87 pages • 2 hours read
Lynda Mullaly HuntFish in a Tree
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 31-35Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 31 Summary: “Lots of Ways Home”
Mr. Daniels tells Ally that he spoke over the phone with her mother and that Mrs. Kessler’s tests confirm she has dyslexia. Mr. Daniels wants her to continue spending time with him after school so he can help her develop strategies to deal with her learning differences. He explains that he is studying to get a degree in special education. Working with Ally will also help him earn his degree.
Mr. Daniels offers Ally a visual metaphor for her dyslexia. He explains, “just like there are different ways to get home […] there are different ways for information to reach the brain” (167). He implies that Ally’s dyslexia characterizes her different way of processing information in her brain.
Mr. Daniels explains that our five senses often work together to help us relate to the world. He helps Ally practice writing letters by using her sense of touch, tracing the shapes of the letters in shaving cream.
Chapter 32 Summary: “Screen Time”
Ally’s family talks to her father over a Skype call on the computer. Ally enthusiastically tells him about her progress in school and her new friendships with Albert and Keisha.
Travis is less enthusiastic in his conversation. He says that his new manager at the garage doesn’t understand the way he thinks, asking him to follow the manuals instead of using his own unique strategies. Ally overhears him saying, “There are some things I just can’t learn” (171).
Chapter 33 Summary: “Possibilities”
Ally continues to meet with Mr. Daniels and improves her reading skills. One day, he writes the word “IMPOSSIBLE” on a piece of paper, then draws a line so the paper reads, “IM/POSSIBLE.” He tells Ally to rip along the line and throw away the “IM,” leaving her with the idea that anything is “POSSIBLE” (176).
Chapter 34 Summary: “Birth of a Star”
Ally and Keisha visit Albert’s house after school. The walls of Albert’s room are filled with colorful science-related posters, including one that features the birth of a star. Albert describes the birth of a star as “the single most important thing that can happen in space. Well, the single most positive thing, anyway” (180). Keisha tells Albert he’s going to be a star with all he will accomplish one day, but Albert tells her he doesn’t like a lot of attention.
Ally feels insecure thinking about all the things Albert and Keisha have the potential to achieve. Recognizing her feelings of insecurity, she thinks of the paper that says “POSSIBLE,” which she’s been carrying around in her pocket. She confides in Keisha and Albert, telling them about her after-school visits with Mr. Daniels. Her friends respond supportively, offering to help her and affirming that she has the potential to accomplish great things.
Albert reminds Ally of how arbitrary labels can be, using the example of a killer whale and a stonefish: “Well, in the wild, killer whales never attack people. Like never. A stonefish is way more dangerous with its thirteen venomous spines. It’s the words. If the killer whale were called the friendly whale, no one would be scared” (184). Albert’s analogy leads Ally to reflect on the power of words, which can be used “for good, like how Mr. Daniels uses them” or “for bad. To hurt” (184).
Chapter 35 Summary: “A Picture Is Worth a Gazillion Words”
One day, Mr. Daniels is away, and the class is taught by a substitute teacher. Before a writing exercise, the substitute reads Mr. Daniels’ note out loud, which specifies that Ally doesn’t need to write the assignment but is allowed to draw a picture instead. Shay teases Ally for her difference, and Ally feels betrayed that Mr. Daniels would single her out in this way.
Chapters 31-35 Analysis
Fish in a Tree continues to develop the theme of difference-as-ability as Mr. Daniels emphasizes the different ways to process information. According to Mr. Daniels, there are many ways to reach an idea, just like there are “many ways home.” He empowers Ally to see all the possibilities her differences open up for her, using the illustration of the paper with “IMPOSSIBLE” written on it. When she tears the paper and sees the word “POSSIBLE,” Ally realizes that she will be able to succeed if she changes her perspective and believes that anything is possible.
Albert further illustrates the power of words to affect ones perspective when Ally reveals that she’s been working with Mr. Daniels. Albert offer the example of the “killer whale” as an illustration of ineffective labeling. He suggests that if the whale’s name were changed to “the friendly whale,” people would think of the whale very differently, just as Ally has done by changing “IMPOSSIBLE” to “POSSIBLE.”
Meanwhile, Travis struggles with his learning differences, all the more so because he does not have a boss who believes in his abilities. These events foreshadow that at some point, Travis will need to face his struggles head-on and ask for help from someone who understands.
At the end of this section, Ally’s experience with the substitute teacher—who reads aloud from Mr. Daniels’ instructions—shows that even well-intended teachers make mistakes. This mistake demonstrates just how easy it is for even the most kind, understanding people to misjudge a situation. It also demonstrates that everyone is always learning and growing from their mistakes, even Mr. Daniels.
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