Question: Based on the novel you have studied, who do you

think is the most interesting character? Give reasons to support

your answer.
In the novel Catch Us If You Can by Cathrine MacPhail,
the character I think interesting is Rory, the main character in
this novel.
Rory is very patient especially in taking care of his Granda
who suffers from memory lapses. This can be seen when Rory
asks Granda where he put his homework. He notices a bulge in
his rucksack. It is a bag of rubbish in his rucksack. Granda has
absent-mindedly thrown away his homework and kept the
rubbish instead. The next day in class, Mrs Foley asks Rory
about his homework and Rory tells Mrs Foley the truth, that he
has lost his homework. Mrs Foley asks him to stay back at
lunchtime to do his homework but Rory cannot stay as he has
to rush home to prepare Grandas lunch. Rory knows that
Granda does not do it deliberately and he does not scold or
blame Granda.
Rory is also very determined. He shows this when he plans
the Great Escape for three days after Darren suggests hiding in
his mothers caravan. He gives Rory the spare key to the
caravan. Rory carefully carries out his plan. He packs his and
Grandas things. He visits Granda after school, as usual. He
wedges open the emergency exit. Later that night, he visits
Granda and prepares Granda by dressing him up and then tells
him that he is getting out of the home. Rory takes Granda
away from there while Val is having coffee with the nurses.
Both of them successfully sneak out through the emergency
exit and out to a quiet train station where they are not noticed.
They arrived at the train final stop and go uphill in a fine drizzle
and then up a long winding path that leads to the caravan site.
Another good thing about Rory is, he is a loving boy.
After the fire at the flat, Rory is sent to Castle Street
and Granda to Rachnadar. Rory is not happy. Granda does not
like

to

stay

there

and

he

is

upset

and

cries.

Rory

sees Granda sitting on his bed and crying at Rachnadar. It

breaks his heart . Granda and Rory cannot live without each
other. Rory decides to run away with Granda.
Although Rory is still a boy, he has many good qualities
many boys of his age do not possess. Because of this, I think
Rory is a very interesting character.

Based on the novel you have studied, write about the part of the
story that you like most.
The part you like most
Describe it
Reasons why you like it
R1

R2

R3

Model Answer
In the novel Catch Us If You Can by Cathrine MacPhail, the part
that I like most is the great escape
Rory plans the Great Escape for three days after Darren suggests
hiding in his mothers caravan. He gives Rory the spare key to the
caravan. Rory carefully carries out his plan. He packs his and Grandas
things. He visits Granda after school, as usual. He wedges open the
emergency exit. Later that night, he visits Granda and prepares Granda
by dressing him up and then tells him that he is getting out of the
home. Rory takes Granda away from there while Val is having
coffee with the nurses. Both of them successfully sneak out
through the emergency exit and out to a quiet train station where
they are not noticed. They arrive at the train final stop and go uphill
in a fine drizzle and then up a long winding path that leads to the
caravan site.
I like this part the most because it shows that Rory is a loving
boy. He loves his Granda so much that he could not stand looking at his
granda crying and feeling sad staying at Rachnadar. Because of this, he
is determined to take Granda out from Rachnadar.
This part of the story also shows us how determined Rory is in
making his escape a success. He cannot live without his Granda who
has brought him up and taken care of him since he was a baby, and
because of that he takes the risk to take his Granda out from
Rachnadar. I also think that this is the start of all the adventures and
challenges of Rorys and grandas lives.They meet with a lot of
people and are always on the run so that they are not caught. It makes

the story interesting and leads to the happy ending when Rory is
reunited with his father.
TRY THIS QUESTION
Based on the novel you have studied, who do you think is the most
interesting character? Give reasons to support your answer.
The outline of your essay.
Outline A
Name the character
Provide the first reason (R1) you find the character interesting. Give
evidence (E1) ( example / event )

Provide the second reason (R2). Give the evidence (E2) ( example /
event )

Provide the third reason (R3). Give the evidence (E3) ( example / event )

Outline B

Character ( Rory)
R1 ( patient ) E1 ( Granda throws Rory's homework )
R2 ( determined ) E2 ( Rory plans the Great Escape )
R3 ( loving ) E3 ( the separation )

REMEMBER TO PROVIDE DETAILS IN ORDER TO GET BAND A

MARKS.

