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Mentone Girls' Grammar School | Kerferd Library

Mahtab’s Story: Overview

Year 7 English | Language [VCELA] Literature [VCELT] Literacy [VCELY]

Source: Black, S. (2019). Image courtesy of Pixabay.

Level 1 resource"Libby Gleeson’s novel provides a glimpse into the lives of those who arrive by boat, through the eyes of a young Afghani girl named Mahtab. Importantly, the novel also shows us that these people are so much more than just ‘boat people’ – a term used to flatten and de-identify asylum seekers when they arrive on our shores." (Abdel-Magied, 2017)
Referencing Notice Don't forget to cite and reference your sources. For help see the Junior School or Senior School referencing guides, and / or CiteMaker.
Resource Key

When accessing content use the numbers below to guide you:

LEVEL

Brief, basic information laid out in an easy-to-read format. May use informal language. (Includes most news articles)

LEVEL

Provides additional background information and further reading. Introduces some subject-specific language.

Level 3 resourceLEVEL

Lengthy, detailed information. Frequently uses technical/subject-specific language. (Includes most analytical articles)

General Capabilities
Enduring Understandings
  • The students will understand more about the lives of asylum seekers seeking to come to Australia and the difficulties they face.
  • The students will understand how literature can foster empathy for groups of people who have very different experiences from their own.
Essential Questions
  • Why do people move?
  • What are the factors that impact upon them in their journey?
  • What are the strategies that sustain them in their journey?

Mahtab’s Story | Overview: Keywords

Level 1Keywords
Click on the terms to access a simple definition from Lexico, the online Oxford Dictionary.

Afghanistan, Asylum, Asylum seeker, Boat people, Detention centre, Human trafficking, Pakistan, Refugee, Resilience, Taliban

Mahtab’s Story | Overview: Study guides

Instructions
Use the interactive journey map to follow Mahtab's journey and the key events that take place.

The following summary from Reading Australia outlines the key events that take place in the story.

In Afghanistan
Mahtab's family
Other family members and friends
  • Mahtab
  • Mahtab's mother
  • Mahtab's father - The family escape after he is tortured by the Taliban (Mahtab's Story, p.7)
  • Farhad - Mahtab's younger brother
  • Soraya - Mahtab's younger sister
  • Leila - Mahtab's friend who has to stop visiting when the Taliban take over. Leila dreamed of being a teacher like her Aunt Miriam (Mahtab's Story, p.4) Mahtab takes a photo of Leila with her on her journey to Australia (Mahtab's Story, p.14) 
  • Mahtab's grandfather - he is killed by the Taliban (Mahtab's Story, p.24)
  • Mahtab's grandmother - she stays behind in Herat when Mahtab and her family escape to Australia.
  • Uncle Wahid - Mahtab's uncle who stops the children from flying kites (Mahtab's Story, p.3) as this is forbidden when the Taliban take over.
  • Aunt Mina - Uncle Wahid's wife
  • Ms Mahboubeth - Mahtab's tutor who continued to teach Mahtab after teaching girls was banned by the Taliban (Mahtab's Story, p.34)
In Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia
  • ​Hairy man - a man in Quetta (Mahtab's Story, p.43) who finds Mahtab's family a room and brings them food as they wait to get out of Pakistan. The Hairy man also delivers paper and pencils (Mahtab's Story, p.51) that Mahtab's mother uses to create a chess set.
  • Neeman - hairy man's wife who shows Mahtab's family kindness by giving them a parcel of dried fruit to eat on the journal out of Pakistan (Mahtab's Story, p.73)
  • Ahmad - a boy and fellow refugee that Mahtab's brother Farhad meets and befriends at Kuala Lumpur airport (Mahtab's Story, p.78)
  • Hamida - Ahmad's mother and fellow refugee that Mahtab's family meet at airport (Mahtab's Story, p.78). Hamida and her children travel with Mahtab and her family to Australia.
  • Corrupt border guard - at Kuala Lumpur airport Mahtab's mother has to bribe the border guard to let them continue onto Indonesia (Mahtab's Story, p.80)
  • Egyptian man - the people smuggler who meets Mahtab's family in Indonesia (Mahtab's Story, p.83) and puts them on a boat going to Australia.​
In Australia
  • Catherine - the nurse Mahtab meets in the refugee holding camp in the middle of the Australian desert (Mahtab's Story, p.135) Catherine is kind to Mahtab and helps bath Mahtab when she is very sick (Mahtab's Story, p.152). Catherine also gives Mahtab and exercise book (Mahtab's Story, p.158) that Mahtab uses as a diary.
  • Hussein - an Iraqi boy that Farhad and Ahmad befriend in the refugee detention centre. (Mahtab's Story, p.133)
  • Moustafa - a fellow refugee and friend of Mahtab's father. It is through Moustafa that Mahtab learns her father is alive and living in Sydney. (Mahtab's Story, p.167)  

Mahtab’s Story | Explore more: Articles

Level 2 resource

Mahtab’s Story | Overview: Books & eBooks

Level 1 resourceClick on the following book covers to place a hold in the library catalogue or access the book online. If prompted, sign in with your School mConnect user name and password.

Mahtab’s Story | Overview: Videos

Level 1 resourceFilm and videoUsing YouTube on campus help and instructionsTo view these video on campus remember to first login to your school Google account using your mConnect username and password. Click here for more help on using YouTube on campus.

Source

When using this video don't forget to cite and reference your sources. For more information and help see the Kerferd Library referencing guide and / or CiteMaker.

In text citation: (Allen & Unwin, 2008) or Allen & Unwin (2008)
Bibliography / Reference list:Allen & Unwin (2008). Libby Gleeson reads a passage from 'Mahtab's Story'. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/CLECvU4Ai-8

Mahtab’s Story | Overview: Libby Gleeson

Libby Gleeson is the author of Mahtab's story.Level 1 resourceWeb sites

Level 2Audio books

Level 1 resourceFilm and videoUsing YouTube on campus help and instructionsTo view these video on campus remember to first login to your school Google account using your mConnect username and password. Click here for more help on using YouTube on campus.

Source

When using this video don't forget to cite and reference your sources. For more information and help see the Kerferd Library referencing guide and / or CiteMaker.

In text citation: (Allen & Unwin, 2008) or Allen & Unwin (2008)
Bibliography / Reference list:Allen & Unwin (2008). Mahtab's Story by Libby Gleeson. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Z6Ykw6ehfP

Mahtab’s Story | Overview: Teacher resources

Web sites

Mahtab’s Story | Overview: Curriculum alignment

Level 1Victorian CurriculumThis Mentone Girls' Grammar School LibGuide supports the following Victorian curriculum outcomes. Click on the links to explore more.

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