Recommendations for French novels

[tiffinboys]

[KS10]

Are they any better in a foreign language?

Perhaps not, at just 4 - 5 pages a day, doesn't seem very exciting at the moment.

Naughty Amber

How did you figure that out?

I cannot reveal my sources.

[Amber]

I cannot reveal my sources.

Very wise, KS10.

I take no prisoners.

[tiffinboys]

Whatever happened to Geneva Convention?

[Twinkle]

Hi Twinkle,

Maybe I am too late for some suggestions but here are just my two pennies' worth (sorry, I do not visit this thread often ).

First of all, well done to your DS for obtaining prizes!! All my congratulations to him!! That is wonderful!
What I do feel – as having some of my books received as prize till now (I got rid of some others rather quickly!)– is that he needs to find something that he will really enjoy and that he will be able to look at in a few years time with joy, attachment and pride.

If he likes French, I also feel that Asterix could be a perfect choice! But it might be better to check what your library already has so that he chose a different title. No need to buy a book that he could read for free.
What is great with Asterix is that at each reading, we can discover something new, a joke that we may not have noticed/understood before.

If it is really a novel he is interested in, I would recommend him ‘The little prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if he has not yet read it. I think the level of French would not be too too hard, the novel is really linked to the French culture and widely read in France to the point that a theme park has been created in connection to it:
http://www.parcdupetitprince.com/en/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are even drawing by the author to make the novel less compact. It seems a film has (or will?) come out with a lot of reference to this well-known book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8IEEuJzVaE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The French edition of ‘Le petit prince’ might be available at your local library; your DS might also find helpful to have an English translation nearby in case he is stuck on some sentences.
You can browse the French novel here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Petit-Prince-Fo ... tit+prince" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A step far higher by the same author could be ‘Vol de nuit’ which is excellent but that might well be too hard for a GCSE level student.
I have another idea for another excellent novel to be read the summer before A2 (as it is linked to some topic studied in AQA A2 level), but I need first to be reassured that 'The little prince' is not too hard for him.

Comedies written by Moliere are hilarious, but I wouldn’t let your son venture into them without the guidance of his French teacher who will put everything back into context. Aren’t the Britiish pupils guided when they start to read plays written by Shakespeare? Nowadays, in England, Moliere is (I think) taught at A2 level, not earlier. So it seems that what Guest 55 used to study at O level is now studied at A level.


We already have L'Etranger

It is true that L’Etranger is a well-known work of French literature; however, I prefer to put you on guard having your son reading it too early because it is a very depressing book!... unless you son likes philosophy and to reflection on the meaning of life (Camus developed a philosophy about ‘the absurdity of life’). Some young people do!!! When I was 17 years old at a summer camp, I remember an eighteen years old boy who had had 20/20 at his philosophy exam at his French baccalaureate. I can tell you that I was in awe!!! To get 20/20 used to be mission impossible in those times; may be some clever mathematicians could get such a wonderful mark in maths… but in philosophy!! Never did teachers give a full mark in ‘Arts’! So if, like this genius, your son likes to think, cogitate, has his shelves full of books on philosophy and likes books like ‘Waiting for Godot’ , please, let him try this novel by Camus if he feel the level of French is not too challenging.

Personally, I hated the book , as I do love ‘feel good’ books or books which make me laugh even if the themes are serious. For example, despite all the vulgar language, I am having these days some fun time discovering the play ‘Educating Rita’ by Willy Russel. Some important themes (like determination to learn and feeling trapped between two worlds/social classes) are treated but the contrast in speech between Rita and Frank is so comical! I am looking forward to watching the film!

If he only has GCSE French I imagine he will struggle to cope with a full novel in the language. I couldn't cope with German ones until I had almost done my A levels
Totally agree with Amber. I do strongly believe that it is essential that your DS have pleasure while reading French books as there is already the language barrier that he will have to overcome. So be careful not to pitch the level too high! Imho, Doodles is right in letting her DS read the sport newspaper ‘l’équipe’. Here is its website:
http://www.lequipe.fr/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For the well-known French newspapers (that your DS will be encouraged to read online during his AS and A2 French studies), here are some websites:
Le monde: http://www.lemonde.fr/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Le Figaro: http://www.lefigaro.fr/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Le point: http://www.lepoint.fr/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Of course, there are many more newspapers and magazines. Website linked to the magazine ‘How it works’ = comment ça marche: http://www.commentcamarche.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Over the summer, your DS could browse daily the titles of the newspaper which appeals him the most and select an article he is interested in.