Novel - Catch Us If You Can

What is one life lesson that you have learnt from the main character in
the novel that you have studied? Support your answer with close
reference to the text.

*I have studied the novel 'Catch Us If You Can' by Catherine MacPhail.

The story is narrated by Rory, a young boy who lived alone with his
grandfather, Mr. McIntosh whom he lovingly calls 'Granda'. Rory's father
had left him when he was still small and his mother had died of a broken
heart. (Introduction paragraph)
One life lesson that I have learnt from Rory is that (#1) one should be a
responsible family member. #a) Rory was a very responsible boy even
though he was still a young kid. He realised that Granda had looked after
him all his life and now that Granda needed him, he would take care of
him. He did the shopping and cooking. He cleaned the house.
Rory also gave up football for Granda. Mr Hood, his football coach had
asked him to join the football team but he lied that he did not like football
anymore. The truth was, he needed to look after Granda. Granda relied
on him to get his lunch and he also had to make sure Granda took his
pills. Sometimes, he rushed home during lunchtime to buy two hot pies
for their lunch.
#b) When Granda was hospitalised at Rachnadar, Rory realised that if he
left Granda there, he would be very miserable and sick. He was very
frightened when he visited Granda and he did not respond to him. He
was afraid that he would 'be dead inside'. He decided to run away with
Granda in order to save him.
#c) Darren's mother was concerned for Rory. She felt that Rory should
not have to bear this kind of responsibility. However, Rory felt that it was
his responsibility since there was nobody else. Finally, when he found out
about his father, he felt that it was high time he lived up to his
responsibility as a son and father.

Sad Event Question

Question: Write about a sad event and its effect on the characters in the
novel that you have read. Give evidence to support your answer.

Answer:

*The novel that I have studied is Catch Us If You Can by Catherine

MacPhail. This novel is about a young boy named Rory who lived alone
with his grandfather. When Rory and Granda were separated due to a
fire, Rory made a decision to run away with Granda so that they could be
together.
One of the sad event in this novel is when a fire broke out at the flats
where Rory and Granda were staying. On that day, Rory was heading to
the bakery as usual to get lunch, the baker told him that something was
going on at his flats, the Fire Brigade had gone there and someone had
been sent to the hospital. Rory rushed home immediately to find many
people surrounding the building. He tried to get into the building. A
policeman told him that Granda had been admitted to the hospital but he
was going to be all right. Rory heard that Granda had probably left the
chip pan on and forgot about it. Then, Rory was taken to the hospital to
see Granda.
This event triggered a few other important events which changed their
lives forever. As a result of the fire, Rory had to be sent to stay in Castle
Street, the children's home and Granda was sent to Rachnadar Hospital.
Rory hated Castle Street as he had to face the terrible Tess who bullied
everyone around her. He ended up fighting with her. At the same time,
Granda was suffering at Rachnadar Hospital. He blamed himself that
Rory had ended up in Castle Street. Rory saw that he was retreating
further and further into his shell and he did not want Granda to die
'inside'. So, he made a decision to run away.
During the Great Escape, Rory and Granda had to move from place to
place. This affected Granda's health. First, they went to Darren's mum's
caravan. When Rory received news from Darren that they were found
out, they escaped again. This time they were rescued by Ruby and
family. They went on an adventurous journey from place to place. At one
time, Granda even had to hit a boy who was threatening to catch Rory.
Then, Granda hotwired a car and they escaped again. Their adventure
ended when Granda fell unconscious at the bus shelter while they were

on the run from the police. Finally, Rory had to ask for help and Granda
was sent to the hospital. There, they were reunited with Jeff, Rory's
father and his new family.
Thus, we can see that the fire that caused Rory and Granda to be
separated triggered other events which changed their lives forever. In
the end, Rory's problems were solved when they could stay somewhere
near his father and they also received home help for Granda and their
meals are taken care of by 'meals on wheels'.