All of the Above

( 11 )

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$6.99

NOOK Book

——

$6.99

All of the Above (eBook) Pub. Date: 12/21/2008 Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
$0.01

$5.99

Paperback

$0.01

$5.99

All of the Above (Reprint) Pub. Date: 1/1/2008 Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
$0.01

——

Hardcover

$0.01

——

All of the Above Pub. Date: 9/6/2006 Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

Based on a true story, All of the Above is the delightful and suspenseful story of four inner city students and their quest to build the world's largest tetrahedron. Weaving together the stories of the kids, their teachers, and the community that surrounds them, award-winning author Shelley Pearsall has written a vividly engaging story about the human spirit. Filled with unexpected humor, poignant characters and quiet brilliance, All of the Above is a surprising gem.

Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature

James, Rhondell, Sharice, and Marcel live varied lives in the same inner-city neighborhood, attending the same school. What begins as a frantic bid by their math teacher, Mr. Collins, to reach above the odds in a dispirited teaching environment, soon turns into a moving novel about building community. The story is revealed through multi-voiced first person narratives, somewhat reminiscent of Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks. At first it appears that Mr. Collins has cracked under the pressure in math class. But soon it is clear that he is putting forward something between challenge and dream in attempting to launch a tetrahedron project in an after-school club. Building the world's biggest Sierpinski tetrahedron, beating the record of a California school, attempting to make it into the Guinness Book of Records—all these goals seem impossible. Still, little by little, as the ownership of the club shifts from teacher to students, the fellowship it engenders begins to make an impact on their lives. Pearsall draws us into the challenges and longings of those lives. Of the adult characters, Marcel's father Willy Q, and Rhondell's Aunt Asia, are particularly memorable. Javaka Steptoe's black-and-white line drawings, tetrahedron details, and barbecue recipes, all add texture and context. An afterword offers information on tetrahedrons and on the true 2002 Cleveland middle school tetrahedron project that inspired this book.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Exhausted by his efforts to teach math to apathetic middle schoolers, Mr. Collins proposes that his class attempt to build the world's largest tetrahedron structure. The resulting endeavor, described in alternating chapters by Mr. Collins and four of the students, builds more than geometry as readers come to see them as individuals and as a developing unit. They include artistic tough guy James Harris III, who insists that the individual tetrahedrons color coordinate; Marcel the Magnificent, who works vigorously at his father's barbecue grill; veteran foster child Sharice; and quietly ambitious Rhondell. Marcel's dad's recipes are sprinkled throughout. This novel is based on the true story of a Cleveland middle school tetrahedron built in 2002. Pearsall has a knack for creating strong narratives and characters that eschew predictability. While this solid, multivoiced offering is a hopeful one, the action is realistically gritty and true to its inner-city setting. The book may take a little hand-selling, but, like E. L. Konigsburg's The View from Saturday (S & S, 1996), it is a feel-good read.-Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

Cynical inner-city seventh graders are challenged by an odd idea from a math teacher. Frustrated that his students do not seem the least bit interested in learning, Mr. Collins proposes a contest to build the world's largest tetrahedron. Several students show up for the first meeting, a few because they want to do something new. One picks math club over failing the class and another does not have anywhere else to go. Armed with reams of paper and glue sticks, the students begin building the huge structure piece by piece. However, the rainbow hued composition is not the only thing they are gluing together. As the weeks pass, they realize that they are forming something much more than a claim to a world record. They are building their lives. Recipes for barbeque sauce, cake and cornbread separate chapters, told in several alternating voices. Smart and fast-paced, this story inspires as well as entertains. (Fiction. 8-12)

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780316115261
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: 1/1/2008
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 256
Sales rank: 81,208
Age range: 8 - 12 Years
Product dimensions: 5.25 (w) x 7.62 (h) x 0.75 (d)

Meet the Author

A former teacher and museum historian, Shelley Pearsall is now a full-time writer. Her first novel, Trouble Don't Last, won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. She lives in Silver Lake, Ohio.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4

( 11 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(5)

4 Star

(3)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(1)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

Anonymous

Posted November 20, 2009

Team Work

All of the Above is a realistic fiction novel written by Shelley Pearsall. The novel is a very good and gives you examples that you can do whatever you want if you put your mind to it. The novel is set in modern day Cleveland, Ohio at the end of Washington Boulevard. A team of students want to break a world record of who can build the largest tetrahedron in the state, but they have only a few weeks to do it and only four kids helping them.
Trying to build a tetrahedron is hard so the team of students try to get more students to join. When that didn't work, they started making snacks for kids to come and eat, but they have to work on the project. After that doesn't work, the math teacher tells the students whoever helps can get extra credit on math. The author wrote the novel from the first person point of view and wrote how the kids would write as if she was a student her self. Also every chapter in the novel was from every characters different perspective of the situation. This novel would be good for children ages 10-15 only because it is based on normal kids their age trying to do something to make history. Therefore it could be inspiring to them.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted August 28, 2011

Awesome book

I dont have the digital(or whatever they call it) copy but I do have the actual book, and it is GREAT

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted May 24, 2012

Very Good!!!

I had to read this for school but I felt like I would choose to read it after school or outside of school. Now whenever I read a book in school I always say, "it is good but not as good as All Of The Above!"
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
5944616

Posted December 26, 2010

kool katt

great book eead ot in fifth grade i staartesd to cry because it represents alot of things

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted July 1, 2011

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted June 28, 2011

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted November 24, 2010

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted March 7, 2011

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted February 2, 2011

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted April 30, 2009

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted October 24, 2010

No text was provided for this review.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble