it. Redser's parents run the local credit union. Pancho's dad runs riot in the city pubs on pay day. The boys' worlds could not be further apart. Yet the pair are the best of friends. Author: Peter Sheridan. (58 pages)

At a prestigious American public school, the boys like to emphasise their democratic ideals — the only acknowledged snobbery is literary snobbery. Once a term, a big name from the literary world visits and a contest takes place. The boys have to submit a piece of writing and the winner receives a private audience with the great writer. But then it is announced that Hemingway, the boys' hero, is coming to the school. The competition intensifies, and the morals the school and the boys pride themselves on — honour, loyalty and friendship — are crumbling under the strain. Only time will tell who will win and what it will cost them in the long run. If this sounds predictable, let us just say that the way the story develops is anything but predictable. This is a sad, moving and poignant book, beautifully written in the finest tradition of sparse North American prose ... and very teachable. Recommended! (195 pages)
Level: B/(C+)

Ian McEwan's short novel shows how the course of a life can be changed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken. This tale of sexual longing, deep-seated fears and romantic fantasy reconstructs for a new generation the emotional minefield of wooing in an earlier generation. The year is 1962. Florence, the daughter of a successful businessman and an aloof Oxford academic, is a talented violinist. She dreams of a career on the concert stage and of the perfect life she will create with Edward, the earnest young history student she met by chance and who unexpectedly wooed her and won her heart. Edward grew up in the country on the outskirts of Oxford where his father, the headmaster of the local school, struggled to keep the household together and his mother, brain-damaged from an accident, drifted in a world of her own. Edward's native intelligence, coupled with a longing to experience the excitement and intellectual fervour of the city, had taken him to University College in London. Falling in love with the accomplished, shy and sensitive Florence – and having his affections returned with equal intensity – has utterly changed his life. Their marriage, they believe, will bring them happiness, the confidence and the freedom to fulfill their true destinies. The glowing promise of the future, however, cannot totally mask their worries about the wedding night. Edward, who has had little experience with women, frets about his sexual prowess. Florence's anxieties run deeper: she is overcome by conflicting emotions and a fear of the moment she will surrender herself. The two young lovers are eager to rise above the hurts and confusion of the past, but their unexpressed misunderstandings and fears end up shaping the rest of their lives. (166 pages)
Level: A/B

A twisting thriller of friendship, love and evil that is difficult to put down:

From the moment Katy sees Genevieve's beautiful face staring at her from a window, her life will never be the same. Wherever Katy turns, Genevieve is there — at school, with Katy's friends, and worst of all, in Katy's hot new boyfriend's life. But Genevieve has a menacing side, a dangerous side, a threatening side that she only reveals to Katy: I'm your worst nightmare. When Genevieve's behaviour becomes increasingly twisted, Katy delves into the girl's past, with the help of her best friend Luke. Nothing prepares her for the dark truths that she discovers, or the new romance she finds along the way. Is Genevieve a troubled girl with a difficult childhood? Or is the truth unearthly and much more frightening? Who is the real Genevieve? What are her secrets? Why is she determined to destroy Katy's life? Author: Siobhan Hayes. (352 pages)
Level: 9.-10. kl/D-C/1.g/1.HF etc.

One of the most famous crime novels ever written, which also inspired a film that helped to define the genre of film noir. It is the story of Frank Chambers, the amoral drifter, Cora, the sullen and brooding wife, and Nick Papadakis, the amiable but inconvenient husband — a story told through the eyes of Frank, the perpetrator of the crime. This novel won for its author a reputation for bleak, masterful realism, spare prose and raw speech right out of the mouths of the people  Author: James M. Cain. (128 pages)
Level: C-B

This is the story of Precious Jones, a sixteen year old illiterate black girl who has never been out of Harlem. She is pregnant by her own father for the second time, and kicked out of school when that pregnancy becomes obvious. Placed in an alternative teaching programme, she is urged to write down her thoughts in a book. This is Precious' diary, in which she honestly records her relationships and her life. This is an uncompromising novel of power, vitality and wit. It covers many social issues:  the consequences of incest/rape; teenage pregnancy; living with HIV/AIDS; education. Author: Sapphire. (177 pages)
Level: (1st) and 2nd years of Gymnasium

