Fish in a Tree

Mr. Daniels continues to assign writing activities. Anxious that he will discover her reading and writing difficulties, Ally attempts to get out of a writing exercise by creating a fake sling and pretending she broke her arm. Mr. Daniels sees through her trick, but he allows her to read a book instead of writing. Throughout the activity, Ally continually looks up and notices Mr. Daniels is looking at her quizzically.

Ally invites Albert to sit with her and Keisha at lunch. During lunch, he quickly drinks his chocolate milk, and Keisha asks why he doesn’t buy two cartons. Albert explains that he is on a prepaid lunch plan because his parents have very little money. His dad works as an inventor rather than holding a stable job.

Shay teases their group of three, calling them “the Island of Misfit Toys” (93). Albert responds with a humorous yet logically sound explanation of why none of the toys are actually misfits. He explains, “The Charlie-in-the box […] is just like a Jack-in-the-box in every way but his name. Something is not a misfit simply because it has a different name” (94).