Fish in a Tree

Product Information

Mrs. Hall is Ally's teacher at the beginning of the novel. She's pregnant and soon to go on maternity leave. Ally doesn't dislike Mrs. Hall; in fact, she's thrilled to be able to give Mrs… The humor balances the darker themes of bullies, anger, and misunderstandings. Ally tells Albert and Keisha why Shay is hell-bent on making her life miserable and it is easy to see why they don't get along. And it is Ally's fault. I won't spoil it, because it is so Ally. Needless to say Ally's mistake and Shay's relentless put-down's are understandable. Shay's mother is a bully, as well as her daughter, making Shay's character more understandable and engaging. The author creates strong characters that pull the reader into the plot along with themes such as self-acceptance, confidence, and communication, to name a few. However, she has a communication board, a glorified clipboard with buzzwords, and the alphabet for spelling things out. But even that is limited in how she can discuss and tell people exactly how she feels. For teachers . . . who see the child before the student, who remind us that we all have special gifts to offer the world, who foster the importance of standing out rather than fitting in. And for kids . . . who find their grit to conquer life’s challenges— no matter what those challenges may be. You are heroes. This book is for you.

I just want you to know that I’m going to try really hard not to send you to the office. If we have something to deal with, you and I will deal with it together.” He winks. “What happens in room 206 stays in room 206.” What? “So, we won’t involve Mrs. Silver anymore, okay? I think she has enough to do around here.” Oh no. Did he just take away my “Get Out of Jail Free” card? “Also,” he says, moving his head to look me in the eye, “I’m on your side, okay? I want to help you.” So he wants to help me, huh? He has no idea what he’s in for. CHAPTER 11 Scrambled Egg When we come into the classroom, Mr. Daniels makes an announcement. “Attention, Fantasticos! We have brand-new fantastico seats. So, find yours and settle in.” Jessica is sitting next to Suki and staring at Shay like their separation is a great injustice. It turns out that I’m sitting in the front row next to Keisha—the girl who can bake and write at the same time while I can’t do either. We don’t speak all morning, and I can’t stop worrying that she doesn’t like me. When she finally glances at me, I blurt out, “I don’t mind being your friend.” Keisha looks annoyed. “You don’t have to do me any favors.” “No,” I say, trying to undo what I didn’t mean to say. “I just mean . . .” And then I stop because I don’t know what I meant and I’m nervous and embarrassed and that is never good when I’m trying to say something. Every word is another shovelful of dirt from the hole I’ve dug for myself. So I figure my best bet is to shut my mouth. But the silence gets too long and too loud, so I try to think of something to say. I always knew what to say to my grandpa and he always knew what to say to me. I wish he were here to whisper in my ear. And then I think of I appreciated this book discussing the main character with a disability and her life story. Like Fish In A Tree, this story represents many people with disabilities, whether physical or intellectual and some of their struggles to get the education they deserve. Apparently I'm in the minority in proclaiming there to be way more wrong with Fish in a Tree than there is right. Daniels said we have to write a paper describing how we feel about a short story he read today. He says there’s no right or wrong answer. He just wants to know our thoughts.

Write Review:

Mr. Daniels announces that he created a poetry competition and names Ally the winner. Though she's initially happy, she soon realizes it's a pity award and runs out of the room, humiliated. Keisha gives Ally a pep talk and says it's silly to want to fit in. As I draw my finger through the gooey cream, I think about the words “learning differences.” And I’mfilled with fear and happiness and questions. But I’mmostly filled with hope.

The beautiful aspect of the story is that Willow has no idea of the positive effect that she’s having on the people around her. Also, it’s lovely to see how the little things you do can affect someone else. It sends a good message that the little things make a difference, turning into big things similar to Fish In A Tree. The principal at Ally's school. At the start of the novel, Mrs. Silver is exasperated with how often she sees Ally in her office. She tells Ally that the sympathy card is too far out… I decided that I didn't want to release it as an official live album but to use it in a very different way. This Lemon Tree gig is available to stream free of charge on soundcloud and all I ask is that if you're moved enough by the show that you make a small donation at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/fishycircus

