Choosing a Book from a Blurb
A pupil reads the blurb of a novel: "When the river froze, the village lost its only bridge. Twelve-year-old Pip must cross the ice each night to bring medicine to her grandmother - but the ice is thinning, and someone is following her." The pupil says, "I don't understand 'thinning.' The ice isn't getting thinner like a jumper getting thin." The teacher asks the pupil to use the surrounding words to work out the meaning, then to decide whether the blurb makes the story sound tense, and to explain which words create that feeling.
1. Explain how the pupil can work out the meaning of "thinning" from the surrounding text, and give a clear definition in her own words.
Read the worked answer
The pupil can use the context. The blurb says the river froze and Pip must cross the ice each night, then says "the ice is thinning." The word "but" signals a problem, and the following sentence about someone following her adds danger. So "thinning" here means the ice is becoming less thick and less safe to walk on - it is getting weaker, not literally like a thin jumper. The pupil should notice that "thinning" describes ice in a frozen river, so the everyday meaning (fabric becoming worn) does not fit; the context points to thickness and danger. A good definition: the ice is losing thickness, so it may crack under Pip's weight.
2. Does the blurb make the story sound tense? Identify at least three words or phrases that create this effect and explain how each contributes.
Read the worked answer
Yes, the blurb sounds tense. First, "must cross the ice each night" suggests a repeated, unavoidable risk, and "must" shows Pip has no choice. Second, "but the ice is thinning" introduces a growing danger exactly when she depends on it. Third, "someone is following her" adds an unknown threat, and the word "someone" is especially unsettling because it hides the follower's identity. The setting also helps: a frozen river and a lost bridge suggest isolation, so help may be far away. Together these details make the reader worry about Pip's safety and want to read on to find out what happens.