If he likes any topic in English, he could type some French keywords in the search box of this search engine: http://www.google.fr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

DEVELOPPING LISTENING SKILLS:
Over the summer, besides trying to watch French films online or on DVD (preferably with English subtitles), he could watch these little videos with subtitles (‘Le petit Nicolas’, a classic in the French culture):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_OCVeDLnXA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Many more little films on the right on youtube.

I would recommend that he develops his listening skills to the maximum over the summer. A few years ago, I met a young British girl who was studying French in AS and she was finding taking notes very difficult during the lessons as her teacher was speaking mostly in French. So better being able to try to bridge the gap between GCSE and the A level course during the holidays! Maybe your DS could ask his French teacher some recommendations concerning this matter?
I know that in chemistry, CGP publishes books like 'Head start to A-level chemistry'. Maybe such books exist for French?

Do you have suggestions re biology books
Recently, a young American teenager was interviewed on the BBC as he has managed to develop a new way of detecting cancer. Maybe an interesting and inspiring read?
Breakthrough Paperback – by Jack Andraka
Here is an article about this boy:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-n ... 09/?no-ist" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Hope this help.
Best wishes
JaneEyre

Thank you so much for taking the time to write me such a thoughtful response. Strangely enough, just before reading your post I was googling Le Petit Prince wondering whether it would be suitable. So interesting to read your comments about L'Etranger. It was one of my A Level books many years ago and I absolutely loved it. I was fascinated by the underlying philosophy and it had a big impact on me at the time. I found it very thought provoking but maybe not everyone's cup of tea. I agree totally about Moliere - definitely something to be read in school. Like Racine which I also studied at A Level. What I think is a great shame is that at A Level these days there is very little literature - only one book for my DS. I did four.

So what did DS choose in the end? Well he said that cookery books and Asterix would not be acceptable So he went with Le Petit Prince , the Blind Watchmaker ( Richard Dawkins) and a biology book called "Power, S ex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the meaning of life" I suspect that he is going to find the latter two quite hard going ( not least because the font is quite small ) but it was his choice ( although made rather quickly due to the rather pressing issue of revising for and taking GCSE exams!).

Thank you again everybody!

[Tolstoy]

Sorry very late to this post but I found reading magazines great for building up my comprehension as reading about a subject I was familiar with helped me understand, plus pictures break up the monotony. Also my DSs French teacher (in France) told us the best way to build up vocab and understanding was to watch French news. So if you can access it over here do so.

..and yes Amber's suggestion re cooking spot on, bought books and magazines.

Finally I was part of a bookclub and a couple of French novels were chosen. I bought both French and English versions and alternated between them, usually reading a Chapter in French if I could then checking my understanding by reading it in English. My favourite was 'Bonjour tristresse' by Francoise Sagan. She wrote it when she was very young, it is fairly short and based on my level of French ( pretty rubbish really) not too difficult.

[JaneEyre]

I will come back to this thread for more conversation about French novels... as I am a bit mad about books . But unfortunately I have no time to write lengthy posts these days.

However, I read this article about French youngsters having difficulties with their exam in English at the Baccalaureate and that made me smile as I really think they should know the word 'cope'. What do you think? Is 'cope' such a uncommon word in English? Not in my view!!!

The final laugh: this quote of a student:
“It is totally inadmissible to propose a bac subject with incomprehensible questions that are impossible to answer.”

Here is the article:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/j ... h-question" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[quasimodo]

Article on same topic of the use of the word cope on bbc news.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33238996" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[moved]

Rather than adult books there are some excellent children's books to read.
I recently read Le Livre des Etoiles as DS was rereading it from his childhood.
It's a fantasy trilogy written in French for teens.

Le Rocher du Tanios is an all time favourite of mine and reads like its being read aloud.

There are loads more but I'm dog tired from school journey followed by OFSTED!

[JaneEyre]

Touching to see how some war refugees who work like a Trojan and stay focused succeed and do better than some French wimpy kids who like to make SPAG mistakes :
http://etudiant.lefigaro.fr/bac/bac-act ... ien-16333/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This child arrived three years ago in France, not knowing any word in French. He succeeded at an excellent grade the hardest bac in France, the one from the scientific section.