Disa har vänner på barnhemmet, men personalen behandlar henne illa – för att hon är ”tattare”, ett ord som är synonymt med lösdrivare vid den här tiden (människor utan
bostad som lever på att stjäla). Hennes liv är enahanda, men lyses upp av morfar Ludde
som besöker henne regelbundet på barnhemmet. Men en dag kommer han plötsligt inte, trots att han har lovat att hälsa på. Han brukade vara lika punktlig som kyrkklockan som slog varje timme. Tänk om han försvunnit, precis som hennes mamma. Disa och Ludde hade aldrig slutat leta efter henne. Men det hade Disas pappa. Nu var han omgift och hade fyra nya barn. Disa hade helst bott hos Ludde på heltid, men det hade hennes pappa inte gått med på. Men att Disa hamnat på barnhemmet var Barnavårdsnämndens fel. Hennes kompis Albin som såg helt svensk ut var barnhemsföreståndarens favorit. Medan Disa fick en utskällning för minsta felsteg, lyckades Albin alltid slingra sig ur knipor de hamnat i.

Mickel Falsum var en ond man med kalla ögon. Han arbetade på det rasbiologiska
institutet vars uppgift var att idka vetenskaplig forskning på rasbiologins område med
särskild hänsyn till svenska folket. När han vid ett tillfälle besökte Disas skola hade han
förklarat för klassen att det handlade om att se till så att människor med sämre
egenskaper inte fick barn med den högre stående, germanska rasen. När en pojke i
klassen frågat vilka som tillhörde den sämre rasen hade läraren inte svarat, men han
hade tittat så intensivt på Disa att hennes klasskompisar hade sett och förstått. Två
veckor efter det hade morfar Ludde sett till att hon hade fått byta skola. Då hade hon fått sy ena ögonbrynet och armarna och benen var fulla med blåmärken. Ganska snart förstod Disa och hennes kamrater att Ludde antagligen blivit placerad på sinnessjukhus tillsammans med andra människor som verkligen var sjuka. Det var ett
sätt för staten att bli av med det farliga resandefolket, den dåliga rasen.

Boken Försvunnen är en lättläst och spännande skildring av hur Disa och hennes kompisar letar efter Ludde för att tillslut genom att låtsas vara ett fruktbud till sinnessjukhuset lyckas komma ända fram till Ludde som satt inspärrad för sig själv. Men skulle de klara att få honom därifrån? Allt hopp stod till den stora fruktlådan…

/Peter Olofsson

Teacher in Civics and Swedish at MYP

A book tip due to the US Capitol violence

Due to what happened in the United States on January 6th, the ISGR library can give you a book tips on a title written by Martin Gelin (DN’s correspondent in New York) and Erik Åsard (professor emeritus in North American studies) that seems highly relevant right now. 
It is not aimed specifically at teens, but to a broader audience, counted as popular science: 

Hotet mot demokratin : högerpopulismens återkomst i Europa och USA / Martin Gelin & Erik Åsard.  

It offers a deeper understanding of a contemporary phenomenon that has largely set the agenda for the political conversation. 

“Alltsedan början av 2000-talet har populistiska partier gått starkt framåt inte bara i Europa utan även i övriga världen. Framgångarna har i många fall ritat om ländernas politiska landskap och skapat nya ledarfigurer som Viktor Orbán i Ungern, Rodrigo Duterte i Filippinerna och Donald Trump i USA. Martin Gelins och Erik Åsards högaktuella bok Hotet mot demokratin är en skarpsynt skildring av högerpopulismens återkomst. Hur påverkas den liberala demokratin i Europa och USA? Är högerpopulismen ett reellt hot mot demokratin? Och hur klokt är det av vänstern att tävla med högern i grenen populism?”  / Historiska Media

The books is available to borrow in the library. Here you can also listen to the authors talking about the book: 

https://poddtoppen.se/podcast/1477524049/amerikaanalys/om-hogerpopulismen-i-donald-trumps-usa-och-om-vad-presidenten-har-fatt-gjort-sa-ar-langt .

The author talk + illustration workshop by Kazu Kibuishi

To all of you who were engaged in author talk + illustration workshop and preparation beforehand: Thank you so very much for your cooperation! 

On Tuesday Decemeber 15th, the events took place. In general, they worked well. Kazu was very interesting, nice and talented. 

It worked great to be connected 11 classrooms to the same author talk, having students asking questions from all of them. Kazu also had good answers to the students’ questions and it was amazing how he managed to draw, think and talk well at the same time.

