I recently posted about Haley’s request for a “Fringlish” button (see this entry.) Well, that got me thinking about the fun books on Québecois & Canadian language that I’m looking forward to picking up at the library. (More on those once I’ve managed to get to the library!) Back when it came out, I adored Josh Freed’s Anglo Guide to Survival in Quebec. What a hoot! One of the sections was on language usage; this was definitely the most memorable for me! I’ll have to see if I can locate a copy & read it again (off to the library site to see if they have copies…..)

Anyway, I plugged the term “Franglais” (the flip-side of “Fringlish”) into Amazon & I discovered an intriguing concept: a book that alternates between a French chapter and an English chapter! It’s soon to be released (Amazon doesn’t say when) and is actually the second in what promises to be a whole series of bilingual books. To get the idea of how this works, see the Radio Franglais web page.

Radio Franglais is about a bilingual radio team who want to win the Spirit of Integration in Europe (SPIE) Prize and become Euroteen Ambassadors to the World. The two major characters - Juliette, a Française from the posh Lycée and Josh, an anglophone from the local comprehensive school - clash over their project to portray teen life in 21st century London. This short novel (112 pp) has been labelled a page-turner by the publisher, whose description of the book mentions that in their clash over what constitutes “real life”, the teens get caught up in the London gang scene.

Author Nancy Boulicault is an American educator and librarian, currently living in London. And yes, she’s bilingual. She wrote both the French and English chapters herself! The first book in the One Plot – Two Languages (De l’Une à l’Autre langue) series was Double Duel, again featuring Juliette. In this 95-page novel she and her friend set up a sports competition in reaction to the rivalry between two schools - one French-speaking and the other English.

Judging from the subject matter, the novels would seem to be written for the young adult market. However, as Mr. Gray told us back in the 9th grade English, when you want to practice a new skill (in that case speed reading, in this case reading in a second language) something “easy” is best. Even Harlequin Romances will do it
For those who are unsure that they could read a book written half in French, not to worry! Ms Boulicault provides an English & French glossary at the back of the books.

Pre-order Double Duel or Radio Franglais from Amazon.ca, or look for the books at suppliers from England or France where the books have already been released.

This work was created by Ruby of Freehold 2, and is licensed under a
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Excerpts copyright quoted authors. Please visit their sites to read more, and respect the terms of their copyrights. Thanks!

As we get closer to Christmas, this blog entry will probably strike a chord with many of the home-schooling Moms & Dads - and lots of other folks too! It begins “Repeat After Me: I will not buy books. I will not be lured in by free shipping.” Pay attention when you read it, though. If you don’t, you’ll miss the hidden secret of the post (Hint: click the links!)

Thanks Martha! Your post + my morning tea = I’m ALMOST ready to face today’s shopping expedition. Even if there’s more snow….. Well, maybe….

This work was created by Ruby of Freehold 2, and is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.

Excerpts copyright quoted authors. Please visit their sites to read more, and respect the terms of their copyrights. Thanks!