It's the Fourth of July — the town is celebrating. Teena Maguire (a faulty, but loving and gritty mother) and her daughter Bethie decide to head home from the party and take the cooling walk home through the park. A group of boys catch sight of the pair from across the lake and scent blood. They chase Teena and corner her in front of her daughter. Rape begins with what is almost unmentionable, and tells of the brutality and cowardice that overtakes the small town in the aftermath of the attack. Gossip from neighbours about Teena piles up: "She had it coming. She was asking for it." Teena nearly dies — for a long while she feels it would have been better not to have been left alive. Joyce Carol Oates projects herself brilliantly into the minds of the imbecilic misogynists she describes: rapists or lawyers. But Rape is not only the story of Teena and Bethie and their insolent assailants, but also the tale of their "champion" — a policeman called Dromoor. Dromoor is a dangerous man; he hasn't lost his soul or his heart — entirely, and he has a sense of justice, but his morality is heavily compromised. He practices his own very discomforting brand of justice. Rape is highly polemic attack on male misogyny, written with a contained fury and yet open to all the nuances and ambiguities of human character. One can hardly imagine a better novel about such a difficult subject. It is also a discomforting reflection on the randomness of fate, of lives turned upside down by the events of one violent night.
The subject matter of this novel is tough, but if your students are willing to tackle it, this is a brilliant, rewarding and highly teachable novel. (154 pages)
Level: B/Reading groups etc.

A novel about love, prejudice, and the war on terror:
At a cafe table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with a suspicious, and possibly armed, American stranger. As dusk deepens, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful meeting. Changez is living out an immigrant's dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by an elite firm that specializes in the “valuation” of companies ripe for acquisition. He thrives on the energy of New York and the intensity of his work, and his infatuation with regal Erica promises entree into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore. For a time, it seems as though nothing will stand in the way of Changez’s meteoric rise to personal and professional success. But in the wake of September 11, he finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his budding relationship with Erica eclipsed by the reawakened ghosts of her past. And Changez’s own identity shifts as well — allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and perhaps even love, reappear. This novel is an exploration of a divided and yet ultimately indivisible world. The author Mohsin Hamid grew up in Lahore, studied and worked the USA for several years and now lives in London. (184 pages)
Level: B/(partnership with Religion/Samfundsfag)

A title in the Open Door series — original short novels from some of Ireland’s best authors, specially written for slow adult readers. An excellent combination of mature content and simple (but natural) language. Level: D-E

The McHugh's marriage is on the rocks. Ciara McHugh is worried that her mum and dad are going to divorce. And she is worried about school and a nasty boy who pesters her. Lillian, Ciara's Gran, is worried too. She has a nice life now, since her bullying husband died. This could all change. Meanwhile, Brenda Johnston is very happy. She has a lot to gain if the Mc Hughs divorce. Or has she? One awful night everything changes. Author: Patricia Scanlan. (64 pages)

A title in the Open Door series — original short novels from some of Ireland’s best authors, specially written for slow adult readers. An excellent combination of mature content and simple (but natural) language. Level: C-D

A novella by Patricia Scanlan. Unemployment is taking away Tony's self-respect and causing problems in his marriage. They're living with his mother-in-law and they just don't get on. But then Tony runs into a situation in town where an old lady is mugged by a drug addict ... and suddenly things change for him.  (62 pages)

New Penguin edition now available. It can be used together with Futurum's glossary (which is divided up by date) but does not have the same pagination as the old Mandarin edition. The humorous classic by Sue Townsend. A masterpiece about growing up, the foibles of youth and adults and the peculiarities of the English class system. Detailed glossary by Ann Bilde and Duncan McLaurin.
Level: C/B

A title in the Open Door series — original short novels from some of Ireland’s best authors, specially written for slow adult readers. An excellent combination of mature content and simple (but natural) language. Level: AVU D-E/8.-10. kl./D-E

By Patricia Scanlan: Kate is finding it hard to come to terms with her husband's unemployment. She and Bill are struggling to pay the bills. They don't have enough money for the children's Christmas presents. And having a boastful next-door neighbour isn't helping either.
Then Kate's old friend Carmel phones to say that she'll be visiting soon. Carmel is glamorous and rich — she seems to have it all. What will Kate do? She hasn't told Carmel about Bill's job loss and she's too proud to admit that they'øre in trouble. But Carmel has a secret of her own ... (76 pages)

The Booker winning short novel!
Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they would navigate the girl-less sixth form together, trading in affectations, in-jokes, rumour and wit. Maybe Adrian was a little more serious than the others, certainly more intelligent, but they all swore to stay friends for life. Now Tony is in middle age. He's had a career and a single marriage, a calm divorce. He's certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer's letter is about to prove. The Sense of an Ending is the story of one man coming to terms with the mutable past. Author: Julian Barnes. (160 pages)
Level: 2nd and 3rd year of Gymnasium etc.

