I was blown away by Lynda Mullaly Hunt yet again. Her debut novel, One For The Murphys, was recommended to me by my pen pal, Brooke, and I absolutely loved it. Her newest book, Fish In A Tree, came out this year, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! Plus, after interviewing Miss Erin E. Moulton, she recommended this one to me as a great contemporary read. I was so excited when my library got a copy. I love Miss Hunt’s writing style, and she’s become one of my favorite authors!

Ah, yes, my book photography. Do ya see it? Get it? Fish in a TREE? Couldn’t help myself.

Title: Fish In A Tree

Author: Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Publication Date: February 5, 2015

Source: library

Synopsis: The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who’s ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn’t fit in.

“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions.  She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.

I love Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s books, because she shines the light on teachers, parents, social workers – adults who care about their kids and show them the love and help they need. In Fish In A Tree, the main character, Ally, has always had a hard time learning to read… but it’s not until she meets her 6th-grade teacher, Mr. Daniels, that she learns she has Dyslexia. With the help of her teacher, Ally begins to make progress in her reading, and she realizes she has other gifts that others have to work at – like her art. And best of all, Ally starts to believe in herself again.

I’ve always had wonderful teachers – in private and public school, and my mom! (Home-schooler in da house!) 😉 I’ve never been afraid to ask for help in something (although I haven’t always liked “constructive” criticism…), but then again, I’ve never struggled in school. It was really insightful to read from Ally’s perspective, and I know that she’ll inspire many other kids, too.

I wish that there were more scenes about Ally’s dad, who was overseas. There was one part when Ally, her mom, and her brother, Travis, got to video chat with her dad. There was some conflict there with Ally missing her dad, but I felt like more could have been done with that. Also, her grandpa. It’s clear that she had a really great relationship with him. Ally talks about her grandpa introducing Alice in Wonderland to her, and being a great influence in her life… but I really wish I could have seen more with that. Honestly, I wish her grandpa was still alive in the book!

Overall, I thought the plot kind of left some loose threads. I was confused for a while there… I mean, I knew Ally was kind of missing her grandpa, and she definitely missed her dad, but then there was the school thing. I wanted the conflicts to be more connected. They just felt seperate, and at the end of the book, it still felt incomplete.

But Ally’s friends were awesome, too. Between sassy Keisha and future-Albert-Einstein Albert, I liked how the book showed the development of the friendships. In the beginning of the book, Ally doesn’t really know Keisha and Albert, but soon they become close friends. I liked watching the trio become closer, instead of the book starting right off with the three being friends. So it was great having those protagonists cheer Ally on; through mean girls, and school troubles, and family hardships.

I give Fish In A Tree three stars. I wanted to give it four stars, but the ending is a deal breaker for me. I did still enjoyed it, and I would love it if you’d read it, too.

so! it’s discussion time! have you read this book? do you want to? have you read one for the murphys, by the same author? oh, and how do you feel about stinky endings? deal breaker or no?