Never Hitch A Lift With A Mart

Never Hitch a Ride with a Martian is a captivating narrative fantasy that follows a short-sighted Martian who crash-lands on Earth, taking three children on an unforgettable journey into outer space. The story is filled with humour and lively illustrations that enhance the text's playful tone. Rich descriptive adjectives such as œtremendous, œbulgy, and œgigantic bring the alien characters and environments to life. The narrative cleverly uses inventive language, including terms like œgunk and œZiggle Toad, while integrating text within illustrations to engage readers visually. The Martian's distinctive voice adds charm, and the story explores the intriguing concept of missing time. This imaginative tale encourages young readers to think creatively while developing their understanding of narrative structure and descriptive language.

Educational Benefits:

• Encourages identification of setting and its importance to story development.
• Supports inference skills for drawing conclusions about character and plot.
• Enhances vocabulary through the study of descriptive and inventive language.
• Provides a model for creative writing using narrative fantasy techniques.

Classroom Ideas:

• Write alternate endings or additional adventures inspired by the story.
• Illustrate scenes using descriptive adjectives and inventive language from the text.
• Discuss the concept of œmissing time and its use in fantasy stories.
• Create a class œalien dictionary with inventive terms from the book and student creations.

Information:

• Ages: 8-10 years
• Reading Level: 25-26 (Emerald)
• Format: Paperback
• Dimensions: Approx. 21cm x 15cm