The Fault in our Stars is about two teenagers who have both been diagnosed with cancer. The book’s main character Hazel does not go to regular school but in order for her to get to know other people her family forces her to go to group sessions where she and other teens talk about their struggles with cancer. Hazel is not all that happy about going but one day there is a new guy in the group who catches her interest. The guy’s name is Agustus and she quickly gets to know him better. They also quickly fall in love. But don’t be fooled into thinking that this is another happy and slightly silly love story. The novel will deal with death, the meaning of life and poses interesting questions about why we read books.
Since this is the first time we read a whole novel in English we will talk a lot about the story together in class. Everyone will read the same book so that we can work with it together. In class we will make sure that we follow what happens in the book but we will also of course deal with interesting and sometimes challenging questions that John Green probably wants us to think about.
The final assignment in the project will be to write a short essay. You will get to choose between two different topics that your teacher has decided beforehand. The essay will be important in the assessment of the project but your participation in the lessons will also be taken into account.
Preliminary reading schedule:
Friday 31/8: p. 3 - 63
Friday 7/9: p. 64 - 135
Monday 17/9 for 8B, Tuesday 18/9 for 8A: p. 136 - 208
Monday 24/9 for 8B, Tuesday 25/9 for 8A: p. 209 - 267
Monday 1/10 for 8B, Tuesday 2/10 for 8A: p. 268 - 313
Let’s put on our reading glasses!
Professor Sköldvall