One morning, Mr “Fab” Fabiano’s sixth grade class shows up to find out that he’s away but the substitute teacher is sick. Can the kids be on their own the whole day?
As the 11 – 12 year old kids debate about whether to inform the school authorities or not, they finally vote NOT to because they want to show the school authorities that they are matured enough to handle themselves.
Karen Ballard, the brightest and most natural leader of the class gets everyone on track by following the day’s schedule, as if Mr. Fabiano was in the class with them.
A lot is happening in the sixth grade class:
- Rachel White has been silent for 6 months since the day their classmate, Tommy Feathers, died. She’s in post-traumatic shock (similar to what the little boy in John Grisham’s “The Client
” experienced after they witness a murder) because Tommy had a massive crush on her but she’d been really nasty to him when he was alive;
- Bastian Fauvell’s father is in the Air Force and their family has moved a total of 8 times in his twelve years of life – from Okinawa to Virginia to Nevada to Florida to Arizona to Alabama to North Carolina to South Carolina and now, to Hawaii. He’s used to the moving but now he’s agonizing over flying his puppy, Barkley, separtely in cargo (!) then the quarantine for 4 months. Should he put Barkley through the trauma or leave him behind?
- Sean O’Grady lives with a boozer father and his ditzy girlfriend – his home is a mess as his clothes are either unwashed or unfolded, breakfast is anything instant and beer bottles lie everywhere…
Other kids in the class include Christopher, a rich, bratty kid who shoots his mouth off at anyone he wants to tease, Rachel’s best friend, a chubby girl named Missy whose always a target for Christopher.
“Flying Solo
Several episodes threaten to disrupt the peace and order (e.g. someone gets hurt, they get emotional being reminded of Tommy Feathers’ death) and I was really worried the story would end the way it did in the classic“The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
Interestingly, it doesn’t although the school authorities find out in the end that the sixth grade class had been on their own the whole day.
This book gave me a peek inside a typical school day at an international school, which follows the American school system, where students stay in one room while teachers move in and out.
Students require a pass to venture out of the classroom – really different from the days I went to school. All we needed was the teacher’s permission! And I don’t think teachers looked at us suspiciously when they see us walking along the hallways…
I really like the way the Language Arts (or English) class is conducted because students were asked to write “flashdrafts”, which are essentially daily journal entries. They are then asked to sit in a circle to discuss what they have written – a student has the right NOT to share what they have written.
I’d used daily journals in my English classes (for students to practise freeform writing), which students like because they could share their thoughts / opinions with me. Also, it forced them to do a bit of writing each day, which helped to lessen “writer’s block” a bit.
Another ritual Mr. Fabiano practised in his class is a “Rock Ritual” where a departing student would choose a rock he/she liked – sitting in a circle, each student would hold the rock and say something nice to that student. In the end, the student takes the rock (and the beautiful memories) home with him or her.
“Flying Solo” is a really great read because it shows 11 to 12 year olds demonstrating their need for and sense of independence and responsibility.
Imagining myself back as a 12 year old, I’d really LOVE this book. As a parent now, I’d be worried if I hear of a group pre-teens (dealing with various teenage issues) entirely on their own for an entire day…guess it’s easier being a teen than it is being a parent, huh?
Rating: 
Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher
ISBN: 0-440-41601-9
Publisher: Yearling
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