1. TEEN INC. MESSAGES PRESENTED IN THE NOVEL

2. All novels tell a story – some are simple while others can be very complex. Through the story, an author is able to convey different messages for the reader to interpret. There are many different types of messages that can be found in novels:  Social  Moral  Cultural  Issues

3. EXAMPLES OF MESSAGES Here are some examples to get you started:  SOCIAL - fitting in at a new school is difficult  MORAL – stealing is wrong  CULTURAL – bullying has no cultural boundaries  ISSUE – bullying is a negative aspect of teenage life

4. IDENTIFYING ISSUES BRAINSTORM Take a few minutes to QUIETLY think about the novel ‘Teen Inc’ and write a list of the main issues you think are presented. Let’s share them and cluster them to arrive at 2 - 3 common issues.

5. FINDING EVIDENCE As you are reading, your mind should be focussing on:  messages and themes associated with the key issues.  how the author has portrayed the key issues through the characters.  what language is used by the different characters.  your opinion on whether teenagers and relationships are presented in a realistic way.

6. RECORDING EVIDENCE Set up a table with the heading ISSUES IN ‘TEEN INC’. ISSUEEXAMPLESEVIDENCE FITTING IN & BELONGING Jaiden fitting in at high school “…in school, my ‘true’ identity was a secret, shared with no one”. (p16) IDENTITY Jaiden Like many teenagers, Jaiden fantasizes about a different identity: ‘If I were a superhero, that’d be exactly the sort of thing to impress a girl. “You see, Jenny, I secretly fight crime with the radioactive strength of a mega-conglomerate”.’ (p26) RELATIONSHIPS Jaiden – NateJaiden and Nate had a lot in common – they liked the same kind of music, science fiction and video games, but not the same girls. (p16) BULLYING Shanna Denton‘ …during art history where, Shanna Denton, as usual, kept giving me the evil eye. Sometimes I’m afraid she’s actually going to kill me because of that Hello Kitty thing. Her skin just oozed hatred for me.’ (p18) FAMILY Jaiden fitting in with his ‘family’ Jaiden’s team is different to a family- ‘ “Jaiden we’re not going to tell you anything,” she said. “We’ll just facilitate…” “Offer support…” ‘. (p4)

7. EVALUATIVE LANGUAGE Language is used in narratives to generate a positive or negative response in the reader to issues or groups or characters. In particular the use of evaluative language assists this process. Evaluative language is positive or negative language that judges the worth of something. You are going to identify the language of affect (evaluative language) associated with the character you have begun to profile.

8. YOUR TURN … Complete the following table for your chosen character by finding evaluative language examples from the novel. Make sure you record the page reference.