Reading Matters 'New Boy'

Titel:

New boy
Author: Gareth Owen

I think the story takes place in right after the summer holidays when the school starts,
and it’s playing at the school of this boy.
The only person in the poem is a boy or girl who’s telling about a new boy at school.
‘New Boy’ is a story about the fear of a boy who’s new at school.
It’s a realistic poem, because it could happen in the real world.

Characters

The most important character is the new boy, because he’s the only person in the poem.
He’s afraid of going to school, because he doesn’t now the students,
the teachers and the school. He’s also afraid what the other students think of him,
and he doesn’t fit at that school.

The boy or girl who tells about the new boy is also very important.
He wanted to go over to the new boy, but he was scared
of looking stupid in front of the whole school.
He also tells about the first time he came at school.

I would like to meet the new boy if it was possible,
because I want to tell him he doesn’t have to be afraid of a new school.
I wouldn’t like to meet the boy/girl who tells the story,
because he/she didn’t help the new boy.

Summary

There’s a new boy at school, but he’s afraid they will laugh at him.
There’s another boy who wants to go to him, but he’s he will look stupid in font of the rest of the school. The second boy tells about the first time he was at school, how no one had spoken to him. How he almost cried when he stood alone in the playground.
In his dreams he stood always alone, believing he was the best, but in the cold playground of everyday life, he was no better than the rest.
That’s the end of the poem.

Title

The title is all right, because the poem goes about a new boy.
But I would have chosen another title, because it goes more
about how scary a first day at school can be.

My opinion

I didn’t read the poem with pleasure, because it’s a very sad story.
Most of all I liked the way the poem is written,
but I didn’t like the sequence of the pieces.
I didn’t read another story like this before.

Diary

Dear diary,
I was at school today and there was a new boy.
I wanted to go over to him, but I was scared of looking stupid to others.
He stood alone in the playground.
He was pretending he didn’t care.
And when everybody laughed at him, I laughed too.
I think I should have gone over to him to share a joke or play the fool.
If he’s still alone tomorrow, I will go to him and talk to him.
Maybe the others will also talk to him if they see me talking to him.
I’m not sure they will, because he looked very weird.
He had a blazer, a cap, polished shoes and neatly cut hair.
At my school it isn’t normal to be very neat. Maybe I can go sit next to him tomorrow.
Probably nobody will sit next to me if I hang out with that boy.
I don’t now anything about him, so we can talk about that.
I hope he will be at school, because he didn’t like the school.
I feel very guilty that I didn’t go to him.