Class Novel Recommendation: August and Jones

 I was keen to read Pip Harry's latest novel August and Jones because it was inspired by the true story of 2 students from the school where I was principal in regional Victoria.

A bit of background

Jarrah came to our school with only one eye, as he’d lost his first one to retinoblastoma cancer as a toddler. Unfortunately, and against all the statistics, he contracted the same cancer in his remaining eye when he was in year 4. It was at this time that Jarrah and his family had to make the challenging decision to remove his remaining eye to prevent the cancer spreading any further.

Before the operation, Jarrah’s family and our school staff went through the process of preparing him for the challenge of living without his vision. What would school look like? How would he keep reading? How might he keep his independence? I still can’t even comprehend all the tough decisions and challenges Jarrah and his family faced at this time.   

Jarrah and Mathilde back in the day
(Image from the Sydney Morning Herald)

As daunting as the imminent loss of his vision was, Jarrah seemed to take it all in his stride. He was a hilarious kid, who was full of beans and had a total ‘go getter’ attitude. I distinctly remember how terrifying it was to see him zip his way to the top of the spider web climbing frame in the playground- faster than most of the students who could actually see. It was a nervous aspect of every yard duty, watching on as his sprinted around the yard, unencumbered by his lack of vision.

It was truly inspiring to see him take on all the challenges that were thrown towards him that year. Among other things, he learned how to navigate his way around an audio book reader (so he could still read), started to learn braille and learned how to use a white vision cane to get around.

Jarrah had a wonderful friend named Mathilde who remained by his side through all his challenges. Mathilde was one of those kids who’d lend a hand at any opportunity and was always thinking up new ways to be helpful to others. In fact, after meeting her at the kinder transition day I remember telling the staff she would be Prime Minister one day.

Mathilde and Jarrah had a strong bond that became ever stronger as the challenges piled up against Jarrah. Whatever crazy thing Jarrah was doing, Mathilde was sure to be close by, taking on the role of his number one supporter and all-round best friend.

August and Jones

Fast forward a few years and author Pip Harry came across Jarrah and Mathilde’s story in a newspaper article, When a tumour claimed Jarrah’s remaining eye, Mathilde became his sight at school. She thought it was a terrific story that was worthy of being turned in to a children’s book. After waiting a year (to make sure no other author’s had the same idea as her) she finally started working on the story. She had never met of spoke to Jarrah or Mathilde, but used the details from the newspaper article to help her form a fictional narrative based on their story.

I listened to Pip speak about August and Jones and was excited to read her twist on Jarrah and Mathilde’s story. I wasn’t disappointed! August and Jones is a heart-warming and beautiful story about friendship and getting through troubled times together. It is a book I would recommend to all readers in year 4 and above.

In Pip’s story it’s the female character who has the eye cancer and the male character who helps her through the challenges. The two friends create a bucket list of things they want to do before Jones  loses her sight and slowly tick them off one by one. Pip Harry has done a fantastic job of sharing some of the worries, challenges and stresses experienced by people who are in the unlucky position of facing a life without vision but has also importantly shown that people who are blind or have low vision can also lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Teaching Suggestions for August and Jones

August and Jones would be a terrific class novel for students in years 4 and above. It would also make a great option for a Lit Circles / Book Club book as students could read the newspaper article that inspired the story and compare and contrast the original details with Pip Harry’s story. They could also read this newspaper article on Jarrah and Mathilde’s response to the release of the book and this Q&A page on Pip’s website to add to their discussions about the text.

If you could ask author Pip Harry a question, what would you ask? (I'll hopefully be interviewing her on the blog in the future so you might find your question on the list). Let me know via the contact page or over on the  Oz Lit Teacher Facebook group.

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