Synopsis

nod. So I wait. But he waits, too. Finally, he says, “C’mon, now. Can you write that paragraph for me?” I feel heavy. “No,” I say. He doesn’t want to know about the real me. It’ll be like people in scary movies who think they want to know what’s in the basement, but when they find out, they’re always sorry. “Ally? Did you say no?” he asks, without being mad. I turn myself to stone. He takes a deep breath and leans forward. “So, is it writing you don’t like?” I think about saying no, except it could cause me trouble later. Like the chess games in Grandpa’s Alice in Wonderland book. You have to be super sure before you make a move final. But I figure Mr. Daniels probably already knows this about me, so I nod. “What do you like, then?” “Buffalo wings,” I say. He laughs a little. “What do you like about school?” “Leaving.” He waits for me to say more. “I like math. And art. I like to draw.” “Oh, well, that’s cool. Do you draw a lot?” “Yeah.” “So, do you find the writing difficult or do you just not like it?” “It’s easy,” I lie. “It’s just boring.” “Well, maybe we can do some things to make it less boring for you. To excite you about writing. It’s a great way to explore. Be creative. Ask questions.” I point at my paper. “I asked lots of questions there.” “Yes.” He laughs. “I guess you did.” He takes a deep breath. “Here’s the thing, Ally. I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve talked with both Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Silver. I know that you have spent a lot of time in the office in the past. You’re good at getting sent to the office, but you know, you can be too good at the wrong things.” Uh-oh. During a vocabulary lesson, Mr. Daniels asks a volunteer to describe the difference between "alone" and "lonely." Ally raises her hand and though her answer is brilliant, she still feels like she did something wrong. Later, Mr. Daniels asks the class to write about fictional heroes. Ally makes up a hero Roy G. Biv, who symbolizes the color spectrum. Though she writes her paper, Mr. Daniels asks her to tell him about Roy G. Biv rather than just writing about him. He praises her for being an out-of-the-box thinker. After Ally presents her hero to the class, she overhears Shay and Jessica talking about friendship bracelets and learns that Shay is actually selling them. As unrealistic as that sounds, it could be easily forgiven if the rest of Hunt's book was interesting, or clever, or different, or interesting.

At first I was annoyed with Ally because she seemed to be purposely failing, but I soon realized that that was not the case at all. I realized that she was actually struggling very hard to be better, though at the beginning that wasn't apparent. Mr. Daniels seemed to favor Ally A LOT. I had a teacher who had about four favorite students, and it stunk. Mr. Daniels was constantly giving Ally awards, and telling her how EXTREMELY intelligent she is. I mean, of course dyslexic people can been extremely intelligent, but isn't it just equally possible that they have average intelligence? They aren't all geniuses, and that's perfectly fine. Mr. Daniels seemed to say that they were. I squint a bit hoping the lights will hurt my head less. And then I try to hold my pencil the way she wants instead of the weird way my hand wants to. It is a heartwarming and powerful story that sheds light on the experiences of those with autism. While reading, you can relate this girl to Ally from Fish in a Tree. Both characters are brave and struggle with their identity, which made me so emotional. 8. The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin My daughter's class read Fish in a Tree when she was in 4th grade, and she was beyond excited. She felt seen for the first time because she had just been diagnosed officially with dyslexia a few weeks before. And getting that diagnosis and the help she needed was truly life-changing, just like it was for the main character in this book.It's extremely hard for me to review this book objectively because it has a lot of personal meaning for me.

word uncouth even means. Do you?” “I know what uncouth means,” Albert says. “I know something else, too. Only an uncouth person would wear snail snot.” She looks at us like we’re wearing it. “You say purple is the color of royals,” he says. “They only wore purple because it was the most difficult and expensive color to make. In medieval times, they needed to collect three thousand Murex brandaris snails to have enough slime to make one cloak. So, good for you. I’d prefer beige.” He turns to me. “What about you, Ally? Slime or beige?” “Oh, I’d have to go for beige.” I try not to smile, as much as I want to, and I try to keep my voice fromsounding as happy as it is, because the look on Shay’s face when she looks down at her new sweater, like she is actually covered in snail slime, is pretty unforgettable.As a teacher I have a hard time believing that this girl made it all the way to sixth grade with no one seeing that she can't read. We're required to give individual reading assessments twice a year, usually takes me two whole days to get through the whole class, and if a child can't read, we would know immediately, starting in Kindergarten. Also, how could her parents not notice anything? I resent the implication that teachers are that clueless. I've taught a couple kids with dyslexia and I worked hard to get them the support they needed. Ally is a talented artist, but she struggles with reading and writing. She finally meets a teacher who understands why she struggles and wants to help her. With the support of Mr. Daniels and her eccentric friends Keisha and Albert, Ally begins to discover what makes her unique.