Stories for Remembrance Book Club - Now or Never by Bali Rai
In partnership with the Royal British Legion we've developed these resources based on Bali Rai's book Now or Never to help you explore Remembrance through a book club and discussions with your upper Key Stage 2 pupils.
Based on real events that took place in World War Two, Now or Never (Little Rebels Award shortlist 2020) tells the story of 15-year-old, Fazal, from Rawalpindi in India, who lies about his age in order to enlist in the Royal Indian Army Service Corps. Our accompanying resources aim to develop pupils’ core reading comprehension skills, whilst also providing the opportunity to reflect on the theme of Remembrance and its relevance to our lives today.
The resources include
- a teacher guide with suggestions for introducing the book and structuring book club sessions
- details of how these resources link to the National Curriculum in England (Year 5 and 6 English Programme of Study) and the support they offer to pupils in understanding and appreciating diversity, celebrating commonalities and promoting respect
- information about the historical context, with links for further insight and exploration
- discussion questions and chapter activities which provide an opportunity for pupils to reflect on the service and sacrifice of the armed forces across the UK, Commonwealth and Allied Nations, and to consider how this service and sacrifice is echoed in 2020.
Download the teacher guide, chapter by chapter discussion questions, and end of chapter activities from the available files section of this page.
Watch Bali Rai talk the inspiration behind his book Now or Never, and provide tips for writing.
Further remembrance resources
The National Literacy Trust has worked with the Royal British Legion to develop a wide range of additional resources across Key Stages 1 to 5. These include assemblies, ideas for exploring Remembrance through a whole-school project, as well as book club and creative writing activities. Resources are also available in Welsh.
You can download all these resources for free from the Royal British Legion's Teaching Remembrance pages.