“Ugly people don't have feelings. They're not like everyone else. They don't notice if you stare at them and turn away. And if they did notice, it wouldn't hurt them. They're not like real people. Or that's what I used to think. Before I learned...”

After the car crash that leaves her best friend dead, Jenna is permanently scarred. She struggles to rebuild her life, but every stare in the street, every time she looks in the mirror, makes her want to retreat further from the world. Until she meets Ryan. Ryan's a traveller. When he and his mother moor their narrow boat on the outskirts of a village, she tells him this time it will be different. He doesn't believe her; he can't imagine why this place shouldn't be as unwelcoming as the rest. Until he meets Jenna. But as Jenna and Ryan grow closer, repercussions from the crash continue to reverberate through the community. And then a body is found... Author: Laura Jarratt. (384 pages)
Level: 9.-10. kl/D-C/1.g/1.HF etc.

Seventh-grader Maleeka Madison is miserable when a new teacher comes to her American inner-city school. Miss Saunders is self-assured in spite of the white birthmark across her black skin, and gets into kids' faces about both their behavior and their academic potential. Although Maleeka is bright, she is swamped by her problems. Maleeka's mother has just emerged from two years of mourning for her dead husband. In that period her daughter had to provide her with physical and moral support with no adult assistance. At school, Maleeka has to put up with mean-spirited teasing about the darkness of her skin and her unstylish clothing. She finds escape in creative writing (encouraged by Miss Saunders) and also in the company and protection of a powerful clique of nasty girls, who exploit her. She understands too well that her brains aren't as valuable as the social standing that she doesn't have. In the end, she is able to respond positively to Miss Saunders and she also becomes socially accepted through the affections of the most popular boy in the school. This message rings true in spite of the fact that Maleeka's salvation isn't exactly politically correct. Students will appreciate Flake's authenticity and perhaps learn from her struggle for security and self-assurance. Author: Sharon Flake. (188 fairly short pages)
Level: 9.-10.kl./D-C/1.g/1.HF

This is a Nick Hornby novel specially written for teenagers. Sam is sixteen and his passion is skateboarding (“skating”). Life is ticking along OK for Sam: his mum’s got rid of her rubbish boyfriend, he’s thinking about college and he’s met someone — Alicia. Then a little accident happens. Sam gets Alicia pregnant. A ‘slam’ is a hard fall in skateboarding, but nothing compares to the slam that Sam experiences when he finds out that he and Alicia are going to have a baby. Sam can't run away from this one. He’s a boy facing a man’s problems and the question is — has he got what it takes to face up to them? Alicia’s parents are university professors (Sam’s father is a plumber) who see Sam as “some hoodie chav.” They want their daughter to drop both him and the fetus. The story takes us through the various stages of Sam trying to come to terms with repeating the “mistake” his own parents made (his mum had him when she was just 16). From deciding to run away to Hastings, to facing up to Alicia's parents and attending an NCT (“Something Childbirth Something”) class, this is teenage pregnancy from the father-to-be's point of view. When Sam has to tell the school authorities he’s going to be a father he expects a stern reaction. But in today’s politically correct educational culture, that’s not what happens at all ... the school has just introduced a “strategy” for teen pregnancies, which they have never had a chance to use before, so they are quite pleased. They encourage him to stay at school, ask whether they have enough money ... and then ask him to fill out a form to tell them whether he is happy with their strategy. Sam does indeed become a father, if not quite a grown-up one. Alicia takes down the ‘Donnie Darko’ posters in her bedroom and puts up “kiddy stuff” in their place. The music Sam brings to play while Alicia is in labour includes “American Idiot” ... but what’s actually playing at the moment of his son’s birth is a song by Rufus Wainwright, and so Alicia names the boy “Rufus”. (342 pages)
Level: C/1.g

Now with a FREE Workbook (with a Danish glossary)!

