Destroying Avalon by Kate McCaffrey

Read by Kellie Jones. Louis Braille Audio, ISBN 9780732033705.
I utilised the Destroying Avalon text (CD format) in my Pastoral Care Classes when we were focussing on Cyber bullying. I had already read the novel and was aware that it had been highly recommended for students by child psychologist, Dr Michael Carr-Greg.
I thought that this would be a good way to deliver the story for teachers because: It would eliminate the need to read the book and thus conserve the voice. It would remove the issue of having to read lots of swearing/language that I felt could be uncomfortable to read! It provided listeners with another voice to rather than hearing the same old teacher's voice!
For the reasons outlined above, I believe that the delivery method was good.
The class was a composite Year 9/10 group with 14 students. I asked students to review the text and the delivery method and I have included some of their responses. They were asked: Please indicate the extent to which you enjoyed the story (1 being lowest enjoyment, 10 being highest).
The average response was 7.
Please indicate the extent to which you enjoyed the delivery method (1 being lowest enjoyment, 10 being highest)
The average response was between 5 and 6 with some respondents citing 1 and others a 9. It was very well received by some whilst others did not like the delivery method at all. Their responses were quite extreme.
A compilation of quotes when asked the question, 'Would you recommend the text for future students, why or why not?' follows:
'Yes, because it makes kids think about what they are doing on the web. It would definitely be good for the future.' (Female student, 15)
'Yeah, it beats doing worksheets and other stuff about bullying.' (Female student, 14)
'Yes because it delivers a powerful, in-depth look at bullying'. (Male student, 15)
'Yes, I would recommend this book to future students because it shows how things like bullying can become very serious and may lead to death'. (Male student, 15)
'Yes because you can learn from other people's experiences and find out what to do in these circumstances. It was enjoyable.' (Female student, 14)
'Yes. It seemed like a very good thing to be aware of and it was easy to understand what could happen in a real-life matter.' (Female student, 15)
'The book, yes. The audio CD, no (Voice gives me a headache).' (Female student, 14)
'Yes and no. Yes because it delivers it in a way that will stick in our minds. No because some people can't just sit still to get it, they have to be moving.' (Female student, 15)
Melissa Wendland