Freak. Loser. Stupid. Nobody wants to be called these names every day or be laughed at. No-one wants to be constantly sent to the principal’s office for causing trouble in class or not doing their homework.

This is Ally’s life from Monday – Friday. Weekends are great though. Sure, Ally’s dad is deployed in his tank unit overseas, and she misses him terribly, but her big brother is her best friend and her hard-working mum is loving and supportive. If only she knew her daughter’s secret. Ally can’t read.

Ally loves maths, is an amazing artist and has an imaginative mind, but words and books are her worst enemy. She has been smart enough to deflect any discovery of this by being the disruptive student in all the schools she has been to.

Until a new teacher arrives. Mr Daniels is replacing her teacher who has gone on maternity leave. Mr Daniels is loved by all of his ‘Fantastico’ students, but especially Ally. She has believed all the names she has been called over the years, by her classmates and teachers, but Mr Daniels is calling her amazing, talented, smart. She’s wary, but over time begins to trust him. She also begins to make friends as her self-esteem builds.

When Mr Daniels tells her he believes she has dyslexia, she is shocked, relieved and happy that she is not just dumb, like she has been told over and over by certain nasty classmates.

This novel has always come highly recommended to me and I finally got a chance to read it. It has all the ingredients of a classroom which I’m sure students and teachers alike will recognise, but I believe all senior primary and intermediate (NZ – Age 8-12) students should read it (or have it as a class read-aloud) to see who they might identify with in Mr Daniel’s classroom.

Are you the bully, the nasty one, or the shy but helpful student? Are you the bouncing-can’t-sit-still kid with tons of ideas, or the big kid who has a brilliant mind that others think is nerdy-weird, or the student that follows others, no matter the fallout or hurt that is left behind? Try stepping into another’s shoes through this story.

Fish in a Tree is just as good as everyone said. Great read!

(Quick Review)

Ally can’t read. She has hidden this from her family, her teachers and classmates, at a cost. Her teachers believe her to be troublesome and disruptive, her classmates call her dumb and laugh at her, and her mum worries about her constantly.

When a new teacher arrives with completely different ways of doing things, he surprises all of his students, but mostly Ally. Finally she isn’t being scolded for not completing work, sent to the principal for her behavior or made to feel small in front of her class. Mr Daniels helps her build her self esteem, which helps her discover real friendships, stand up to bullies and eventually to begin to learn to read.

Author – Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Age – 8+

(School, Classroom, New Teacher, Reading, Dyslexia, Dyslexic, Bully, Science, Trust, Secret, New Friends)