Review by New York Times Review
EARLY IN "Ms. Bixby's Last Day" - a title pregnant with meanings, all of them as sad and moving as you'd care to imagine - Topher remembers the moment he first encountered the woman who would become his sixth-grade teacher. In one of many comic juxtapositions, they meet at a circus, and there he asks her to teach him to juggle. "She said to wait a couple of years," he recalls. "She'd probably teach me something." She does. It is not what either expected. Certainly it would not be difficult to amass a longish list of books for young readers with wise, feisty and beloved teachers, perhaps beginning with Ms. Frizzle and rushing to Patricia Polacco's Mr. Falker; E.L. Konigsburg's Mrs. Olinski; Kirkpatrick Hill's Miss Agnes; Kevin Henkes's Mr. Slinger; Roald Dahl's Miss Honey; Harry Allard's Miss Nelson; and J.K. Rowling's Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagall, though those of a certain age might also include the charitable and committed Mr. Chips (forgotten now?) or the proper and terrible Miss Dove (certainly forgotten now). Ms. Bixby is in this glorious line, but this is not a book about her precisely; it is a book about three hurt and damaged sixth-grade boys who have been given a tremendous gift by Ms. Bixby's teaching and life: They have been given more to be human beings with. They are about to demonstrate how much more. If a middle-grade novel can be picaresque, "Ms. Bixby's Last Day" plays with that form. Topher, Steve and Brand are would-be rogues. They begin the year hiding the emptiness within themselves with mouthy chutzpah or the silence of defeat - or both. Topher's parents are too busy to do more than assume he is "fine"; Steve's parents stifle with their interrogations and imposing expectations; Brand's mother is dead, and his father, disabled by an industrial accident, has cycled into a spiritual paralysis symbolized by his spinal injury. The boys' intertwining first-person narratives give voice to their fear and isolation, a fear so deep they are afraid they will even lose one another. So though their voices ring with middle-school comedy, it is the comedy we use to keep our fear of the dark unacknowledged. "You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose," Brand points out. "Turns out ... not entirely true." "Three ants are no match for one tennis shoe," Steve observes before they confront a thief. And Topher characterizes a standardized exam as the ?pass this or you will be sentenced to death while your teachers are flayed alive' test," agreeing with Ms. Bixby's assessment, but admits that in the world as it is, there is nothing to be done: "We took it anyway." Ms. Bixby is the teacher who acknowledges the darkness and teaches her students to sing in it - literally, in the case of Steve. She does this by paying deep attention to the world, by gracefully praising courage, by cherishing the lovely, by looking carefully: "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." This is not the stuff of mere sentiment; it is the hope we all hold and have held all our lives: that somebody will see us. When Ms. Bixby is found to have a cancer so invasive she cannot continue teaching - and cannot even make it to her "last day" going-away party - the three boys resolve to cut classes and give their hospitalized teacher the perfect last day: cheesecake, a glass of wine, a bag of McDonald's french fries and, for them, a reading of the last chapter of "The Hobbit." The journey is a long and fraught one, heightened by fear of their truancy being discovered, failure (can anyone carry a cheesecake for long without it being destroyed?), physical attacks and self-doubt. But it is also a powerful journey of revelation, as each boy is able to offer up, like a blessing, the ways in which Ms. Bixby has brought hope and wholeness into the dark. So when they finally reach the hospital and beg Ms. Bixby to come with them one last time to eat, drink and read Tolkien aloud, we see three students who have, indeed, been taught something. Ms. Bixby joins the glorious line of wise, feisty and beloved teachers in books for young readers. GARY SCHMIDT is the author of many books for young readers, most recently, "Orbiting Jupiter."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [September 14, 2016]
Review by Booklist Review
*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.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Three sixth-grade boys embark on a tragicomic quest to do something special for their beloved teacher, who has announced that she won't be able to finish out the year following her cancer diagnosis. Upon learning that Ms. Bixby is in the hospital and this is their last chance to see her, best friends Topher, Brand, and Steve concoct a plan to skip school, acquire certain supplies, and spring Ms. Bixby for one last day of fun. But as good intentions collide with reality, the three are forced to adapt their plan and confront the possibility of defeat. The narrative unfolds in humorous yet insightful ways, illuminating Ms. Bixby's influence on the students' personal and scholastic lives and emphasizing the power that a good teacher, mentor, or friend can have. Topher's rich imagination, Steve's sharp intelligence, and Brand's common sense keep the rotating voices distinct and the story lively. Anderson (The Dungeoneers) skillfully balances realism and comic exaggeration in an emotionally rich tale that holds no miracles, other than the small human kind. Ages 8-12. Agency: Adams Literary. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
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. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In alternating narration, Topher, Brand, and Steve each reveals his unique and touching relationship with their beloved sixth-grade teacher, who is missing the class party for cancer treatment. To show their gratitude, the boys attempt a hospital visit carrying meaningful gifts...and chaos ensues. The journey is poignant without being overly sweet, hitting just the right balance of humor and sadness. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Determined to give their hospitalized teacher a worthy "last day," three sixth-grade boys skip school and persevere on an impossible quest, deepening their friendship and discovering inner courage they didn't know they had. Ms. Bixby was one of the "Good Ones"the kind of teacher you pay attention to and who pays attention to you. For each of the three narrators in this moving story, she meant something special. Topher, Steve, and Brand feel unappreciated at home: white artist Topher's parents are busy working; Japanese-American Steve feels inferior to his perfect sister, who meets his father's high standards; and white Brand has shouldered adult responsibilities because his paraplegic father is too depressed to do household tasks. Alternating chapters chronicle their efforts to acquire an expensive cheesecake, a bottle of wine, and a large bag of french fries for a celebratory picnic in the park across the street from the hospital where Ms. Bixby, who recognized their strengths, is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Not surprisingly, their mission is not entirely successful, but, like Atticus Finch, they see it through. Anderson's dialogue is realistic, and his choice of first-person narration gradually reveals each boy's history and personal growth. His characters are believable 12-year-old boys. The urban setting is appropriately diverse and gritty, and humor and pathos are nicely balanced. Sad and satisfying in just the right amounts. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
