Please choose your licence with care

• Single User — Personally Funded: You pay personally, without school reimbursement. The resource belongs to you, for use with your own class only.

• Multiple Use — School Funded: Your school pays or reimburses you. The resource belongs to the school and may be shared within that school. This licence is required even if only one teacher or class will use the resource, or each teacher is purchasing a different title.

Support thoughtful reading of Children of the Rush: Book One by James Russell, an adventure blending history and fantasy on New Zealand’s goldfields in 1861. Michael and Atarangi each possess an extraordinary magical talent, and their paths cross in a world shaped by the pursuit of gold. When they discover a gang threatening others, they must decide whether to intervene. The story invites readers to explore courage, greed and the responsibility that comes with being able to help.

These comprehensive guided reading plans support teacher-led discussion through questions exploring comprehension, inference, language, text organisation and author’s purpose. Students are encouraged to draw on evidence, explain their thinking and consider different perspectives. Conscious communication questions explore characters’ feelings and needs, nurturing empathy and a compassionate classroom, while suggested response activities extend understanding and strengthen connections between reading and writing.

Themes explored: courage, friendship and cooperation, greed, justice and injustice, power and exploitation, choices and consequences, responsibility, standing up for others, survival, resilience, difference and individual strengths, gold rushes, Aotearoa New Zealand history.

Created with care, shared with care

Each resource reflects time, creativity and a heart-centred commitment to supporting teachers and learners. Choosing the correct licence honours that work and helps us continue creating. Thank you for sharing in that care.

Instant download: Please check your licence selection before completing payment. This purchase includes supporting resources; the novel is not included.