Dearest readers,
Writing to you from humid Houston, Texas. Am here visiting my sister Valerie and her family for a few days. Then Valerie and I are driving up to Dallas for the Texas Library Association annual conference. Three days of programs by day, scrapbooking together by night. Today, I am looking at my progress on the “Book by Book” reading challenge hosted by Kristen and Rachel. This month’s prompt was to read a book with ‘a green cover’. Probably should have gone to a brick and mortar book store and scoured the shelves there for a book that fit the bill. But instead, I scoured the virtual shelves of Amazon and Barnes and Noble, looking for a book with a green cover. Not a terribly time-efficient way of finding a volume to satisfy this prompt.
The cover on the book I read wasn’t a true green. But one woman’s teal is another woman’s green. Or something like that.
Fish In A Tree
The Fine Print
- Age Range: 10 and up
- Grade Level: 5 – 6
- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Puffin Books; Reprint edition (March 28, 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-13: 978-0142426425
- Amazon average customer review:
- Goodread’s average customer review: 4.29 out of five stars
Editorial Reviews
“Unforgettable and uplifting. . . . Deals with the hardships of middle school in a funny, yet realistic and thoughtful manner. Ally has a great voice, she is an unforgettable, plucky protagonist that the reader roots for from page one. This novel is a must-have.”—School Library Connection, starred review
“Reminiscent of Polacco’s wonderful Thank You, Mr. Falker. . . . Ally’s feeling of loneliness and desire to fit in will resonate with young teen readers, as many share those feelings without the difficulty of dyslexia. . . . A tribute to teachers who go the extra mile to reach every student. . . . A touching story with an important message.”—Voice of Youth Advocates
Summary
From Amazon:
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. [source]
Favorite Quote
…what really gets me is that in order for Mr. Daniels to come up with this plan, he must have thought of me outside of school — when he didn’t have to think of me. I bet other teachers have never let me sit in their head one second longer than they need to.
My Review
Fish in a Tree is the story of sixth grader Ally, a bright, likable little girl who has always struggled in school. After a misunderstanding with her homeroom teacher, Ally is moved to Mr. Daniels’s class. Where she once again becomes the target of unkind remarks hurled by a number of other students. Teasing Ally about how poorly she reads aloud, how unsuccessfully she wrestles with writing. And once again, Ally retreats, continuing to find ways around doing assignments, answering questions in class, interacting with the other children. Until Mr. Daniels begins to understand what is really going on with Ally.
About that same time, Ally lets her guard down a little with her new teacher. She watches the compassionate relationship Mr. Daniels has developed with another student enabling him to be more successful in school. She appreciates the way her teacher maintains the upper hand with snippy Shay and her followers, reining in their insensitive, mumbled comments about Ally and several of the other less popular children.
Once Mr. Daniels earns Ally’s trust, he is able to diagnose the dyslexia that has kept her from being able to demonstrate how very intelligent she is. And in doing so, empowers Ally to help someone dear to her who has the same diagnosis.
So perfectly developed were the students and teachers in Fish in a Tree, it was obvious that author Lynda Mullaly Hunt was first a teacher. She captures the typical middle school classroom setting accurately with the true-to-life characters she develops. As well as through the interactions she creates between the main and secondary characters. In my 28+ years in public education, I have been honored to work with several Mr. Daniels-type teachers and as many or more like Ally’s first homeroom teacher, Ms. Hall. I have witnessed, firsthand, the enormous effort it is for some children to read and write.
Wish I’d had Fish in a Tree to read with my oldest daughter Brennyn when she was in elementary school. In second grade, her teacher and I began to realize the difficulty Brennyn had in sounding out words and in writing some of her letters and numbers. Although, she was never identified as dyslexic, my daughter had many of the same struggles as Ally. She was so very bright but demonstrating that intelligence was such a battle for her at times. Brennyn, like Ally, could speak so well, had an amazing vocabulary but there was some disconnect between her brain and the written word.
Finally, in an effort to explain what was causing her issues with reading, Brennyn told me the letters in books looked like ants moving off the page. In the video below, you can see some of the print distortions dyslexic children and those with certain reading problems experience.
My sister, Valerie, was a reading specialist at the time and she had learned about colored overlays being developed to help children with reading problems. The overlays helped minimize the print distortions that some children experienced.
[source]
Children with different reading issues preferred different color overlays. Brennyn seemed to prefer blue. And said a blue overlay helped keep the words on the page.
Today my daughter is a very successful neonatal nurse who does amazing things everyday. Brennyn has learned coping mechanisms and checks and balances for what remains of her reading difficulties. I couldn’t be prouder of her. And we are watching for signs in my second grade granddaughter Cadence that may indicate she may, too, have a similar struggle.
