Tadta
ine independent f publ i s h i ng TEACHING NOTES www. f remant l e p ress. com.au
1
Destroying Avalon
Kate McCaffrey
ISBN: 9 781921 064579
Publication Date : 2006
Synopsis
Avalon and her family move from Grace Point to a coastal suburb in Perth for the start of Year 10. Her new school is huge, an environment vastly different to her old country school. Quickly she learns the schoolyard politics, the class system in place, from Group A — the Bitches — to Group Z
— the Weirdos and Queeros. Intimidated by the sophistication of the other students and embarrassed by her sheltered background Avalon attempts to ingratiate herself with the popular crowd.
Within the first two days she is rebuffed by the popular group for an errant comment and as a consolation, she is befriended by the social outcasts, the Weirdos and Queeros.
Desperate not to be labelled the same, Avalon attempts to find another social group but her advances are crushed by the the Bitches, who make their feelings to the school body known. A text message directing her to an email leads her to a blog site, used by students at her school, and a hate campaign begins. Daily, vicious lies are spread about her across the Net and through text messages. The organiser of the hate campaign is Dragon Girl — who Avalon believes is Alice, the leader of the Bitches. Avalon is hassled at school by students she doesn’t even know and becomes obsessed and introverted at home, spending hours surfing the Net.
After several weeks the attack against her dies down, but then she learns that her friend
Marshall is being targeted. The attacks against him become physical and he is assaulted at school. In a confrontation on the school grounds Tamara, another of Avalon’s friends, breaks a bully’s nose and the small group is called to Administration, to be dealt with by teaching staff. Avalon and Marshall are terrified of discovery. Marshall is frightened of the consequences of being labelled a dobber,
1
Destroying Avalon
Kate McCaffrey
ISBN: 9 781921 064579
Publication Date : 2006
Synopsis
Avalon and her family move from Grace Point to a coastal suburb in Perth for the start of Year 10. Her new school is huge, an environment vastly different to her old country school. Quickly she learns the schoolyard politics, the class system in place, from Group A — the Bitches — to Group Z
— the Weirdos and Queeros. Intimidated by the sophistication of the other students and embarrassed by her sheltered background Avalon attempts to ingratiate herself with the popular crowd.
Within the first two days she is rebuffed by the popular group for an errant comment and as a consolation, she is befriended by the social outcasts, the Weirdos and Queeros.
Desperate not to be labelled the same, Avalon attempts to find another social group but her advances are crushed by the the Bitches, who make their feelings to the school body known. A text message directing her to an email leads her to a blog site, used by students at her school, and a hate campaign begins. Daily, vicious lies are spread about her across the Net and through text messages. The organiser of the hate campaign is Dragon Girl — who Avalon believes is Alice, the leader of the Bitches. Avalon is hassled at school by students she doesn’t even know and becomes obsessed and introverted at home, spending hours surfing the Net.
After several weeks the attack against her dies down, but then she learns that her friend
Marshall is being targeted. The attacks against him become physical and he is assaulted at school. In a confrontation on the school grounds Tamara, another of Avalon’s friends, breaks a bully’s nose and the small group is called to Administration, to be dealt with by teaching staff. Avalon and Marshall are terrified of discovery. Marshall is frightened of the consequences of being labelled a dobber,