The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates — Susan Shreve

Friends can come in funny shapes. At first Joshua thought Mrs. Goodwin looked like a tank.

Joshua can't believe he's in third grade again. "I'm moving to East Africa next week," he mumbles after Tommy Wilhelm's friends finish creaming him on the playground.

But that was before Joshua met Mrs. Goodwin. She's probably the world's most surprising teacher. Who would have believed how easy it was to learn to read -- or how hard it was to leave her?