What are you reading? 2019/1
THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL – BOOK 1*
by Soman Chainan
The first book in the ‘The School for Good and Evil’ series tells the story of inseparable friends Sophie and Agatha,who are kidnapped and taken to the magical ‘School for Good and Evil’ by large, skeletal birds. To the girls’ surprise, beautiful Sophie is sent to the ‘School for Evil’ while Agatha, whose favourite colour is black, ends up in the ‘School for Good’. Children in the ‘School for Good’ learn a great deal about appearance, while those in the ‘School for Evil’ learn how to brew potions. Sophie feels that she doesn’t belong in the evil half of the school. The story sees both girls getting themselves into spots of bother and embarking on risky adventures. A handsome prince named Tedros also puts their friendship to the test. That’s where the friends discover the schoolmaster’s awful secret…
I like this book because it’s very exciting and thrilling. There are now five books in this adventure series. I’d recommend this book to children and teenagers who like action and a little romance. I say, let the adventure begin!
* Read in German
Tip from:
Emma, who is in year 3 at the Phorms Campus München
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THE CULTURE MAP: DECODING HOW PEOPLE THINK, LEAD, AND GET THINGS DONE ACROSS CULTURES
by Erin Meyer
I was drawn to this book because it spoke to the heart of a matter that we face every day here at Phorms: working with teams from a diversity of cultures. This is an incredibly honest and practical book. From the outset, Meyer articulates clearly that working in teams comprised of a range of cultural backgrounds is fraught with all kinds of hidden and unexpected challenges, and that building and leading successful multi-national teams takes patience and understanding. Meyer encourages the reader to explore how different cultural behavioural patterns and biases will influence what we choose to see, what we think, and how we act in a range of different situations. Crammed full of personal examples from her own experiences supporting teams across the world, Meyer writes in a way that is relatable, insightful and very helpful. The book is based on a significant volume of research data into different national psyches and the end result is a very practical (and often humorous) exploration of intercultural team dynamics, with an abundance of practical insights and tips to help make working in and with multi-national teams just that little bit less mystifying.
Tip from:
Nickolas Praulins, head of primary school at the Phorms Campus Frankfurt City
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DIE GLOCKE IM SEE*
by Lars Mytting
1880. Butangen – a small Norwegian village in the middle of nowhere. A clever young woman rebelling against her future as a wife, mother and farmworker. Two men. And two church bells, whose story is at the heart of this wonderfully subtle yet incredibly exciting novel. This is all told with just a dash of mysticism, which helps the reader to immerse themselves in a world far removed from their own in terms of both time and place: the world of the far North, where life is shaped by bitterly cold, dark winters. A world without electricity, without any real mobility. A world in which people’s lives revolve around pure survival. That’s where our protagonist Astrid Hekne truly stands out. She yearns for more. For education. For true love. For real purpose in life. At the same time, she fights with all her might to save the legendary sister bells in the Butangen stave church, which is suddenly to be taken away to Dresden…
It’s a book that stays with you. Not only an account of its subtle yet captivating narrative style but also because of its wonderful language. Mytting is a great storyteller – so it’s a good thing ‘Die Glocke im See’ is just the start of a trilogy!
* Read in German – The book is currently only available in German.
Tip from:
Stefanie Sapara, whose son is in year 1 at the Josef-Schwarz-Schule
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