Flying Solo

'What happens when a sixth-grade class is left unsupervised for a whole day? A story that is by turns sad, poignant, and funny . . . absorbing.' -Booklist (starred review)

Mr. Fabiano-aka 'Mr. Fab'-is popular with his sixth-grade students, but today a substitute is covering his class. Except the substitute never shows up. Instead of reporting the situation, they decide to prove they can run the class by themselves. With a little ingenuity and some careful planning, they might just succeed.

But then a fight breaks out between Bastian and Rachel over a classmate, Tommy Feathers, who died six months earlier. Ever since that terrible day, Rachel hasn't spoken-she communicates only by writing notes. It's starting to look like the plan is going to fall apart before the bell rings . . . Inventive and uniquely constructed, Flying Solo follows Mr. Fab's students hour by hour as they tackle the challenges of an unusual school day-and experience a learning opportunity of another kind.

'The rich and complex emotional lives within a classroom of unsupervised students boil toward eruption the day an exceptional teacher is absent . . . A novel that is funny, real, and often moving.' -Kirkus Reviews