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New sneakers, a new backpack, even a brand new pencil...Joey King is ready to start first grade. He’s going to learn to read and he’ll have real homework to bring home, just the way his big brother Daniel does. Joey can’t wait.

But first grade has some surprises in store for Joey. There’s a substitute who is supposed to be mean and Madeline who wants to be friends. Ronald thinks Joey’s last name is a big joke. Sometimes, Joey wishes he were back in kindergarten.

Joey’s first weeks in first grade, with all their ups and downs, make a lively, engaging story that will ring true for anyone who has had the adventure of starting school.

Behind the Story

This book is about the same two boys who are in Baseball and Butterflies. I wrote this books after I wrote Baseball and Butterflies but it really takes place the year before. That’s because I knew my characters after writing the first book and I really liked them. I wanted to write a book about first grade and what it was like for Joey. I got the idea to write this book when my son Christopher was in first grade and he was always worried about things that were going to happen in school. I was getting tired of hearing about all his worries, but then realized I had the same worries when I was in first grade. This book is really about my first grade experience, even though Christopher thinks I stole his ideas for this book. That’s why I dedicated this book to him.

Illustrator: Lena Shiffman

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Clarion Books

Buy the book: half.ebay.com

Download the Teacher's Guide for this book. [980 KB PDF]