Wisecracking Bob, who is a little bit Chihuahua among other things, now lives with his girl, Julia, and her parents. Tiny, sassy Bob the dog, friend of The One and Only Ivan (2012), returns to tell his tale. The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans-are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.

And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring. The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is 'Humble'. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Clea and Red present as white while Sanam’s name suggests she’s Middle Eastern or South Asian.Īn accurate and compassionate picture of growing up with ADHD is the icing on the cake of this well-told novelĪ successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl. Gerber’s text and author’s note feature excellent information and resources for ADHD brains and the hearts who love them. The supportive world Clea inhabits both at home and at school is an ideal place free of stigma would that all students with learning differences experience such in real life. Though not a biographical story, Gerber’s tender first-person narrative perfectly resonates with the ADHD experience, which she knows firsthand. Through it all a friendship blooms with Sanam, another chess teammate, who encourages Clea with her own story of learning differences and her persistent optimism.

When teachers and the school counselor suggest her struggles may be related to ADHD, Clea is resistant to diagnosis and treatment, considering it a black mark and further evidence that she is somehow broken. Meanwhile friendships hit a snag when she impulsively blurts out sensitive information her best friend and chess teammate, Red, would rather keep secret. No matter how hard she tries, she struggles to finish homework and tests on time, putting her spot on the chess team in jeopardy. Massachusetts seventh-grader Clea loves magic and chess, hates math, and wants to be a better friend, sister, and student. Gerber, who tackled scoliosis with Braced (2017), turns her lens on a young woman with ADHD.

Alyson gerber focused