Fish in a Tree by
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Ally Nickerson has dyslexia, but no one knows that she
cannot read. Ally can’t figure out why
she can’t learn like the other kids.
Going to school every day is torture.
It is the same no matter where her military family moves. She hides from life in her “mind movies” and
copes by escaping from her problems in her very imaginative mind. Her classmates make fun of her for being
dumb. Her teacher thinks she is lazy and
sends her often to the principal’s office.
Her mother is called and Ally vows to do better.
Everything changes when she gets a new teacher. Mr. Daniels appreciates her creativity and
realizes she can’t read and finally figures out she has dyslexia. With his help and encouragement, she begins
to blossom.
I loved this book. It
gives hope to hopeless students like Ally.
Kudos to Mr. Daniels and the many teachers he represents. I would heartily recommend that school
libraries and classroom libraries add this bok to their shelves.
