Resource Key
LEVEL 1
brief, basic information laid out in an easy-to-read format. May use informal language. (Includes most news articles)
LEVEL 2
provides additional background information and further reading. Introduces some subject-specific language.
LEVEL 3
lengthy, detailed information. Frequently uses technical/subject-specific language. (Includes most analytical articles)
Databases
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowScholarly resources on JSTOR include Archival and Current Journals, Books, and Primary Sources.
- Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre Plus This link opens in a new windowThis resource provides the largest collection of full text from leading regional and international newspapers and periodicals, full-text reference books, tens of thousands of full-text biographies, and a collection of images containing more than one million photos, maps, and flags.
- Britannica Schools This link opens in a new windowBritannica School covers the core subject areas of English, Maths, Science and History. Interactive lessons, activities, games, stories, worksheets, manipulatives, study guides and research tools.
Study Guide
- Winkler, L. K. & Sadat, H. (2007). A study guide to the Riverhead edition of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. Retrieved from http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pdf/teachersguides/kiterunnertg0110a.pdfHistorical background, reading check/discussion questions, postreading activities, and more.
Biography
- Khaled Hosseini. (2015). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://school.eb.com.au.db.plcscotch.wa.edu.au/levels/high/article/471019Khaled Hosseini, (born March 4, 1965, Kabul, Afghanistan), Afghan-born American novelist who was known for his vivid depictions of Afghanistan, most notably in The Kite Runner (2003).
Introduction
"The son of a rich and popular merchant, Amir leads a privileged life, wanting only to please his beloved but demanding father, Baba, and to play with Hassan, the child of Ali, Baba’s lifelong servant. Both Amir and Hassan are motherless. They spend almost all their time together, playing games and sharing stories in their favourite pomegranate tree. An encounter with Assef, the local bully, in which Hassan springs to Amir’s defence has appalling consequences, destroying their friendship and driving Amir to desperate measures to rid himself of Hassan, measures which result in a puzzling reaction from his father. When Ali and Hassan decide to leave of their own accord, Amir’s relief is short lived; he knows that his cowardice has been detected.
Baba and Amir are soon in flight themselves when the Russians invade. They flee first to Pakistan, then to America where Baba’s old life of influence and power is at an end. They make a new life for themselves, embracing the San Francisco Afghan community, one of whom Amir eventually marries. But Amir remains haunted by his failure to protect Hassan, unable to enjoy his success as a novelist and his marriage to Soraya, convinced that their inability to have a child and his father’s death are punishments visited upon him.
Amir is rescued by a phone call from Baba’s old friend, Rahim Khan, who offers him the chance of redemption. Once in Peshawar, where Rahim is dying, Amir learns that he is to find Hassan’s lost son. In so doing, he must summon his courage and face not only his old enemy, but also the destruction that has been wrought upon his homeland. In return, he is rewarded with the truth about his relationship with Hassan and a greater understanding of his beloved Baba."
Baba and Amir are soon in flight themselves when the Russians invade. They flee first to Pakistan, then to America where Baba’s old life of influence and power is at an end. They make a new life for themselves, embracing the San Francisco Afghan community, one of whom Amir eventually marries. But Amir remains haunted by his failure to protect Hassan, unable to enjoy his success as a novelist and his marriage to Soraya, convinced that their inability to have a child and his father’s death are punishments visited upon him.
Amir is rescued by a phone call from Baba’s old friend, Rahim Khan, who offers him the chance of redemption. Once in Peshawar, where Rahim is dying, Amir learns that he is to find Hassan’s lost son. In so doing, he must summon his courage and face not only his old enemy, but also the destruction that has been wrought upon his homeland. In return, he is rewarded with the truth about his relationship with Hassan and a greater understanding of his beloved Baba. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/author/khaled-hosseini#sthash.nHuCZJA0.dpuf
The Kite Runner (2007)
- Braithwaite, A. (2008, January 11). Fed: Film adaptation of The Kite Runner almost too authentic. AAP Australian National News Wire. Retrieved from Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre.The Kite Runner movie-makers strove from the outset to ensure it looked and sounded authentic. The film was set in rugged central Asian landscapes and the actors were Afghani locals who spoke the Dari language. But it was that very authenticity that ultimately caused real concerns for its Afghani cast.
- Givhan, R. (2007, December 16). In 'Kite Runner,' a culture swoops into view: Our own. Washington Post, The. Retrieved from Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre.In "The Kite Runner," a film set in Afghanistan , American popular culture is remixed into a giant global mash-up. Charles Bronson is mistaken for an Iranian, young Afghan kite fighters steel themselves for battle using the lingo of Wild West gunslingers and audiences receive quick confirmation that in the 1970s, no one looked especially stylish.
Horberg, W. (Producer), & Forster, M. (Director). (2007). The kite runner [Motion picture]. USA: DreamWorks SKG.
NPR Interview
- Hansen, L. (2003, July 27). 'The Kite Runner'. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId =1358775Host Liane Hansen speaks with Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner (Riverhead Books, 2003), a new novel about a young boy who flees Afghanistan for America, but cannot forget the friend he left behind to suffer under the Taliban.
BBC Radio 4 Bookclub
- Naughtie, J. (2014, February 6). Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/khaled-hosseini-kite-runner/id515895451?i= 247985713&mt=2Khaled Hosseini talks about his global bestselling novel, The Kite Runner with a group of invited readers. The book describes how the happiness of an afternoon's kite flying competition in late-1970s Kabul is broken when young Amir fails to help his best friend Hassan avoid a terrible incident. The effects on the duo's friendship are devastating.