Then there were many people involved, so it took a lot of interaction and happened a few practical things on our way (we would have liked more focus on drawing and less focus on talking during the actual workshop part. We would also have liked Kazu to speak slower). But I think we all handled those in the best way possible and also learned a few things for next time. Anyways, most students seemed to have enjoyed the author talk and the workshop.

The workshop ended up fun, with the students wanting Kazu to draw potatoes. Kazu then created cartoon characters on potato theme together with the students, for example “the potato detective”. The students thought it was amazing and should be included in his next novel, but Kazu meant that: “This is a character that could be in a story that you yourself come up with!”     

Preparation for author talk. Questions for Kazu Kibuishi

LGRM 6, MYP 6, LGRM 7 and MYP have together prepared the following questions (see below) for an author talk and illustration workshop by Kazu Kibuishi that will happen tomorrow.

6A: Has your art changed through out your career or has it stayed the same since you started drawing / (Question by: Neda 6A)

6B: Are any of your books based on things that have actually happened? For example, have you ever been in a car crash or how did you come up with writing about that? / (Question by: Anaya 6B)

6DEF French + EAL: Why did you make Emily’s dad die and let her mum live. Was it anything random or does it have a meaning? / (Question by: Helin 6A)

6DEF Spanish: Are there any special places you have got inspired by for making your environmental descriptions? / (Question by: Taha 6A)

7A: How do you build up a story? Does it come from dreams or just thoughts? Curious to know! / (Question by Siri 7A)

7B. Art goup: Is there any special reason why you choose certain genres or events for your books, like the war in Amulet?

7B. Music group: Is it hard to decide what the characters are going to say? (Question by Rabbi 7B)

7DEF. Swedish LL7DEF. The environment in the books are sometimes different than real environment. While drawing the environment, do you sometimes draw what you wish the environment looked like in real life or do you just draw because of your imagination? / (Question by: Shreya 7F)

7DEF. Swedish Anne’s Capable: How do you make so good face expressions? / (Question by: Gitansh 7E)

7DEF. Swedish Peter’s Capable: : Are the characters based on you, someone else in your life or an experience? / (Question by Manasi 7F)

7DEF. Karen’s Swedish Emergent. Have you ever felt like you don’t have enough energy to write a book? / (Question by: Shreya 7F)

Extra questions (in case there is time)

Why do you like writing books with adventure as an important element in the books? / Shreya 7F

How did you come up with the environment like the house or the backyard? / Rabbi 7B

Have you considered making your books into movies? / Claudia 7F

Why did you choose this style of images? / Elias 6A

How did you first find your art style and what other types of art have you done or still do?

What is your key to writing and imagining such characters? / Geethika 7F

Are there any more characters that are going to be there / appear in the next Amulet series book? / Anvita 7E

How did you come up with and named the characters? Are they based on real people?

What are your favorite anime films?

What are your favorite manga authors?

Does your career affect the way people act towards you?

Can you make a chapter where the animals turn into humans by an evil spell?

How is it being of Japanese heritage. Is it special or you don’t notice it? / Astor 7B

How do you feel like what colours the person should have? Siri 7B

What is an amulet made of? / Ruhan 7F

How do you have the stamina to keep writing? / Manasi 7F

Christmas calendar made by The Concert Hall in Gothenburg

The Concert Hall in Gothenburg has put together a nice Christmas Calendar.

If you follow it, you will every day get a greeting from one of the member in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, where they play a bit, tell a story, wish you Merry Christmas, share their Christmas tradition or anything else.

The greetings from the symphonists are in different languages, since they come from all over the world.

Christmas Calendar

Greta Thunberg newspaper

On Sunday, the environmental activist Greta Thunberg will be the editor-in-chief of the national newspaper Dagens Nyheter, just for one day. 

Sunday’s Dagens Nyheter edition will reflect on the climate crisis in various ways and also bring up possibilities on how to deal with it. 

Because of the importance of the topic, Dagens Nyheter will make this unique edition possible to read for everyone.

It will be available to read from December 6th, if you click this link: dn.se/gretathunbergtidning

In the ISGR library, there are also some books containing speeches and biographical information about Greta, as you could borrow and read:

Book presentations by Ruth Behar and Marjorie Agosin

Last year grade 6 and 7 had an author book by Ruth Behar, bringing up the novel Lucky broken girl. During the talk, Ruth also mentioned that she was writing on a new novel; Letters from Cuba. That has now been published and we got two copies in the library, frequently being asked for.

Because of the popularity of Ruth’s novels, ISGR library would like to promote an online event, taking place on Wednesday December 2nd at 00, for those of you who got the opportunity to stay up late.

