Genre: Middle Grade/Fiction
Published: February 5, 2015
Pages: 288
“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”
Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.
Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.
After having read the sneak peek of this story from Netgalley, I saw the audiobook on sale on Audible and just had to take advantage of the bargain, so I listened to the audiobook version of this book.
This book was heartbreaking for me. I felt so sorry for Ally, who had clearly been let down by the education system through a combination of moving too much and teachers therefore not recognizing what was going on. We expect teachers to recognize things like dyslexia in their students, but when the teachers only have the student for a short time and then they move to a new school district, those things can easily be missed or confused as something else.
I feel like this book would be a great book for classes to read together for school. I felt like it did a great job of showing that differences in learning abilities don't make students stupid, but it also shows students that may be having trouble with something that it's not a bad idea to ask for help because that's what the teachers are there for.
Overall I give Fish in a Tree 4.285 stars. - Katie
This book was heartbreaking for me. I felt so sorry for Ally, who had clearly been let down by the education system through a combination of moving too much and teachers therefore not recognizing what was going on. We expect teachers to recognize things like dyslexia in their students, but when the teachers only have the student for a short time and then they move to a new school district, those things can easily be missed or confused as something else.
I feel like this book would be a great book for classes to read together for school. I felt like it did a great job of showing that differences in learning abilities don't make students stupid, but it also shows students that may be having trouble with something that it's not a bad idea to ask for help because that's what the teachers are there for.
Overall I give Fish in a Tree 4.285 stars. - Katie
Lynda Mullaly Hunt (www.lyndamullalyhunt.com) has received many honors for her debut novel, One for the Murphys, which is on over twenty state award lists, including Bank Street’s 2013 Best Books of the Year. She’s a former teacher, and holds writers retreats for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two children, impetuous beagle, and beagle-loathing cat.
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