Andrew Clements (1) (1949–2019)

Poor Big Al! He just wants to make friends. And in the whole wide blue sea you can't find a nicer fish. But because Big Al is large and scary-looking, the little fish are afraid to get to know him.
What can he do? He tries everything he can think of -- from disguising himself with seaweed to burrowing under the ocean floor so he'll look smaller. But something always goes wrong, and lonely Big Al wonders if he'll ever have a single friend. Then one frightening day, when a fishing net captures the other fish, Big Al gets the chance to prove what a wonderful friend he can be!… (lisätietoja)

What a delightful surprise!

Andrew Clements spins a clever and touching yarn about a mischievous fifth grader whose petty notion to rename pens as "frindles" to peeve his strict teacher pits him in a battle of wills with her and the school administration and garners more attention than he would have thought possible.

It's a terrific and entertaining introduction to first amendment rights, authoritarianism, and civil disobedience.

It may stretch a little too far for its ending, but I was enjoying the story so much by then that I happily went along for the ride.… (lisätietoja)

The fifth-grade Week in the Woods is a beloved tradition of Hardy Elementary, where Mark Chelmsley (the Fourth) is pretty much killing time before his parents send him off to an exclusive prep school. But then Mark realizes the Week might be a chance to prove to Mr. Maxwell that he's not just another of the slacker rich kids the teacher can't stand.

But it may be too late for Mark to change Mr. Maxwell's opinion of him. On the first day of the Week, the tension between teacher and student explodes, and in a reckless moment, Mark puts not only himself, but also Mr. Maxwell, in grave danger. Can two such strong adversaries work together to save their lives?… (lisätietoja)