The Secret School

Daughter loved it! She wants to become a teacher, and used it for a Language Arts project in 6th grade. She researched and made a booklet of the clothing and home life for 6 characters in this story - rural Colorado in the early 20th century.Love Avi's stories - my daughter has read several of his works. Her class read True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. His style and vocabulary push comprehension and growth just enough, and are good for kids who read at or above grade level. (Check his titles for the level recommended, some are more rigorous than others.)

I'm reading this book as a whole class read with my third graders! If this is any indication-"Can we PLEASE read another chapter?" That should tell you how they are enjoying this delightful story. A fourteen-year-old girl taking over as teacher of a one room school house in the mountains of Colorado! The teaching potential is endless!! My children are having FUN and learning- what a concept!!

14-year-old Ida wants to be a school teacher, and she undertakes the temporary task of being the schoolmarm for her entire town when the teacher unexpectedly leaves. Without finishing the year, she can not be accepted into high school, so she and the other students make a secret agreement to continue having school with Ida as the teacher.This book shows the pull between desire and duty. It's a good book for characters and giving personality insights... but not much action takes place. The non-standard English makes this fun to read out loud. The children drive their parents' old jalopy to school -- that's fun.We liked this book as a family. The family relationships within the book are very strong. Ida's friend Tom is a great boy character -- clever, inventive, lght-hearted and well-meaning.

Five starsI choose this rating for this book because it has so much things that I would say are funny, sad or maybe even angry, this book has so much I can`t explain all of it. If anyone is thinking of reading a book I would recommend this book.I like this book because this book has so much in it I will only say a few things of what I like, fist I like the part when Herbert visits Ida at a pond, she says to him that she likes as a friend and he said even better than Tom, then she splashed water and says Sho, and he laughs and runs away.I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read.

A quietly lovely book of children who truly take charge of their own education. I used it as a classroom novel in my 5th grade (so we all read through it at the same time and discussed it). It worked very well for that level.

This is a simple and fun story about a childhood and a simple life. Written with the typical masterful flow of Avi, it is a delightful and quick read. I highly recommend it for all ages.

Great book! My 3 boys ages 7, 9, and 12 loved it. Cute and funny story.

The book was good but I wasn't really in to it. I suggest this book to people who like things from back in the day!

I discovered this book by accident at my public library. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Set in rural Colorado in 1925, it tells the story of a 14-year-old girl who, in order to graduate from the eighth grade, must take over the teaching duties at her small school for the final two months of the year. It is a wonderful slice of historical fiction.