From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026…

Ms. Bixby's Last Day

John David Anderson

Discussion: Book of the Month - 2017

Why we're reading this: This book has everything. Humor with the perfect balance of heart and characters you can't stop thinking …more
[close] This book has everything. Humor with the perfect balance of heart and characters you can't stop thinking about for days and weeks after reading. I really felt like this book had everything I wanted in a middle grade read. It's already garnered a number of starred reviews as well and think it should certainly be considered.

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Book of the Month - 2017

March Read- Pax
By Kristen · 60 posts · 320 views

last updated Feb 27, 2017 02:27PM

October Read - The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog
By Kristen · 35 posts · 227 views

last updated Feb 23, 2017 12:30PM

What Members Thought

Aug 23, 2016 Dest rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sad, friendship, everyday-life, school, middle-grade, funny, death

Well, this made me bawl my eyes out. So I have to give it five stars.

Topher, Steve and Brand are sixth graders. They're the target of bullies, but they're also resilient and fun dudes. Topher is an artist with a wild imagination. Steve is a little like Spock, super logical and intelligent. Brand thinks there's nothing special about him, but the fact that his dad is disabled means Brand has taken on a lot of adult responsibilities, making him especially determined and capable.

These three friend Well, this made me bawl my eyes out. So I have to give it five stars.

Topher, Steve and Brand are sixth graders. They're the target of bullies, but they're also resilient and fun dudes. Topher is an artist with a wild imagination. Steve is a little like Spock, super logical and intelligent. Brand thinks there's nothing special about him, but the fact that his dad is disabled means Brand has taken on a lot of adult responsibilities, making him especially determined and capable.

These three friends each tell part of the story in turn. They go on a kind of quest to see their teacher Ms. Bixby in the hospital. It is, of course, part adventure and part comedy of errors. They have to skip school, take a bus into the city, and procure certain items, at least one of which is illegal for minors to purchase.

The heart of this story is each boy's connection to Ms. Bixby. She is a Cool Teacher (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php...) but it doesn't play like a stereotype. She gives each of these three boys what they need and they want to give her something back in her time of need.

Like The Great American Whatever, this manages to be both funny and heartbreaking, which is a winning combination like salty and sweet or comfortable and stylish. A perfect book for a 6th grader, just edgy enough not to be babyish (there's a little bit of swearing and just a touch of risque) but not beyond what an average preteen can handle.

There are allusions to great poetry, music and literature (you'll probably want to read or re-read The Hobbit after this and go look up Walt Whitman), which is a hallmark of the Cool Teacher. She turns you on to cool stuff.

Is it a drawback that Steve's character calls on a certain Asian-American stereotype? He has tiger parents and a perfect sister who's a pianist. In popular culture Asian people tend to be portrayed as logical, good at math, and socially reserved like Steve. But Steve is a well-developed character with a rich inner life. He is not just a series of stereotypical traits. Maybe his parents are, though. I'm not sure where I ultimately come down on this but I mention it because I'm sure there are readers who are tired of seeing this stereotypical set of attributes. But I did love Steve. To get into spoiler territory: (view spoiler) And I liked what the author did with Steve's relationship with his sister.

So there you have it. Read with tissues at the ready. ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Jul 16, 2016 Mary Lee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: inspirational, characters, 2016, school, grief-loss

Ms. Bixby will be our 147th Cool Teachers in Children's Literature.

She is the teacher we all want to be. Not exactly her. We don't all need to run out and put a pink stripe in our hair. But we all want to be the ones who really SEE our students; who really HEAR them; who really KNOW them...and make a different difference in each of their lives. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 26, 2016 Megan rated it really liked it

Shelves: listened-to, juvenile-fiction, bookbattlecontender, realistic-children-s

Story was fantastic! Audio was horrible.

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 29, 2016 Kate Hastings rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-school, jfic-middle-grades-4-6

Grades 5-7. Ms. Bixby is the teacher all the kids want and all the kids will remember. She's funny but firm. Quirky and loving and a bender of rules. She knows what kids need and sees the potential in all of them. Three boys-- Brand (takes care of disabled dad), Topher (artist/nerd), Steve (type-A) are devastated when they learn their teacher must leave before the end of the school year because she has pancreatic cancer. When she misses the planned goodbye party, the boys decide to skip school a ...more

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May 09, 2021 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: middle-grades, sis

Three boys each tell their story about their favorite teacher, "one of the good ones", named Ms. Bixby. When they learn that she has to leave school to be treated for cancer, they go on a mission to make her last day in their town perfect for her. It involves various items to collect or buy and a trek to the city hospital. Throughout, they flashback to special memories of times with her and along the way all kinds of hilarious things happen.

A fun read with loads of boy dialogue that probably kid ...more

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Aug 27, 2019 Astrid Lim rated it really liked it

Shelves: tragedy, america, middle-grade, tearjerker

A solid middle grade book, with three sixth graders as the narrators, and a great teacher as the main topic. How to say goodbye to your favorite teacher?

This is the kind of book that I hope Yofel will read and like.

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May 02, 2017 Janice rated it really liked it

Another captivating audiobook...I laughed throughout and sobbed later on.

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Dec 08, 2016 Shari (Shira) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: childrensbooks

I can't write. I'm crying too hard. If you choose to read this, have tissue. I'm glad I had a new box. ...more

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Aug 25, 2016 Sara rated it really liked it

Still crying at the close. Read this aloud with Brennan and will treasure that part of it. What a genuine and lovely book. We both grew. NO bigger complement than that.

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