A funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking contemporary story about three boys, one teacher, and a day none of them will ever forget.
Everyone knows there are different kinds of teachers. The boring ones, the mean ones, the ones who try too hard, the ones who stopped trying long ago. The ones you'll never remember, and the ones you want to forget. Ms. Bixby is none of these. She's the sort of teacher who makes you feel like school is somehow worthwhile. Who recognizes something in you that sometimes you don't even see in yourself. Who you never want to disappoint. What Ms. Bixby is, is one of a kind.
Topher, Brand, and Steve know this better than anyone. And so when Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she won't be able to finish the school year, they come up with a risky plan--more of a quest, really--to give Ms. Bixby the last day she deserves. Through the three very different stories they tell, we begin to understand what Ms. Bixby means to each of them--and what the three of them mean to each other.
John David Anderson is the author of Sidekicked and The Dungeoneers, proven winners with middle grade readers, and Ms. Bixby's Day is no exception.
About the Author :
John David Anderson is the author of more than a dozen acclaimed and beloved books for kids, including the New York Times Notable Book Ms. Bixby's Last Day, Posted, Granted, One Last Shot, Stowaway, The Greatest Kid in the World, Keep It Like a Secret, and many more. A dedicated root beer connoisseur and chocolate fiend, he lives with his wonderful wife, two frawesome kids, and a pair of mischievous kitties in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can visit him online at johndavidanderson.org.
Jesse Bernstein is an audiobook narrator and winner of seven AudioFile Earphones Awards. His many works include The Battle of the Labyrinth, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Girls, Chasing Windmills, and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson Series.
Ramón de Ocampo, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, was a cowinner in 2018 of the Audie Award for Best Multi-Voiced Performance. A graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, he has been seen on television, film, and stages all over the world, including recurring roles on such television shows as The West Wing, 12 Monkeys, Sons of Anarchy, and Medium. He is the winner of a prestigious Obie Award for his stage work.
Maxwell Glick is an actor based in Los Angeles. He has appeared on television in guest roles in numerous shows such as The Office and Castle. He also has voiced numerous commercials, audiobooks, and cartoons. Originally a regional theater actor, Glick has played Arpad in She Loves Me, Matt in The Fantasticks, and Eugene in Brighton Beach Memoirs. A New York native, he is a graduate of Boston College.
Review :
"A story of that one teacher we all have who we'll never forget, told with laugh-out-loud humor and oh, so much heart."
-- "Gordon Korman, New York Times bestselling author"
"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 twelve-year-old boys. The urban setting is appropriately diverse and gritty, and humor and pathos are nicely balanced."
-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred reviews)"
"Kids won't just love this book. They need it."
-- "Soman Chainani, New York Times bestselling author"
"Narrators Jesse Bernstein, Ramon de Ocampo, and Maxwell Glick prove their excellence as they quickly define the trio of sixth-graders featured in this story: Topher is a bit sarcastic, Steve is big on getting the facts, and Brand enjoys wordplay. At first, the story takes a light tone as the boys run from a girl with cooties. But the tone changes abruptly when their teacher, Ms. Bixby, announces she must leave to start cancer treatment. The boys come up with a plan to honor her."
-- "AudioFile"
"Skillfully balances realism and comic exaggeration in an emotionally rich tale that holds no miracles, other than the small human kind."
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
"This is not a book about [Bixby] 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."
-- "New York Times Book Review"
"Through their individual, interwoven narratives, these well-developed characters become the most intriguing elements of the story. A smart, funny, ultimately moving novel."
-- "Booklist (starred review)"
