Extra Credit

from The Master Of The School Story...a Little extra Credit

publishers Weekly

clements (frindle) Successfully Bridges Two Cultures In This Timely And Insightful Dual-perspective Story. When Abby Learns That Her Teachers Want Her To Repeat Sixth Grade, The Illinois Girl Pledges To Improve Her Grades And Complete An Extra-credit Pen Pal Project. Since Her Favorite Pastime Is Scaling A Climbing Wall, She's Fascinated By Afghanistan's Mountainous Terrain And Sends A Letter To A One-room School There Requesting A Pen Pal. So It Will Reflect Well On His Village, The Teacher Decides That His Best Student, Sadeed, Should Reply, But With A Letter Supposedly Written By His Sister, Since It's Deemed Improper For A Boy To Correspond With A Girl. In Chapters Devoted To Sadeed And In His Missives To Abby (which He Eventually Admits He's Composing), The Sensitive Boy Shares Illuminating Information About Afghan Beliefs And Traditions, As Well As His Own Aspirations. Abby Responds With Similar Candor And The Two Gain Much From Their Correspondence-as Will Readers. Clements Effectively Broadens His Canvas In This Worthy Addition To His Oeuvre Of School-themed Novels. Ages 8-12. (june)

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Authors : Andrew Clements, Mark Elliott

Publisher : Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Published Year : 2009

Format : Hardcover, 192 pages

Dimensions : 5.70 (w) x 8.30 (h) x 1.00 (d)

ISBN : 1416949291

ISBN13 : 9781416949299

Overview :

It isn't that Abby Carson can't do her schoolwork, it's just that she doesn't like doing it. And that means she's pretty much failing sixth grade. When a warning letter is sent home, Abby realizes that all her slacking off could cause her to be held back — for real! Unless she wants to repeat the sixth grade, she'll have to meet some specific conditions, including taking on an extra-credit project: find a pen pal in a foreign country. Simple enough (even for a girl who hates homework).

Abby's first letter arrives at a small school in Afghanistan, and Sadeed Bayat is chosen to be her pen pal....Well, kind of. He is the best writer, but he is also a boy, and in his village it is not appropriate for a boy to correspond with a girl. So his younger sister dictates and signs the letter. Until Sadeed decides what his sister is telling Abby isn't what he'd like Abby to know.

As letters flow back and forth between Illinois and Afghanistan, Abby and Sadeed discover that their letters are crossing more than an ocean. They are crossing a huge cultural divide and a minefield of different lifestyles and traditions. Their growing friendship is also becoming a growing problem for both communities, and some people are not happy. Suddenly things are not so simple.

2009 Parents' Choice Recommended Seal winner