Last night, I checked out Lisa Yee’s Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time as a possible read for resistant readers. It’s perfect! The story of a resistant reader who flunks 6th grade and has to go to summer school, Stanford Wong is a likable, athletic middle-schooler. Lisa Yee nails her characters. I could see my sons when they were in middle school: a mix of charm, insightfulness, dumkopfness, kindness, and lovesick heifer.
Mom sees me reading The Outsiders and kisses the top of my head. Usually I squirm when she pulls stunts like that, but this time I just brush her away and keep reading. This book is exactly like my life, except that I am not in a gang and I don’t get in a lot of fights and my parents aren’t dead. I asked Mr. Glick to stay after class Friday and we talked and talked about The Outsiders. Well, I talked and talked. He just grinned.
I thought maybe I had food on my face or something and finally asked, “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” he said. “I’m just happy that you are enjoying the book. These are the kinds of moments a teacher lives for.”
Isn’t it the truth?