The Extensive Reading Foundation

The Magic Brocade, a retelling of a classic tale, was judged by ESL students to be meaningful and to encourage readers to ponder matters of virtue. The main characters take great risks and make great sacrifices to triumph in the end. Nothing, even language learning, comes easily. Thus, we hope that students will enjoy this wonderful family fairy tale and be inspired by it to work hard to achieve their dreams, whether they be dreams of learning or dreams of achievement built on the foundation of learning. Students also found the accompanying activities and vocabulary aids to be useful. Furthermore, students and teachers will be able to think of many other activities flowing from The Magic Brocade, especially given the book’s high interest nature.

Student: "With various colors and beautiful illustration and relatively simple words, the book is well planned and composed, which ensures children to enjoy the story easily and joyfully."

The Winning Shot takes the reader on a journey of sport and family, with a bit of a twist in the tale.

Student: "The topic of the story is very creative. I think eyes through a camera can see the things differently."
Student: "Easy plot and real family talk , I can enjoy and finish it."

Even working at such an elementary level, the author manages to convey facts in a reliable and interesting way, and it is clearly well-researched. Moreover, people’s voices are presented by the clever inclusion of imagined dialogues and first person statements. In spite of the very basic level there was no hint of it being patronising, which often happens with other non-fiction readers. Besides, it has some quasi-fictional aspects in the narrative that give the reader some thrill, even though we know the end of the story. The sense of reality created by the mix of archive photographs, illustrations and Hollywood film stills combines with the imagined voices to give the story a dual dimension.

Student: "I think this book is so real and vivid that it's almost like a documentary. I couldn't stop reading. Readers sometimes need truth and facts through books."

This is a well-written, balanced account of the life of a great entertainer. One student points out "This book tells me how a person changed himself because of being famous". There are excellent additional snippets at the end of the book.

Teacher: "My students all liked the way the story is written and some had changed their views about MJ after reading the book."
Student: "I just love this book."

Student: "The language is very easy for me to understand, however, it set me thinking a lot."
Student: "It involves a lot of problems we share in our age: confusion as to life, inability or pessimism when facing difficulties, impulsiveness and ignorance of the youth, etc. It provides you a wonderful journey to travel with a Malaysian boy, to learn his ups and downs, the life of a foreigner, and to explore the similarities and differences between the souls apart by the vast ocean."