That is a book presentation by Ruth and her colleague Marjorie Agosin. They will then talk about Ruth’s World War II novel Letters from Cuba, dealing with nazism in Poland and Cuba and about Marjorie’s Maps of memory, dealing with Pinochet’s taking over of Chile and democracy following a dictatorship.

At ISGR library we that those of you who will participate in the online event will enjoy and find it interesting! Here you can sign up for participating in the event:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSce5yaH0epd7tMCHzmm8U6VKlt4GENB7avF9VuSob5L6yPsiA/viewform

August prize winner and nominees in the ISGR library

On Monday 23rd, the prestigious August prize winners of this year were announced.

The prize has got its name from the author August Strindberg and is handed out by the National Publishers’ Association, Elite Hotels and Swedbank.

To our delight, we discovered that some of the winners and nominees were already available in the ISGR library.

Samlade verk / Lydia Sandgren (August winner of the best fiction book of the year)

Jag ser allt du gör / Annika Norlin (August nominated fiction book)

Familjen / Johanna Bäckström Lerneby (August nominated nonfiction book)

Sverigevänner. Historien om hur pappa och jag försökte bli svenskast på Tjörn / Arash Sanari (August nominated nonfiction book)

If you would like to read any of those, you are very welcome to borrow!

We are looking forward to meeting Kazu Kibuishi

On December 15th, grade 6 and 7 we are looking forward to an engaging and interesting author talk with the Japanese author and illustrator Kazu Kibuishi, as ISGR has met one time before:

https://lmcgotaberg.wordpress.com/2018/02/09/it-was-a-great-morning-at-isgr-with-the-skype-talk-with-kazu-kibuishi/

After the author talk, grade 6 will do an illustration workshop with Kazu, using pencils and white, blank papers — but mostly eyes and ears and questions for Kazu.  Kazu will also have a slideshow presentation and a live painting demonstration, at the same time as allowing plenty of time for questions.  Kazu will also incorporate the following points points:

• Combining words and pictures
• Humorous drawings. 
• Communication
• Bringing in light to darkness
• Having a cozy time within the community  

Kazu will have his assistant and lead colorist, Jason, join the call to talk more about bringing light into darkness.  

The Reggaeton dance workshops

On Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning this week, many 8th graders from MYP and LGRM participated in Reggaeton workshops lead by the Portuguese dance artist Irina Andrade.

In the beginning of the workshops the student got to present themselves and say a word popping up in their head when hearing the word Reggaeton.

After that Irina explained what Reggaeton is. What are the characteristics of Reggaeton? What are the roots of Reggaeton? Where did it all start and what major changes have taken place within the genre?

After that the students got to warm up to the song: Con calma. At the same time they learned som Reggaeton moves: Shoulder pop with chest, move hips with shoulders, twerk, meneo suave, Gusanito (body wave), El Habanero (Shaking arms like salsa) and more.

The students participating in the workshops got to learn different choreographies, depending on participating on Wednesday or Thursday.

On Wednesday the students learned a choregrapy for dancing to Muevelo (move it) and on Thursday for dancing to Dura (you are hot). In the middle of the choreography there was also a dance battle where the students could express themselves freely and focus on how to communicate via dance.

/ Elin

Some comments from today´s [Wednesday’s] workshop:

“It was nothing like I expected, but SOO much better.”

“I would like to join the workshop tomorrow again!”

“I have had so much fun, I hope I can join a reggaetón class in the future.”

“I didn´t want to participate in this workshop, but now I can stop dancing.”

“When do we end?” 

My highlight of today´s workshop was walking in and seeing a student I had met earlier that day on the stage. In the morning she declared that she didn’t want to dance in public or together with others and one hour into the workshop, she was requesting songs and dancing on the stage. It made my day!

The dance battle in the middle of the choreography, gave all the students a chance to express themselves. Some needed to show off their strength, while others shook their bodies and freestyled. Even the wallflowers, who gave up after the first hour of dancing, seemed to enjoy themselves.) Dance and music connect people!

/Johanna

Enthusiastic 8th graders taking part in Reggaeton warm up. Hesitant at first but later on happily dancing following Irina’s professional instructions.

/ Anna

-The dance was exciting, but a little bit hard in the beginning, Debanshi thinks after two hours dancing.  

Most of the students learn really quickly, and with the instructors big smile on her lips students seems to be brave enough to challenge themselves.

-It was really hard, I have never danced before, says Aarav.

Some students talk about the lack of dance during the schoolyear.

-We should have a workshop every other month, because I really like it, says Debanshi, who used to practice Indian dance before.

  Aarav thinks the teacher was great.

  -She explained well, more workshops would be fun. 

/ Peter