Meet Lynda Mullaly Hunt on her webpage, here. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page where you can select the typeface that best matches your reading preference. There’s even a font choice called ‘open dyslexic’. Check it out while you are there.
Learn more about the use of color overlays and other strategies for struggling readers, here, through the Irlen Institute. And if you know a child who has difficulties reading, suggest Fish in a Tree to them. Sometimes knowing you are not alone, helps people reach out for help.
Your Turn
What kind of a student were you? Was there a subject with which you had a particular struggle? Did reading come easily to you? I remember my mom saying she was going to cover the illustrations in the first books I learned to read. I was so easily distracted by the art and anything else going on in the world around me. Still am. Colored overlays probably won’t help!! Would be like wearing rose colored glasses, I think. And would just makes things that much more fun to look at.
Thank you for sharing some of your day right here with me. Fish in a Tree has so many great messages and teaching points, that it is a wonderful book all readers can learn something from. Hope you will check it out.
Hugs and kisses,
Debs
The idea of coloured pages is well used in the school in which I work. Different students have different colours and we print their exam papers onto the correct paper for them to help when they are being tested. Thank goodness this subject has been investigated, and a simple correction found to help students who are affected. Your daughter is a prime example of someone who has overcome those hurdles through hard work and determination – what a brilliant result for her.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you so much, Debs, for this comment. What an easy thing to do – printing tests, instructional documents on colored paper. Brennyn preferred blue overlays. I wonder how reading on blue stock would have worked for her. So interesting.
Danielle
Wow, that is a great book. I will have to keep it in the back of my mind for when my daughter is older. Sounds like it has a lot of relatable lessons in it. I had the pleasure of working with high school students who were reading at a Grade 3-4 reading level. And so I was trained in using the Fountas & Pinell system with our students (its not meant for high school students), however, we saw a ton of success with our small groups. Some of these students knew the struggled with reading and school, but couldn’t pin point why. After a semester or a whole school year of intense, small group 5-6 students with a teacher, we saw huge growth. Their reading and comprehension (was the biggest issue) improved, their writing improved and they began to learn how to advocate for themselves in the classroom when they read a difficult text. While I have only been teaching for 10 years, it was a great experience, and despite funding cutbacks recently, our staff has found a way to keep creating these learning opportunities for those students who truly are struggling and are well below grade level in reading and comprehension.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
WOW WOW WOW!!! What a heart-warming, successful experience. Helping those babies must have been so rewarding. Small group can make a huge difference. And finding ways that the students can cope with their struggles, work around them and advocate for themselves is the way to go. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. Bravo!!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
Interesting. I love how you talk about your daughter and her difficulties growing up with reading and now she works in a complex field! So proud of you for staying on top of what she needed! This book would probably be one that my son would enjoy, he’s in sixth grade. I love how the reading prompt asked you to select a book with a green color. I had to laugh when you said you selected it out online and not at a physical bookstore. Ahh, how things have changed!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Finding a book with a green cover online was tough!! Should have taken my lazy butt to the library, duh!
I think Nathan would probably like Fish in a Tree, too. It is a quick read and has both male and female characters. It is a quick read, funny in places and touching in others.
Thank you for the kind comments. In first grade my daughter’s teacher forced Brennyn to wear the teacher’s glasses, she was that convinced that Brennyn had vision problems. Even though I had taken her to the ophthalmologist and her vision was fine. So, we knew something wasn’t right but just didn’t know what it was. Bless her heart!
Joanne Long
My daughter, Christina, struggled with reading throughout her school years. She was diagnosed with phonological dyslexia as a young adult. It is amazing how she has learned to compensate for the disability. I’m a previously retired teacher-librarian who is now working and will order the book for my library.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, my gosh!!! So glad you stopped by and left this heart-warming message. Glad to know this wonderful book will help some other children feel more ‘normal’. My daughter has become a successful neonatal nurse but had to learn strategies to compensate, too. And I am probably the ADD Queen, always having to refocus. Thank you for sharing this book with your patrons. Will run by your blog today!
Daenel T.
What a nice review…
I was a nerdy student. I used to go to my twin sister’s class and do her work after I finished my own. Our teachers never kicked me out of the class, but they did separate us. In fact, one of her teachers told me if I keep coming to the class I have to do the work — my own, not my sister’s. LOL
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Wow, I don’t think I knew you have a twin! Love how you were interested in helping her with her school work. Are you the oldest?
I was a nerd, too. And so painfully shy. I was scared to sneeze, to sharpen my pencil.
You asked me if I had had thyroid cancer (in your neck ribbons post). Thankfully, I haven’t had, but I do have thyroid and parathyroid nodules/masses my endocrinologist is watching for now. And have hyperparathyroidism. My neck scars are from cervical spinal surgery. Have read that those pesky ‘ribbons’ can be caused by stress. Pretty sure that’s where mine evolved.