Fish in a Tree

Who it's for

Ally has spent years hiding her dyslexia by acting out, so readers who mask their struggles experience identification.

Feelings it meets

• Self-Worth
• Masking
• Shame

What it is

Lynda Mullaly Hunt's 2015 middle-grade novel follows Ally Nickerson, a sixth grader who has moved schools often because of her father's military service and has hidden her trouble reading behind disruptive behaviour. A substitute teacher, Mr. Daniels, recognises her creativity and maths ability, adapts his teaching to how she learns and helps her get evaluated for dyslexia.

Where to find it

In print (Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin) and in libraries (Libby/Hoopla); audiobook available.

Before you start

Heads up: Bullying and humiliation at school.

Age: Ages 9+

There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide;Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First Series, “Self-Reliance”