Chapter Two: Nicole Renard

Sequencing task – 1 and 5 are in the correct order. Rearrange 2, 3 and 4

1. A flashback to Francis’ days at schools tells of his first meeting

with Nicole Renard.
2. Nicole is portrayed as beautiful and pure; Francis reveals his love
and devotion to her right from the start.
3. They exchange a glance in a maths lesson which means much
more to Francis than it does to her.
4. They meet occasionally when Nicole visits her friend Marie who
lives in the same apartment block.
5. Francis does not know how to deal with his emotions and is
overshadowed by his more confident friend, Joey LeBlanc.

1. List 3 things we learn about Nicole Renard from page 8 of the novel.
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2. How did Nicole Renard make Francis feel? (page 8) Quote the simile.
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3. What 3 words DESCRIBE how Nicole made Francis feel when she said,
“Don’t fall off Francis”
a) .................................b)...................................c).................................
4. What religion is practised in the novel?......................................................

5. Find 6 key words from both chapters 1 and 2 to support your answer in
Q4.
a).................................................................
b).................................................................
c).................................................................
d).................................................................
e).................................................................
f).................................................................

6. Look at the image below of Saint Therese.

What might this image suggest about Nicole Renard?

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2
 Think, Pair and Share
Read through the passage below highlighting and annotating on what is said
that gives a clues to the reasons why Francis falls in love with Nicole.
One example is done for you.
I saw Nicole Renard for the first time in the seventh grade at St Jude’s Parochial
School during arithmetic. Sister Mathilde was standing at the blackboard
illustrating a problem in decimals when the piece of chalk in her hands broke
and fell to the floor.

I leaped to my feet to retrieve the chalk. We were always eager to keep in the
good graces of the nuns who could be ruthless with punishments, using the
ruler like a weapon, and ruthless, too, with marks on our report cards.

As I knelt on the floor, the door opened and Mother Margaret, the Sister
Superior, swept into the classroom, followed by the most beautiful girl I had
ever seen.

This is Nicole Renard. She is a new student here, all the way from Albany, New
York.’

Nicole Renard was small and slender, with shining black hair that fell to her
shoulders. The pale purity of her face reminded me of the statue of St Therese
in the niche next to Father Balthazar’s confessional in St Jude’s Church.

As she looked modestly down at the floor, our eyes met and a flash of
recognition passed between us, as if we had known each other before.
Something else flashed in her eyes too, a hint of mischief as if she were telling
me we were going to have good times together. Then, the flash was gone and
she was St Therese once more, and I knelt there like a knight at her feet, her
sword having touched my shoulder.

I silently pledged her my love and loyalty for ever.

Checkpoint 2

Francis refers frequently

to his loneliness
3
throughout the novel.
Can you find another
reference to his
loneliness later in this
chapter?
Make a list of the words and phrases used to describe Nicole on p.
10. What do you learn about her character from these examples?