Fantastic Flyers

Authors: Viv Lambert and Cheryl Pelteret
Published by: Delta Publishing
Components reviewed: Student Book and Activity Book

An activity-based course book for young learners, Fantastic Flyers is billed as “an excellent course for any young learner in the 11-13 age range” and the authors have truly striven to make this so.

The tasks are perfect prep for the Cambridge Young Learner Flyers-level speaking tests while not being obvious test tasks, and are therefore good all-round interactive materials.  Young learners who are not preparing for the test will not ask “Why are we doing this?’ they will simply enjoy the interactions, whilst those headed for the exams will get plenty of appropriate practice.

The Student’s Book has a loose story arc with recurring characters (four school friends) and each unit makes a “flying visit” to a country through a first person narrative of a Flyers-aged students from that country.  The narrative topic is related in some way to the unit’s topic and vocabulary. On the whole, the book hangs together well and is easy to work with. Having eight one-page lessons in each unit, it can be adapted in a variety of ways.

The Activity Book is the standard fare, but with a bonus of 10 ‘Cut Out Pages’ in the centerfold to go with the interactive practice activities at the end of each unit.

Looking at characters and visual, both Student’s Book and Activity Book feature a caped-super hero who points things out and ends each Activities Unit with a can-do checklist, tied to CEF, for students to tick their accomplishments on.  There is also a large goofy bird with sunglasses and backpack who probably will appeal mainly to the lower edge of the age range, but on the whole the visuals are clear, colorful and multi-cultural.  Every student should find someone in the book who ‘looks like me’.