CAPTAIN NOBODY — CHAPTER 1 & 2

Synopsis

The book starts off with an “Uh-oh” and the reader knows that things aren’t going right straightaway. Then we find out that the persona is falling and curiosity takes over, making you want to read more. Why is he/she falling? Where is he/she falling from? Will he/she be saved? And the flashback begins.

It is the last Friday in October and everyone from Appleton is excited for the Big Game of American football between the Ferocious Ferrets of Fillmore High School and the Chargers of Merrimac High School.

Newton Newman – Newt – is making breakfast for his busy family as usual, a job he had undertaken since his Mom served him a bowl of milk with raw turkey strips. While making breakfast, his attention fell to the Sport section of the local paper featuring his superstar brother, Chris, who plays for the Ferrets after an electrifying debut two years back. He tries to share the news with his parents but they are too caught up in the morning rush to pay any attention to that, let alone eat their breakfast.

Annoyed, Newt headed upstairs to wake his brother, who has had a tough week of workouts, practice and doing interviews on local television and radio. He barked and shouted HIT THE SHOWERS twice before Chris woke up. Throwing a pillow at Newt, Chris tumbled out of bed and hit the floor hard. This lead to a sibling scuffle and Newt finally got the entire family’s attention to have breakfast.

Chapter 2 introduces Appleton Elementary to the readers where there are all sorts of kids, much like any school. Newt had always tried to be friendly but more often than not, he is greeted with glares and often disregarded.

He takes it in his stride as he is used to being ignored. He walks over to the far end of the schoolyard and immerses himself in his Secret Superhero Sketchbook. His skill for drawing superheroes began when he used to sit on Chris’ lap for story time from his vast collection of comic books.

Newt’s fascination with comics grew from tracing the superheroes to inventing his own versions of superheroes like Master-Key and Paper-Boy. These were secret superheroes of course, known to no one except for his best friends Cecil Butterworth and Juanita Josephina Gonzalez (JJ).

The trio were the oddest lot together as JJ was the tallest girl in fourth grade while Cecil was shorter and skinnier than Newt. Even when walking together, the general populace ignored their existence. Cecil reminded Newt and JJ that Halloween was around the corner and that they had to wear something other than hand-me-downs.

They agreed but found it hard to decide and Cecil suggested that they had to dig deep down inside themselves to find their ‘inner other’ or a ‘personal hero’. They ran through some ideas for costumes and realised they had only three days to come up with their own costumes. At first, Newt is sceptical, but Cecil convinced them to think positive, heroic thoughts and they finally agreed – at least for the free candy.

Settings

• Newt’s house

• Appleton Elementary School

Significant quotes

HIT THE SHOWERS

– Newt

“to dig deep down inside and find their inner other.”

– Cecil

Characters

Newton Newman

10 years old, scrawny and almost invisible at home and in school. Has a vivid imagination and is good at drawing superheroes in a sketch book.

Chris Newman

American football star of the Ferocious Ferrets team – replaced a quarterback in the last 20 seconds and became a local hero.

Dad

A very busy supervisor for a company that builds buildings all over the country

Mum

A very busy real estate agent, who is absentminded and always misplaces things Cecil

A fourth grader, who is shorter and skinnier than Newt but has a really loud voice and aspires to be a drummer.

JJ

The tallest girl in fourth grade, with a head full of thick untamed black hair, and is a walking dictionary.

Lessons

• Family is important, even if you feel like you don’t belong, there is a role to play.

• Respect is important, even if people don’t respect you, you must respect yourself enough to believe in yourself.

TASK 2: Answer the questions using the information given as well as from the novel.

1. Who was falling from the water tower?

2. Why did Newt take over breakfast preparations?

3. What position did Chris play in football?

4. What does Cecil think that JJ swallowed?

5. Why did they dislike their previous Halloween costumes?

Synopsis

The story begins while it was dawn, with both Dawan and Kwai awake and anxious over the result of their scholarship application to study in the city. Both of them were up way before everyone else. Brother and sister darted off to the river and sat on the bridge where they usually welcomed the sun. Dawan made up a song which she sang to welcome the new day.

They talked about why they would want to go and study in the city. They also talked about how getting the scholarship to study in the city would one day enable them to change things in the village in future.

They also talked about how the landlord’s tax collector took away sacks of rice belonging to their family and other villagers. They felt that it was unfair that the landlord took away so much of what the villagers had worked so hard for while he himself did not lift a finger.

At the end of the chapter we learn that Dawan got the opportunity to go to school only because Kwai had insisted his sister went to school with him. So although she was one year older, she was in the same class as Kwai. Kwai also thought that Dawan could actually win the scholarship as she always got good marks and studied harder than him. However, she did not think she would get it because she was a girl.

Settings

• Mostly outdoor, where both Kwai and Dawan were sitting on a bridge, over a river, watching the sun’s rising.

Significant quotes

It was her own song, one which she had made up herself, but so gradually and unconsciously that it had always seemed to her that she was born knowing it. “Who can turn down a free education, especially one in the City?” – Kwai “You know all the plans I have of wanting to improve life in our village – all those things that Teacher has discussed with me …” – Kwai “It’s not fair that we worked so hard all year plowing and planting and reaping, and some landlord, whoever he is, collects so much of our rice without even lifting a hoe!” – Kwai

Characters

Dawan She is the eldest child in the family, a year older than Kwai. She is an intelligent child who works hard. She sees the opportunity to study in the city as a means to bring changes to the village. She wants to help the village so that they do not get victimised by the landlord. She also does not think she stands a chance to win the scholarship because she is a girl.

Kwai

He is the eldest son in the family. He is very close to his older sister and it is because of him that his sister even got the chance to go to school. He thinks that Dawan stands a good chance of winning the scholarship too as she is intelligent. He does not see the prejudice that girls face.

Lessons

• Regardless of gender, everyone deserves an opportunity to study. • Hard work brings rewards and opportunities.

• Love thy family.

TASK 3: Answer the questions using the information given as well as from the novel.

1. What caused Dawan and Kwai to be extra excited that morning?

2. What did Kwai and his teacher discussed in school?

3. Why were both Kwai and Dawan angry with the landlord?

4. Kwai didn’t think he was the only one who could win the scholarship. Who else did he think might win? Why?

5. How did Dawan get the chance attend school although her parents considered it foolish to send a girl to school?