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We are so much the more fortunate, Charles and Sophie are as genuinely endearing as Scout and her father Atticus, possibly the only other father-daughter duo that can match Rundell's pair. Rooftoppers, by Katherine Rundell, set in the 19th century, begins after the sinking of a transatlantic ocean liner. A baby girl is found floating alone in a cello case. A man pulls her from the water. He is Charles Maxim, an eccentric scholar, who adopts the girl and names her Sophie. Precocious Sophie grows up in London as Charles's ward. She enters her adolescence polite, good-hearted, bookish and as eccentric as Charles. She spends her time reading books, climbing trees, and wearing outlandish clothing. Sophie and Charles seem perfectly united, but they diverge on one big issue: Sophie's mother. Charles believes that she was a passenger on the ship who died during its sinking. Sophie, however, is determined that not only did her mother not die, but she was a cellist in the ship's orchestra. Sophie pines for her mother, and determines to find her one day, even in the face of Charles's (and the world's) insistence that she is not alive and thus, cannot be found.sophie is our young heroine, charles the man who took her in as a baby when she was found in the water after the capsizing of a boat, and miss eliot the social worker who disapproves of the whole situation. here: Katherine Rundell was born in 1987 and grew up in Africa and Europe. In 2008 she was elected a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Her first book, The Girl Savage, was born of her love of Zimbabwe and her own childhood there; her second, Rooftoppers, was inspired by summers working in Paris and by night-time trespassing on the rooftops of All Souls. She is currently working on her doctorate alongside an adult novel.

Kas iepriecināja? - Neparasti labestīgi, gaiši un brīvību mīloši tēli, kuri vistiešākajā izpausmē dzīvo pēc saviem likumiem/nosacījumiem. She knows how to read, and how to draw. She knows the difference between a tortoise and a turtle. She knows one tree from another, and how to climb them. Only this morning she was telling me what is the collective noun for toads." There is a wistful, old-fashioned charm to Katherine Rundell’s second book: her poetic language and imaginative approach set this book apart from many other adventure stories for this age group. Whimsical, beautifully-written and as carefully balanced as the tightrope Sophie learns to walk, Rooftoppers is a sensitive and emotionally-resonant novel with an uplifting message about the power of hope.The first third of this book was five-star stuff. I loved Sophie and I really loved Charles (he was the best character by far) and Rundell's writing is charming. But the books sort of faded as it went on: there was not nearly enough Charles (though I liked the new characters too), and it got a little too plot-centric. And then there was the ending. What ending? Did you see an ending? Because I must have blinked and missed it. The book just ends--it doesn't really tie up anything. The climax rushes along and the book goes faster and faster and then, whoops, it's over. It's true that this is a children's book, but I think readers of all ages will be able to enjoy it. The setting is in England and France and the descriptions of the cities are gorgeous—French pastry shops, parks, bridges, and streets. I think the language and the style of the book perfectly complimented Sophie’s rather strange upbringing and the fantastic and slightly naïve way she interprets what’s happening around her. She was a gorgeous narrator and definitely one of my favourite middle grade heroines. Fearless, inquisitive and completely adorable; she truly was brilliant. Here is a story that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. It is the stuff of dreams and it is delightful. English Year 5 & Year 6​: Understand what they read by exploring the meaning of words in context; drawing inferences and justifying inferences with evidence; predicting what might happen from details stated and implied; summarising the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and identifying key details that support the main ideas; and identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.

Katherine Rundell's charmingly lyrical style is dotty in the way Charles is dotty. In the London section she seems interested mainly in conversations, which have a high quota of witticism (wearing a skirt, Sophie looks as if she's "mugged a librarian") and aphorisms (lawyers have all "the decency and courage of lavatory paper"). In general, her metaphors are determinedly original. Such verbal showiness, though entertaining, has the disadvantage of showing up the misses as well as the successes, and in the early stages the story has the contrived manner, but not the solidly exciting matter, of a fairytale. there is nothing i don't like about this book. and there is no way i can do it justice. an extended quote is the best i have for you.Charles doesn’t think that it’s important for Sophie to behave like other young Victorian girls. He thinks it is more important for Sophie to be happy. When Sophie and Charles are travelling to Paris on the train, Sophie chooses a strawberry biscuit that "glinted like rubies" and tasted "like adventure". This suggests that Sophie is trying new things that might be unexpected but which are exciting. In contrast, the Parisian section is magical in the way that the best fairy tales are — combining elements of the fantastic and the grittily realistic into an irresistible alchemical brew. Katherine Rundell has created a fascinating world on the rooftops of Paris. The life of the eponymous "rooptoppers" is grimy; it involves hunger, injury and internecine warfare. Matteo's visceral discussion of the comparative worth of goose versus pigeon versus squirrel fat being combined with bandages for winter foot coverings springs to mind as a perfect example, as is the "war" between street urchins. Nevertheless, the Paris of Rundell's imagination is a magical place, full of amazement and mysteries, largely due to the clever and luminous prose brought to the book by the author. The protagonist, Sophie, was rescued from a sinking ship by an English scholar named Charles Maxim. He loved and cared for her, but not the way a woman "should" be raised in the 1890's in London. The state is threatening to take Sophie away, but suddenly Sophie and Charles are making their way to Paris for a search for Sophie's presumed-dead mother. That's when the story really gets interesting as Sophie meets Matteo, an orphan who lives on the rooftops of Parisian homes and businesses. Sophie, now 13, joins in and discovers new wonders in the European city. Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.

There was a rooftopping "craze" in Russia around 2017. [10] Known rooftoppers [ edit ] Mustang Wanted hanging on a steel beam It wasn’t compulsory to send girls to primary school until 1883, so many girls weren’t taught to read and write beyond what they needed to know at home. Sophie has a strong sense of her own identity. She has "hair the colour of lightning", chooses to wear trousers instead of skirts, climbs trees and plays the cello. Sophie, whose only possession is the cello box she was found drifting in, lives for 12 happy years in Charles' household, homeschooled in the most unconventional ways, allowed to ask any question she likes, read whatever she takes a fancy to and climb any tree or rooftop in sight. Their iddylic existence is put in danger when social services decide this is no way to raise a proper lady. Perhaps the pacing of the story was a conscious attempt by the author to mimic the theme of racing music. Cello music played double time is actually an important plot point in Rooftoppers. However, even if, interpreted in the most flattering light, the plot pacing was meant to replicate the musical theme, as a reader, I still found it to be unsatisfying.After a ship sinks , a baby is found floating in a cello case and is rescued by Charles Maxim , another passenger from the ship. Charles names the baby Sophie and decides to raise her. Think of night-time with a speaking voice. Or think how moonlight might talk, or think of ink, if ink had vocal chords.” This Reading Skills resource contains a range of questions about chapter 2 from ‘Rooftoppers’ by Katherine Rundell. The questions are organised into content domains to allow a focus on one or more specific skills, and this resource also includes questions for more in-depth written answer practice. Miss Eliot reflects this Victorian attitude. She disapproves of Sophie's appearance and behaviour and says she would "be embarrassed to be seen with her".