Very quickly, the boys were able to pick through the cliff wall of misdirection that I set before them and chiselled through my ruse. My assembly was not really about dwarfs and trolls at all but about disagreements (our theme for this half term) and, most importantly, their origins. Some of the main causes of disagreements were ventured by the boys and have been summarised below:
- Lack of understanding: ignorance of others, their beliefs or habits etc.
- Thoughtlessness: acting on impulse can lead to disagreements.
- Misunderstandings: if we don’t understand where disagreements originate from, we can harbour ill feelings for no good reason.
Pratchett’s novels show us there are reasons behind our actions and, through communication and understanding, we can learn to avoid disagreements or resolve the seemingly insurmountable. So, if your son starts gently tapping rocks and asking if they are awake, there is no need to whisk him to the doctor – he is merely ensuring that he is not being rude to a sleeping troll! As an English specialist, I highly recommend selected Terry Pratchett novels for Prep aged boys. Please note however that some of his stories are not appropriate for younger readers. There are a number of his books in our library for the boys to enjoy and do please get in touch with me directly if you would like some more pointers on which Pratchett novels are good to read first.