MELVIN BURGESS - READERS' NOTES

Text taken from: Junk

Download the original text pdf file of Junk.  

About the book

A highly controversial teenage novel, Junk is a disturbing account of teenage homelessness and heroin addiction on the streets of Bristol.  It tells the story of Gemma and Tar, who run away from home and soon find themselves immersed in a world of drugs and prostitution. Some critics were outraged by the novel, as Burgess describes situations, conflicts and feelings without condoning teenage behaviour –but he does not fully endorse the adolescent point of view either.

In Junk, this balance is achieved through the handling of narrative technique: each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character - Gemma, Tar and the various people who become part of their lives. The result is a kaleidoscope of changing perspectives which allows the reader to get a deep insight into each character, particularly Gemma and Tar. Besides, this technique prevents over-identification with any one character or viewpoint.

About the Author

Melvin Burgess is the writer of often controversial children's fiction. He was born in Middlesex in 1954. After leaving school, he enrolled on a six-month journalism course. He moved to Bristol at the age of 21 and began writing. He continued writing after he moved to London in 1983, experimenting with short stories, radio plays and children's fiction. His first book, The Cry of the Wolf (1990), was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. But it was for his polemical teenage novel, Junk (1996) that he gained recognition as the ‘godfather’ of Young Adult fiction in the UK. Winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the novel has been adapted for television. Bloodtide (1999) was joint winner of the Lancashire County Library Children's Book of the Year Award. His comedy Lady: My Life as a Bitch (2001) and his teenage novel Doing It (2003) have been the subject of controversy for their exploration of teenage sex. His latest book is Sara's Face (2006). Read more about he author and find a critical appraisal of his work on Contemporary Writers website. For information on the author and activities on extracts from his work, visit the “Meet the Author” kit in the BritLit webpage.

Glossary

Squat: a house that people are living in without permission and without paying rent.
Derelict: a derelict building or piece of land is in very bad condition because it has not been used for a long time. Notice the play on words in ‘Property of Hotel d’Erelict’, where the narrator pretends to be living in a posh hotel rather than in  derelict building by making the word sound fashionably French.
Twix: a chocolate cookie bar snack made by Mars, Inc., consisting of a butter cookie centre topped with caramel and coated in milk chocolate.

Activities for Readers

The extract is taken from chapter 3, and the narrator is Tar, who has recently run away from home.

Before reading

• Activity 1
  Discuss: If you found yourself homeless, what would you do? Where would you spend the night? Would you knock on friends’ doors? If you had to sleep in the street, what would you need? How would you get it? Why do kids run away from home? What risks do they run when they do so? What can parents do about it?

• Activity 2
  List some pieces of advice for someone who decides to 'sleep rough'. Then compare the points you’ve made with the advice on Connexions, Somerset. 
   
• Activity 3
  Discuss: Are there squats near your home? How do people find a place to turn into a squat? Is it fair on the owners of the property? Should squatters be evicted? Would you report squatters to the police?

Read in detail

• Activity 1
  Read page 20 upwards. Who do you think Gemma is? Why do you think so?

• Activity 2
  Reread pages 22 and 23 and find out what you are told about Joe Scholl. Imagine what you are not told about his physical appearance and describe him to other readers. Do they agree? What actor would you choose to play the role of Joe Scholl in a film version of the novel?

• Activity 3
  Speculate and research:  Why does Joe Scholl ask how old Gemma is? And why does Tar lie? Find out by consulting webpages such as http://www.connexions-somerset.org.uk/housing/housing_leavehome.html

• Activity 4
  ‘Will you leave your boots outside for cleaning?’ someone yelled. And, ‘Will Sir be requiring his breakfast in bed?’ Why do people tease Tar?

• Activity 5
  Predict: How is Skolly going to help Tar? What will happen when they meet in the evening? Do you think Skolly will call the police?

• Activity 6
  Predict: Re-read the last paragraph in the extract. How do you think Tar feels? Will he go back home? If he was planning to leave for good, why didn’t he bring his crayons with him? Are the crayons the only fragile thing in the story?

After reading

• Activity 1
  What sort of person do you think Tar is? Write five adjectives to describe him and find evidence in the text to support your views.

• Activity 2
  You can see Skolly through Tar’s eyes.  Re-write the scene at the tobacconist’s from Skolly’s point of view. How does he see Tar?

• Activity 3
  The extract starts and ends with references to dandelions. Do you think the flowers have symbolic implications in the story? If so, which?

Extension

• Activity 1
  Read the information on the Connexions website http://www.connexions-somerset.org.uk/housing/housing_leavehome.html again. Do you think Tar and Gemma would find this webpage useful? In what other ways can organisations offer support to runaway kids?

• Activity 2
  Suppose you are one of Tar’s friends. What advice would you give him if you saw him sleeping in a doorway? With another reader, dramatise the dialogue between the two friends.

• Activity 3
  Find out what sort of help runaway teenagers and their families can get in your area. Do you think it’s the right sort of help? Should something else be done? Make a list of suggestions.

For a different perspective on homelessness and an interesting view on shelters, see Michel Faber’s ‘Me and Dave and Mount Olympus’ in the New Writing 14 teachers' and readers’ notes.