Among the Fourth Graders

Set in a San Francisco elementary school, it depicts a year-in-the-life of a fourth-grade class, told by a volunteer classroom assistant ("Terry") who has entered the social world of nine-year-olds. It is a humorous and poignant book, driven by dialogue, which focuses on the lives and families of the children, with a large ensemble cast. The kids are faced with life's many tests each day, most of which they manage with the ingenuity of necessity. And yet they and their school are ultimately declared "failures" when faced with the big state standardized exam at the end of the year. But, of course, they aren't failures, and in this laugh-through-your-tears book you come to know these children, their personalities, and their strengths and weaknesses intimately well. Many readers are describing it as a compelling page turner. Prior to its publication as a novel, the story ran for a year (2011-2013) in weekly episodes online, with a small but wholehearted readership.