Review: Fish in a Tree is a great story of perseverance and grit. Ally is great at math. She is incredibly artistic and possesses an ability to visualize moving pictures in her mind. Reading for Ally is a complete torture and almost impossible for her as the letters will not stop moving enough for her to concentrate. By using her wits and becoming a "troublemaker, she's been able to keep her shameful secret hidden. Her new teacher at school, Mr. Daniels, is able to see right through the defenses she's built.
Mr. Daniels is an inspiring teacher who is able to lift Ally's self confidence and encourage her thinking outside of the box. He begins to identify Ally's learning disability of dyslexia and offers help. While Ally struggles to accept the help that Mr. Daniels offers, she also deals with a father deployed in the Middle East, her crushing loneliness of being an outsider with no friends, and an awful set of mean girls at school who look for any and every opportunity to humiliate her. Ally's voice leaps off the page and it was so uplifting to see her grow as a character. Not only is her pain and sadness authentic, but she learns to never give up and look beyond societal labels to make great friends. I also really appreciated how the ending was not an after school special but shows Ally following Mr. Daniels' footsteps in helping others.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 3 and up.
If you like this book try: Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff, Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Labels:
2018 Reading Challenge,
4 stars,
Bluestem Award,
Bullying,
Childrens,
Friendship,
Realistic Fiction
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This book covers such an important topic--specifically dyslexia, but the broader issue of students who act out in order to mask issues. It sounds like a really good one for struggling students (and their teachers)