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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'When Nathanial and his mother move to the quiet, safe streets of Cheshunt, he immediately senses something wrong. Violent gangs patrol the streets, feral dogs roam at night, and the oppressive stench from the abattoir lingers over the school.
'Soon Nathanial learns that his presence is no accident. As he uncovers the dark secrets of Cheshunt's past, and event spiral desperately out of control, he and his new friends must confront phantoms from their past in the battle to stop the Gathering and its terrifying creator.'
Source: Publisher's blurb (Penguin website).
Reading Australia
This work has Reading Australia teaching resources.
Unit Suitable For AC: Year 9 (NSW Stage 5). Advanced Year 8 students could also engage well with this text.
Duration4–6 weeks
Themes
family, good and evil, the impact of the past upon the present, violence
General Capabilities
Critical and creative thinking, Ethical understanding, Information and communication technology, Literacy, Personal and social
Teaching Resources
Notes
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Received Screen Australia funding for a book-to-film adaptation.(Source : Books + Publishing News 22 November 2018)
Affiliation Notes
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This work is affiliated with the AustLit subset Asian-Australian Children's Literature and Publishing because it has a Chinese translation.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Braille.
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
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[Essay] : The Gathering
2013
single work
essay
— Appears in: Reading Australia 2013-;'My postgraduate student frowned. ‘The Gathering? Isn’t that the one where someone sets a dog on fire?’ Spoiler alert: indeed it is. It is the book’s most memorable scene; it is certainly the most horrific. My postgrad had read Isobelle Carmody’s 1993 novel in high school and that was the first memory of it which surfaced. The scene shocked readers and alienated many: ‘I re-read the novel recently but I skipped that chapter’ wrote one online reviewer.' (Introduction)
-
Isobelle Carmody : 'Myth Maker'
1997
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Adolescent Novel : Australian Perspectives 1997; (p. 115-125) -
Making It Really Feral
1997
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Making It Real : Proceedings of the Fourth Children's Literature Conference 1997; (p. 76-83) -
What is the Reality of Fantasy and Science Fiction?
1997
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Making It Real : Proceedings of the Fourth Children's Literature Conference 1997; (p. 40-54) -
Isobelle Carmody : An Interview
Steven Paulsen
(interviewer),
1995
single work
interview
— Appears in: Sirius , March no. 8 1995; (p. 11-16)
-
[Review] The Gathering
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , November vol. 37 no. 4 1993; (p. 26-27)
— Review of The Gathering 1993 single work novel -
[Review] The Gathering
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: Fiction Focus : New Titles for Teenagers , vol. 7 no. 4 1993; (p. 8)
— Review of The Gathering 1993 single work novel -
Learning to Battle the Devil Within
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser Magazine , 4 December 1993; (p. 23)
— Review of Secret Lives 1993 single work novel ; The Gathering 1993 single work novel -
Tense Tales of Teen Trauma
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 18-19 September 1993; (p. rev 9)
— Review of Buried Secrets 1993 selected work short story ; The Gathering 1993 single work novel ; Schemes 1993 single work novel -
Shortening the Learning Curve
1994
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 30 April 1994; (p. wkd 7)
— Review of Love Me, Love Me Not 1993 selected work children's fiction ; The Gathering 1993 single work novel -
Older Readers
1994
single work
column
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , November vol. 38 no. 4 1994; (p. 3) -
Know the Author : Isobelle Carmody
1994
single work
column
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , July vol. 9 no. 3 1994; (p. 18-21) -
Isobelle Carmody : An Interview
Steven Paulsen
(interviewer),
1995
single work
interview
— Appears in: Sirius , March no. 8 1995; (p. 11-16) -
Spiritual Journeys
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Age , 7 May 1994; (p. 9) -
And the Winner Is...
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , August no. 163 1994; (p. 68-69)
Awards
- 1994 joint winner CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Book of the Year: Older Readers
- 1993 joint winner Children's Peace Literature Award