Roddy Doyle’s lovable comedy about the Rabbite family. When Sharon announces her pregnancy, the Rabbites are vaguely aware that the traditional reaction of an Irish family should be hellfire and damnation ... but the Rabbites rally around — amidst the dirty dishes of their everyday existence. If only Sharon would tell them who the father was! There is a lot of human warmth in this novel. The language does contain a good deal of Dublin street slang, but basically it is very simple. “en bog om er familie, der tager livet, som, det kommer, og hvor sammenholdet i familien giver den styrke ... Gloseringen passer fint til 1.g/HF fællesfag... gode overordnede sporgsmål til hele romanen" (A.M.M., ANGLOffies) (164 standard pages)
Level: B/C

Molly Sullivan said that the new baby was a little star. She was no trouble at all and she was always smiling...so she became known as Star and no one remembered that her name was Oona. Star Sullivan just wanted everyone to be happy — her father to stop gambling, her mother not to work so hard, her brother to stay out of trouble, her sister to stop worrying about every little thing she ate. Then the Hale family moved in next door, and from the moment Star saw 23-year-old Laddy Hale, everything began to change — until Star was no longer the sweet, thoughtful girl everyone loved and no one worried about ... Author: Maeve Binchy. (128 pages)
Level:  C-D/9.-10.kl (1.g/1.HF)

Listen To An Extract From Star Sullivan
Teaching Activities (PDF)

An old man awakens, disoriented, in an unfamiliar room with a single door and window, a bed, a desk and a chair. With no memory of who he is or how he has arrived there, he pores over objects on the desk, examining the circumstances of his confinement and searching his own hazy mind for clues. Determining that he is locked in, the man — identified only as Mr. Blank — begins reading a manuscript he finds on the desk, the story of another prisoner, set in an alternate world the man doesn't recognize. Nevertheless, the pages seem to have been left for him, along with a haunting set of photographs. As the day passes, various characters call on the man in his cell — vaguely familiar people, some who seem to resent him for crimes he can't remember — and each brings frustrating hints of his identity and his past. A middle-aged woman called Anna enters and talks of pills and treatment, but also of love and promises. Will Mr Blank ever have enough time to ever make sense of all these clues? All the while an overhead camera clicks and clicks, recording his movements, and a microphone records every sound in the room. Someone is watching. A chilling and poignant novel, a mystery about responsibility, ageing, and memory, set in a disturbingly familiar world. Author: Paul Auster. (130 pages)
Level: A

Kevin is determined that he'll never join a gang but his path crosses the Tribe's when he saves one of them from a rival gang. Invited to take their initiation test, Kevin plans to break the oath of secrecy and tell everyone. But he falls under the spell of the gang leader, Salom, and becomes a member. Kevin then discovers how hard it is to break away from the Tribe's rules and Salom's power, for when he's challenged Salom always makes you sorry. In this case he fastens on to Kevin's little sister, Glory, and Kevin is forced to take the initiation test again as his sister freezes with horror crossing a beam high above a ruined building. Author: Catherine MacPhail (188 pages)
Level: 9.-10.kl./D-C/1.g/1.HF

LaVaughn is fifteen and life is getting complicated. Big questions separate her from her friends. Her mother is distracted by a new man. School could slip away from her so easily. When she hears that Jody is moving back into her housing project, she can hardly believe it. They were best friends when they were children, and now he's gorgeous. But why doesn't he return her affection? This book explores gender identity, class, religion, and love with penetrating intelligence. The literary style is superb — the book is written in crystal clear, free verse. Don't be put off by the choice of poetry above prose — one read of the first page will remove any doubts that this cannot be a gripping story. The poetic form and the first-person narrative allow thoughts to mingle with words and actions, so that readers constantly have emotional and physical images thrown at them that let in the questions, doubts and angst of a teenage girl. But make no mistake LaVaughn is a strong, attractive figure. Her optimism for even the most simple things, coupled with her touching honesty about her failings, is uplifting. She manages to live through being 15, having a mother, meeting the demands of school and juggling the opinions of friends — and still retain her happiness and sanity. Author: Virginia Euwer Wolff. (264 pages)
Level: C/B (man kan sagtens finde gode uddrag)

