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ALL OF THE ABOVE by Shelley Pearsall
Accelerated Reader: Level: 5.3. Pts. 5.
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Book Description:
Exhausted by his efforts to teach math to apathetic middle schoolers, Mr. Collins proposes
that his class attempt to build the world's largest tetrahedron structure. The resulting
endeavor, described in alternating chapters by Mr. Collins and four of the students, builds
more than geometry as readers come to see them as individuals and as a developing unit. They
include artistic tough guy James Harris III, who insists that the individual tetrahedrons
color coordinate; Marcel the Magnificent, who works vigorously at his father's barbecue
grill; veteran foster child Sharice; and quietly ambitious Rhondell. Marcel's dad's
recipes are sprinkled throughout.
This novel is based on the true story of a Cleveland middle school tetrahedron built
in 2002. Pearsall has a knack for creating strong narratives and characters that eschew
predictability. While this solid, multivoiced offering is a hopeful one,
the action is realistically gritty and true to its inner-city setting.
The book may take a little hand-selling, but, like E. L. Konigsburg's
The View from Saturday, it is a feel-good read.
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