  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 04/01/2016 *Starred Review* When Ms. Bixby tells her sixth-grade class that she has cancer and will be leaving before the school year ends, her students are stunned. But the following week, when they learn that she’s already gone into the hospital to start treatment several days early, three boys swing into action, carrying out an ambitious (and mostly legal) plan to create a grand gesture of appreciation, bravado, and connection. Facing a series of practical challenges but armed with Bixbyisms (their teacher’s favorite sayings), Topher, Steve, and Brand display a winning mixture of courage and naïveté as they collect an odd assortment of necessities and head for the hospital. The boys are at an interesting stage. In an early scene, they’re running from a girl who supposedly has cooties, but soon they’re carrying out a serious, chivalrous mission. The first-person narration rotates among the three boys, and readers at first may have a bit of trouble keeping who’s who straight. Through dialogue, action, memories, and reflections, the narrators move the story forward, filling in gaps in understanding until the complex puzzle is complete. Through their individual, interwoven narratives, these well-developed characters become the most intriguing elements of the story. A smart, funny, ultimately moving novel. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. School Library Journal - 12/01/2016 Gr 4–6—When Topher, Steve, and Brand learn that Ms. Bixby is terminally ill, they decide to cut class and give their beloved teacher a truly special tribute, but nothing goes as planned. Simultaneously heartrending, uproariously funny, and affirming, this is that rare story that centers on loss yet isn't overwhelmed by grief or pain; at its heart, this tale celebrates life, friendship, and the importance of finding one's own voice. - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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