A title in the Open Door series — original short novels from some of Ireland’s best authors, specially written for slow adult readers. An excellent combination of mature content and simple (but natural) language. Level: AVU II/AVU III/8.-10. kl./D-E

By John Connolly: It is 1915 and war is raging in Europe. In the small English village of Underbury, a man lies dead, torn apart by an unseen killer. Two detectives from Scotland Yard are sent to look into the death. But they soon find that this is no ordinary murder.
In a place that has lost most of its men to the war, an old evil has returned. In Underbury, the witches have arisen ... (68 pages)

Now with a FREE Workbook (with a Danish glossary)!

To download a free Danish Glossary in PDF-format, please click HERE!
To download Supplementary Material in PDF-format, please click HERE!

A short masterpiece by D.H. Lawrence. The Gipsy is the catalyst who prompts Yvette to reject her life-denying existence at the Rectory for a new life in harmony with her own inner needs. A book of considerable literary quality. Introduction, glossary and exercises by Sv. Aa. Larsen and M.Morris. NB! Same pages as previous editions! (95.6 standard pages)
Level: A/B

Through the eyes of the war horse, Joey, Michael Morpurgo tells a story of chaos, pain and survival on the Western Front:

This is a moving story about one horse's experience in the deadly chaos of the first world war. In 1914, Joey, a young farm horse, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges towards the enemy, witnessing the horror of the frontline. He witnesses the reality of battle from both sides of the trenches. Bombarded by artillery, with bullets knocking riders from his back, Joey tells a story of the truest friendships surviving in terrible times.  Even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him. One horse sees the best and the worst of humanity. Author: Michael Morpurgo. (192 pages)
Level: 9.-10. kl/D-C/1.g/1.HF etc.

Download/view an extract from the opening chapter here. (PDF)

My name is Sam. I am eleven years old. I collect stories and fantastic facts. By the time you read this, I will probably be dead.
Living through the final stages of leukemia, Sam collects stories, questions, lists, and pictures that create a moving portrait of how a boy lives when he knows his time is almost up. Sam loves facts. He wants to know about UFOs and horror movies and airships and ghosts and scientists, and how it feels to kiss a girl. And because he has leukemia he wants to know the facts about dying. Sam needs answers to the questions nobody will answer. This is a powerful and uplifting novel that will appeal to pupils, through the compelling voice of its narrator. Themes include family, friendship, growing up, death and grief, self-discovery and hope. Accessible to all pupils. Author: Sally Nicholls. (202 pages)
Level: 9-10. kl./C-D/1st year of the Gymnasium (kan læses i uddrag)

The year is 1659, a time of fear and lies. For Mary Newbury, it is a time of desperation. She sees her wise and beloved grandmother accused of witchcraft. While Mary watches, unable to intervene, her grandmother is falsely condemned, tortured, and hanged in the public square. Mary is silently hurried to safety by an unknown woman. The woman gives her paper and ink to record her life. She is taken in a boat to Plymouth and from there sails to the New World where she hopes to make a new life among the pilgrims. But in Salem she finds a Puritan society where differences are feared — and where she, like her grandmother, is the victim of ignorance and stupidity. Mary has to ask herself how long she can hide her true identity. Will she ever find a place where her healing powers will not be feared? Though Mary's story takes place 350 years ago, she is also a credible feminist for our times. And readers will have to ask themselves: how much have things really changed? The book includes A Reading Guide with a summary, “About the Author”, points for discussion etc. Author: Celia Rees (novel: 255 pages)
Level: 10.kl/C

The Woman in Black tells the haunting story of a young solicitor, Arther Kipps, and the nightmarish events of his stay in a house on a marsh in northern England, and the terrible events that were to alter his life forever. Probably the finest modern ghost story — engendering feelings of fear, isolation, solitude and paranoia! Educational edition with: Points for Discussion, Suggestions for Writing etc. (154 pages)
Level: B/C

Now with a FREE Danish glossary!

Perhaps Roddy Doyle’s best book. The story of a battered Dublin woman in her late thirties, struggling to reclaim her dignity after marriage to an abusive husband.This book has now been made more accessible with Astrid Skjoldborg Glans’ Danish Glossary with good notes about life in Dublin (222 pages)
Level: B/C