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 36-40Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 36 Summary: “In the Game of Life…”
Mr. Daniels explains to Ally that the substitute teacher wasn’t supposed to read his note out loud. He apologizes for making a mistake in his handling of the situation but promises he would never hurt Ally’s feelings on purpose.
That afternoon, Ally meets with him for another game of chess. She analyzes each chess pieces in terms of its personality, comparing Keisha to the bishop—“tall and powerful”—Albert to the king—“the piece with a ton of value but the one unable to move more than one space at a time”—and herself to the knight—a clever piece that has spent its whole life “jumping over things” (191) just as she does. She then compares Shay to the queen, who has “the most power to scare and frighten” (191) and explains that dealing with Shay’s teasing each day is like navigating her way through a game of chess.
Ally then defeats Mr. Daniels in the game of chess. She is proud of her ability, stating that she has gone from “invisible to invincible” (192).
Chapter 37 Summary: “A Chicken, a Wolf, and a Problem”
It’s Friday again, and Mr. Daniels poses another puzzle for the whole class to solve, working together in small groups. In the puzzle, you are required to move a bag of grain, a chicken, and a wolf across a river in a boat, one at a time. The puzzle requires you to be aware of the relationship between chicken and grain (as the chicken wants to eat the grain) and the relationship between wolf and chicken (as the wolf wants to eat the chicken).
Distracted by the noise around her, Ally goes out into the hall to work. She tears up a drawing of a chicken, a wolf, and a bag of grain into three pieces and moves them around. Shay and Jessica temporarily come out into the hall and attempt to tease her, but Ally refuses to let them distract her, reminding herself that dealing with Shay is like playing a game of chess.
Ally realizes that the puzzle requires more than three trips across the river. She discovers that you need to take the chicken, then the grain, then take the chicken back and leave it while you take the wolf. Finally, you take the chicken on a second trip after the wolf is on the other side of the river.
Mr. Daniels commends Ally for solving the problem. He also commends all the students who continued to work on the puzzle and didn’t give up simply because it was difficult, explaining, “no matter how smart you are, success is reached with hard work, too” (197).
Chapter 38 Summary: “Loser for President”
Mr. Daniels announces a race for class president, and Shay says that she will run. Mr. Daniels says that someone has to compete against Shay, and Shay nominates Ally, assuming that Ally will not win.
Ally works hard on her campaign speech. She dreads the next day, hoping she’ll become sick and have an excuse to stay home.
Chapter 39 Summary: “To-Shay”
When Ally arrives at school the next day, Albert has made a campaign poster for her. He and Keisha promise their votes, and Ally is touched by her friends’ support.
In Shay’s speech, she makes a number of promises she can’t possibly fulfill. When Ally’s turn to speak comes, she finds herself unable to read the speech she has prepared. Mr. Daniels advises her to simply be herself and speak from her heart. Ally’s genuine tone wins over the classroom, and she gains the most votes in the election.
Chapter 40 Summary: “Tears of Different Kinds”
Ally is thrilled by her win in the election for class president. That afternoon, however, she observes an argument between Shay and her mother, who harshly criticizes Shay for losing the election. Ally feels sorry for Shay, but Keisha tells her that Shay’s home pressures are no excuse for her mean behavior.
Ally then runs to the diner where her mother works and excitedly announces her victory. Ally’s mother is extremely proud of her.
Chapters 36-40 Analysis
Thanks to her hard work and dedication, Ally is succeeding at school in many ways: as a chess player, a problem solver, and even a class president. Ally’s inventive response to the chicken/wolf/puzzle demonstrates for the class that success doesn’t merely spring from intelligence; rather, success results from hard work, mistakes, and trying many different approaches (“many ways home”) to reach an idea.
Even amid her success, Ally demonstrates that she had grown in her empathy for others. Witnessing the argument between Shay and her demanding mother, Ally recognizes how Shay now feels different and singled out, much like she used to.
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