Cloud Busting is a story about Dave who is a new student in the school who stays few doors away from Sam’s house and Sam who is a bully. It is a well-written, easy-to-read tale written in poetic form. It is a story about friendship, emotions, love, and bullying and peer pressure. I found the characters very believable, especially Dave and Sam themselves. They're not perfect but they're still likable characters who are easy to relate to on some level—even if you don't identify with them 100%. participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously Cloud Busting offers an embarrassment of riches when it comes to writing responses; below is a sprinkling of possibilities:

Prepare children for the key themes of the story by discussing their ideas of belonging and times when they have felt the need to conform. Warm thinking up with open questions such as, “Is it important to fit in?” and “Do we all see things in the same way?” Have children think about other stories from books, television and film where “difference” defines a character and marks them out for bullying, for greatness, or maybe both. The poetry style of the book takes you by surprise at the beginning and offers a different structure to the story and really breaks the chapters down into different almost unique stories of their own. I think this alternative style of story structure just makes the book even more special. My favourite part of the book is when we get to really experience the way that Davey sees the world through the intense descriptions he offers to Sam, this progresses throughout the book and allows us to experience this alternate perception of reality along with them. Davey, or 'Fizzy Feet', is a new boy. Everyone hates him. He has holes in his jumper, and strange ideas fill his mind. Sam, the school bully, makes fun of him. He dislikes Davey at least as much as everyone else until Davey saves his life by pulling him from in front of a speeding vehicle. The two soon become friends. This story shows how important it is for people to have friends who care about them even if those friends have different beliefs than yours do—and what happens when those friendships don't work out because of something else. Davey’s capacity to perceive the world in a multi-sensory way is one of the talents he passes to Sam. For example, favourite food becomes “…daydreams in your mouth…Or wishes down your throat…” Discuss everyday items and experiences, or use photos of familiar places, and help children develop their use of metaphor by exploring senses and linking one positive idea with another: a delicious taste is wonderful, as are star beams, so favourite food could become “star beams on your tongue”. You can’t taste a star beam; you see it – the effect is achieved by mixing sensory experiences, and it takes a great deal of imagination. As Sam finds, it’s hard at first, but improves with exercise.Cloud Busting describes a lifechanging experience, and could be a life-changing book. Questions that will be worthy of deeper discussion may include:

discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader They can't see themselves in the mirror, so they don't know how beautiful they are. But no one can see them but you and me.It looks at friendship, the beauty of accepting people’s differences and how those differences can serve to enrich a person’s character.