David's Diary - THINK ON - Why did David have to go to a new school

Sep 29, 2026

David’s diary opens on Monday morning after a move to a new house and a new school, with worries about not fitting in, being misunderstood because of accent, and fears of teasing or getting sick. As the day unfolds, he reflects on leaving friends, his father’s job loss, and his mother’s frantic getting-up routine. At school, he misreads his teacher at first, then describes Miss Bracegirdle’s appearance, his seat at the front, and how class nicknames form.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages68

Reading Time1 h 45 min

AccessFree to download

David's Diary

Think On

Getting up time

Monday 5 p.m

DAV°D'SDiARy MARGARET RYAN # David's Diary THINK ONU ●Why did David have to go to a new school?How did he feelabout it? ●How does the author show us that David's feelings gradually change?Find some places in the book that showDavid feeling happier. ● Why do you think David doesn't write very much in hisschool diary? ●Would you like to have David as a friend?Why? ● Think of some words to describe David and find evidencefor this in the text. ag 25 ●What do yoμtbink Miss Bracegirdle thought about David?Write a school report for Dayid as though Miss Bracegirdlehad writenrit.KK23203 23 14936 # READ ON ,o6 There are more Pocket Tales to read at this level!Don'tforget to check out Pocket Facts and Pocket Sci-Fi at thislevel too.Turn to the inside back cover to find out more! KILKENNY COUNTY LIBRARYGenre:Story wSkill:To invesKK231509 GraiguenamanaghLEABHARLANN CHO.CHILL CHAINNAIGHKilkenny County Library # CHILDRENS DEPARTMENT No...…………………Acc.No.… ……水KK | ?of Return | Date of Return | Date ef | | --- | --- | --- | “APn V N Road FF t±leLI LIC 『uCdlCGreat GritaTHDRAWThe woThe ivcthe inalrOnt e h h Illustrated by Carolyn Dinan Monday 7.01 am.Earthtime. New house,New school,New life. I am awake.Have been for hours. Worrying.Suppose I don't like this new school.Suppose nobody likes me. Suppose nobody talks to me.Supposethey do,and I can't understand theirfunny accent.Suppose they make funof me...I would bite my nails to showhow worried I am,but they don't lookvery clean.I might catch something. It's not funny being relocated.Havingto leave friends and school andneighbourhood and move to a new place.I mentioned this fact to Mum.complained really...moaned on aboutit for days actually,but she just said itwas the same for her and Tracy,andhow did I think Dad felt,being thrownout of a job and having to move hisentire family to where the work was.Didn’t I ever give a thought to that? I suppose she has a point,thoughTracy's only three and would relocateto the moon so long as Doris thestuffed donkey went with her.AndTracy's only got to join the local playgroup where she can throw sandand water about and make footprintpictures with squidgy paint that oozesup between her toes.She doesn't haveto go into the very top class in LittlePuddleton primary,right in the middle of term.I bet everyone in the class hasknown each other since they were intheir pushchairs. That's another thing I mentioned toMum the other day.Pushchairs.Andhow some mothers push them out intothe traffic first.I asked Mum if she didthat with me in my pushchair.She wenta bit red and said she didn't reallyremember.She always says that whenshe's embarrassed.I’m probably luckyto be alive after being used as a human"stop the traffic"lollipop for the firsttwo years of my life. NOTE:When older,invent pullchairsfor children.Let mothers take theirown chances in the traffic. Monday 7.95 am. # Getting up time Dad got up and went off to work agesago.It's his first day as a ranger in thenew country park.Mum is now bawling her head off at me,telling methe time at one-minute intervals.Shesounds like the speaking clock,onlyless polite.I suppose I'd better get up.Can't put it off any longer.Wonderwhat my new teacher is like.Usualtype probably.Two heads and horns.Monday 8.35 am. Going to school time ..aaaargh I can see the school bus coming alongCliff Road.Must dash... 5 # Monday 5 p.m Nearly teatime I was wrong about my teacher,MissBracegirdle,having two heads.She'sgot two chins though,and her hornsare probably lurking beneath her vermilion (bright red)curls.It's a goodword,vermilion.I saw it in an oldpaintbox of Mum's while we wereunpacking.It sounds so much nicerthan plain red.I may use the wordvermilion a lot in future.Also azureand sienna. I don't know if Miss Bracegirdle hasazure eyes or not.Fortunately I didn'tget that close,but her orangey-red lipstick is pure sienna,and can be

FAQs

Why is David anxious about the new school?

David worries he might not like it, nobody will talk to him, he may not understand the accent of others, and people could make fun of him.

How does David feel about his new life after relocating?

He finds it unsettling to leave friends, school, neighborhood, and familiar routines, and he questions fairness when his family has to move.

What happens at school on David’s first day?

Miss Bracegirdle introduces him as David Snow, sits him at the front, and the class develops nicknames, until she announces a diary competition for the next fortnight.

Sep 29, 2026

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