Best friends Christopher (Topher), Steve, and Brand know that there are six types of teachers- the ancient, brain-eating Zombies, the caffeine addicted Caff-Adds, the no-fun, no-talking Dungeon Masters, the daily educational movie showing Spielbergs, the idealistic, overachieving Noobs, and the Good Ones. When Topher, Brand and Steve started sixth grade, they knew that Ms. Bixby was a Good One. Topher met Ms. Bixby three years before sixth grade when she was working as a circus juggler. When he asked her to teach him, she told him that she would teach him something is a few years. The boys love having Ms. Bixby as their teacher, but their year with her ends early when she announces that she has pancreatic cancer. She tells the class on a Tuesday and says that her last day at school would be a week from Friday. Steve remembers looking outside at the rain pouring down. On Monday, the students find a substitute sitting at Ms. Bixby’s desk. Ms. Bixby was in the hospital and wouldn’t be coming back. No goodbyes. No going away party. That’s when the boys hatch the plan- cut class, take a bus to the hospital, and spend one more “perfect” day with their favorite teacher. As Topher, Steve, and Brand collect each ingredient for the picnic- a cheesecake, a bottle of wine, a bag of McDonald’s fries, and The Hobbit so they can finish reading it with her, they each share the events of the day and Ms. Bixby’s positive impact on their lives.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com ( )

Well, this made me bawl my eyes out. So I have to give it five stars.

Topher, Steve and Brand are sixth graders. They're the target of bullies, but they're also resilient and fun dudes. Topher is an artist with a wild imagination. Steve is a little like Spock, super logical and intelligent. Brand thinks there's nothing special about him, but the fact that his dad is disabled means Brand has taken on a lot of adult responsibilities, making him especially determined and capable.

These three friends each tell part of the story in turn. They go on a kind of quest to see their teacher Ms. Bixby in the hospital. It is, of course, part adventure and part comedy of errors. They have to skip school, take a bus into the city, and procure certain items, at least one of which is illegal for minors to purchase.

The heart of this story is each boy's connection to Ms. Bixby. She is a Cool Teacher (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CoolTeacher) but it doesn't play like a stereotype. She gives each of these three boys what they need and they want to give her something back in her time of need.

Like [b:The Great American Whatever|25663382|The Great American Whatever|Tim Federle|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1433439493s/25663382.jpg|45486309], this manages to be both funny and heartbreaking, which is a winning combination like salty and sweet or comfortable and stylish. A perfect book for a 6th grader, just edgy enough not to be babyish (there's a little bit of swearing and just a touch of risque) but not beyond what an average preteen can handle.

There are allusions to great poetry, music and literature (you'll probably want to read or re-read The Hobbit after this and go look up Walt Whitman), which is a hallmark of the Cool Teacher. She turns you on to cool stuff.

Is it a drawback that Steve's character calls on a certain Asian-American stereotype? He has tiger parents and a perfect sister who's a pianist. In popular culture Asian people tend to be portrayed as logical, good at math, and socially reserved like Steve. But Steve is a well-developed character with a rich inner life. He is not just a series of stereotypical traits. Maybe his parents are, though. I'm not sure where I ultimately come down on this but I mention it because I'm sure there are readers who are tired of seeing this stereotypical set of attributes. But I did love Steve. To get into spoiler territory: I thought there was a subtle implication that Steve is gay and feels more than just friendship for Topher. That definitely shades his character, right? To be 12 and dealing with an attraction to your straight BFF? That would explain being reserved in how you express your emotions. And I liked what the author did with Steve's relationship with his sister.

So there you have it. Read with tissues at the ready. ( )

Beautiful. Sad. But, beautiful. ( )

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )

When their sixth-grade teacher Ms. Bixby leaves before the end of the school year, Japanese-American Steve and his friends Brand and Topher, who are white, hatch a plan to skip school and visit her in the hospital, to see her again and give her a perfect last day. What seems like a series of simple errands turns out to be fraught with danger and mistakes, but also the kindness of strangers (including a baker named Eduardo and an old bookseller who tells riddles).

Steve, Brand, and Topher share first-person narrative duties in rotation; each has a private connection to Ms. Bixby, and a special reason for needing to see her before she's transferred to a hospital in Boston. Ms. Bixby defended Steve to his helicopter parents; she noticed Topher's artwork and saved it; and she has a standing Friday afternoon grocery shopping date with Brand, who takes care of his father, who uses a wheelchair.

Quotes

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." (Ms. Bixby, 14)

I'm a better-than-average lip reader. It comes from having people talk about you out of earshot all the time. (Steve, 21)

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." (Ms. Bixby, 22)

"Some things are more important than following the rules." (Brand to Steve, 46)

She'd say when you are content to be simply yourself, everyone will respect you. It's something she borrowed from Lao Tzu. (Steve, 80)

Hmm is what you say when you can't say the thing that the other person wants to hear. (Steve, 130)

Not everything has a formula, and sometimes things just happen for no reason at all, good or bad, logical or illogical. (Steve, 206)

"We all have moments when we think nobody really sees us. When we feel like we have to act out or be somebody else just to get noticed. But somebody notices, Topher. Somebody sees. Somebody out there probably thinks you're the greatest thing in the whole world. Don't ever think you're not good enough." (Ms. Bixby, 233) ( )