Stormbreaker

A Webquest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormbreaker_%28novel%29

Introduction

He has been compared to James Bond, an adult fictional secret agent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormbreaker_%28film%29

Alex Rider is a secret agent hired by MI6 to solve a mystery. You will find out how he gets himself out of tricky situations and discovers the truth about Stormbreaker.

http://www.talpa.tv/upload/124006_610_1129123787049-James-Bond-Sean_Connery200x.jpg

Reading Stormbreaker

Here are two tasks that you will complete while you are reading Stormbreaker• Chapter title Assignment

• Double Entry Journal

Task • Find out as much information as you can about Alex

Rider’s gadgets and how they helped him in tricky situations. You will answer these questions

• How and why Alex became an agent?• What characteristics make a villain or a hero?• What countries Alex visited?• What materials were used create gadgets?• What mystery did he solve?

You will end up designing your own gadget to solve a mystery in the school.

Process Who is James Bond? Find out what are the characteristics of James Bond. Use a dictionary to explain the characteristics in this Inspiration diagram. Characteristics of James Bond

Process Make a list of Bond and Alex characteristics and find similarities. You will need to visit the Alex Rider Profile website. James Bond Comparison

http://www.alexrider.com/Alex-Rider

Look at Alex Riders gadgets and describe the main features

1. Look at Alex Riders gadgets and describe the main features

2. Look at Bond gadgets and discuss if they could be used today

3. Decide whether Alex can use Bond’s gadgets in Stormbreaker. You will need to tell us how and when.

Look at the Bond gadgets on the following 4 pages and discuss if they could be used today.

Bond’s Gadgets

The next 3 pages of informationwere sourced from http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/jamesbond/bondgadgets.shtml

Blue X-Ray Glasses (The World Is Not Enough, 1999)

Q designed this pair of blue sunglasses. They are X-ray glasses which allow Bond to wander though a casino viewing concealed weapons.

Nice idea, of course, but Bond's glasses stretch the barriers of X-ray technology a little too far. Like light and radio waves, X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation. They are most widely used in medicine to visualise bones and organs.

Could it work?

Underwater Breather (Thunderball, 1965)

This emergency device allowed 007 enough oxygen breath underwater for approximately 4 minutes. It saved his life during an underwater battle when his scuba breathing apparatus had been forcefully removed.

An ingenious idea - unfortunately, it's total fantasy. A 3.8 litre tank contains around 30 minutes of compressed air. The smallest mini breather available is an emergency tank of 0.5 litres of air contained in a tank about the size of a fizzy drink can. It only lasts for about two minutes - or 40 breaths.

Could it work?

Q's Pet (A View To A Kill, 1985)This first of its kind surveillance machine is operated by remote control. Its cameras and microphones relay information back to Q in his operations van.

After the terrorist attack on New York, dozens of experimental robots similar to Q's snooper scoured the wreckage of the World Trade Center's collapsed twin towers.detection devices, these robots were designed to seek out heat, light, motion and colours that might signal a survivor. They were driven by caterpillar tracks and were strong enough to push lumps of concrete out of the way.

Could it work?

James Bond’s cars

Alex Rider is not old enough for a driver’s licence in Stormbreaker, but he might be able to use some of the gadgets on the cars!

• Had machine guns hidden behind indicator lights, • Radar• smoke screen• a retractable rear bullet shield, • oil slick ejector• ejector seat• revolving number plates valid for England, France and Switzerland

Aston Martin DB5

Lotus Esprit

• transforms into a submarine at the flick of a switch • blows up a helicopter with its own rockets• has a cement sprayer• Fins on either side• a propeller at the back• periscope rises from the back• Surface to air missile• front mounted torpedo• limpet mine dispenser• underwater smoke screen

http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/vehicles/lotus-esprit.php?id=006

Aston Martin V8

• rocket launchers• spiked tyres• laser tyre-slashers and skis. • Rocket motor which when fired gives the car an extra boost allowing the car to fly. • Has a self destruct mechanism.

What do you think would be the perfect gadget? You can create a gadget using Lego Digital Designer or Google Sketchup or you can draw it using a draw programme or on paper.

Take elements from Alex and James Bond’s gadgets to design your own. Explain in detail what it could do!

Resources

• http://www.stormbreaker.com/– Register access to Stormbreaker

• http://wikipedia.com • http://www.alexrider.com/Alex-Rider

www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/jamesbond/bondgadgets.shtml copy suitable gadgets

• www.channel4.com/4car/feature/top+ten/1743/• http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/jamesbond

/bondgadgets.shtml