Fish in a Tree

Mr. Daniels fills the classroom with photos of numerous great figures in history. He then asks his students to name each figure and talk about what they’ve accomplished. Among the many figures named are Thomas Edison, George Washington, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, John F. Kennedy, and Winston Churchill.

Mr. Daniels then reveals that all of the great figures named are suspected to have dyslexia. He explains that their struggles with dyslexia didn’t originate from stupidity, but were the result of “their minds [working] differently” (241). He then poses a coded puzzle to the class, hoping this puzzle will help them identify with those who struggle with dyslexia.

Mr. Daniels gives Ally a gift to show his appreciation of her determination: a paperweight with a Winston Churchill quote that reads “Never, never, never quit” (242).

The next day in class, Oliver approaches Ally and tells her he thinks it’s cool that she has dyslexia. He also confesses that he struggles with reading. In his own words: “Last summer, my mother gave me the choice of reading or washing the car. She had the cleanest car in the neighborhood all summer long” (245). Ally then reflects that many of the other students in her classroom have struggled in their own ways and that she has been too absorbed by the weight of her own struggles to realize she is not alone.

Shay tries to make fun of Ally for the way she sees words, and Albert plays a trick on her, telling her he sees some letters backward, including “O, I, T, A, M, V, X, U” (247). Of course, all of these letter are symmetrical (and therefore cannot be seen backward).

Jessica approaches Ally and tells her that she also appreciates her dyslexia and thinks Ally is a talented artist. Suki gives Ally a gift: a wooden A-shaped block. Jessica leaves a pile of her old friendship bracelets on Shay’s desk to signal that she is done with teasing others.

During an interactive class activity, Ally notices that Shay feels left out. She approaches Shay and says “hi” in an extension of friendship. Shay, however, chooses to respond with a mean comment. Ally walks away thinking, “at least I tried” (252).

Walking home with Albert, Ally and Keisha come across the group of younger boys that frequently beat him up. The boys target Ally and Keisha, and Albert finally retaliates. He tells his bullies: “I’m tired of you beating on me all the time […] You have no right to treat me like that. And you don’t even fight one-on-one. You gang up on people like cowards” (255). The bullies retreat, and both Ally and Keisha express their gratitude for Albert’s friendship.

Mr. Daniels sends Ally to Mrs. Silver’s office with a note that says she’s the Student of the Month. Mrs. Silver apologizes to Ally for misunderstanding her learning struggles in the past. She then has Ally read the poster on her wall that Ally was unable to read in Chapter 3. The poster reads: “Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is ask for help” (261).

Travis comes to pick up Ally from school, and Ally asks Mr. Daniels if he can help Travis work on his reading skills. Ally then gives Travis her piece of paper that reads “POSSIBLE” and tells him, “this belongs to you now” (265).