Just Call Me Stupid [Paperback]

Tom Birdseye (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Terrified of failing and convinced that he is stupid, a fifth grader who has never learned to read begins to gain self-confidence with the help of an outgoing new girl next door.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Patrick, a fifth-grader living in Arizona with his divorced mother, can barely read. Scant progress is made during sessions with the school's impatient and inept reading teacher, and taunts from the class bully further undermine Patrick's self-esteem. Memories of studying with his now unheard-from father, a quick-tempered alcoholic, are another stumbling block: the man would call his son stupid and once locked him in a closet as punishment. Then the arrival of Celina, a bright, friendly new neighbor and classmate, instills some much-needed confidence in the beleaguered fellow, as do the efforts of his good-hearted teacher, Mrs. Romero, and the boy's belief in his mother's unwavering love. Birdseye ( I'm Going to Be Famous ) has composed a dramatic, insightful novel portraying a child's reading problems. While the book's vocabulary surpasses that of students with Patrick's difficulties, the value of a support system providing care and understanding is clearly expressed. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Patrick Lowe is in the fifth grade and cannot read. Because his now-absent alcoholic father used to tell him he was stupid and lock him in the closet, he grows fearful and claustrophobic whenever someone tries to teach him. Celina, a Mexican girl, becomes his friend and supporter. With his sympathetic mother and teacher, she helps Patrick learn to read. This is an important subject, and the author includes many realistic events and feelings. The story, however, is weighted down by too much earnestness of purpose and by characters and incidents that seem too extreme to be true. There is a rigid resource-room teacher who adds to the boy's problem; a class bully who ridicules him and calls Celina a "wetback;" and a short story contest that Patrick wins, proving that he is not stupid. Jamie Gilson's Do Bananas Chew Gum? (Lothrop, 1980) concerns a sixth-grade boy who can't read because of a learning disability. In Susan Shreve's The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates (Knopf, 1984), Joshua must repeat third grade because he is slow in reading. Birdseye's book lacks the humor of these titles, and the root of Patrick's problem is a sadder one, but all three tell of children whose situations need to be understood.
Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140379541
• ISBN-13: 978-0140379549
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The book gave good insight into a southwestern school., September 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Just Call Me Stupid (Paperback)

I really did enjoy this book. I thought it gave really good insight into what a real southwestern elementary school is like. I had one real big problem with the book though, I didn't like the use of wetback in the story. I know that is what a lot of white people call people from Mexico and farther south, but I don't think young children need to hear or see that kind of language. It's like your showing them (the children) another derogatory word they can use around their friends and family. Other than that I really liked the book.

3.0 out of 5 stars Just Call Me Stupid, March 11, 2008

By 

A. Benko "bibliophile" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Call Me Stupid (Paperback)

Good book to use with a class of middle grade students. Includes some good life lessons of understanding and accepting differences.

4.0 out of 5 stars Just call me stupid, February 20, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Just Call Me Stupid (Paperback)

This was a really good book.It does have its moments when it isn't very interesting,but for the most part it is very interesting.It is about a boy who has some problems and he has to try to get over them with the help of his friends.I would very much so recomend this book.