The Secret School

By Avi

More than anything, Ida Bidson wants to become a teacher. To do that, she must finish eighth grade, then go on to high school. But her dream falters when the one-room school in her remote Colorado town shuts down. Her only hope is to keep the school open without anyone finding out. Yet even a secret school needs a teacher. Ida can't be it. . . . Or can she?
In the spirit of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Newbery Medal winner Avi creates an inspiring story of a headstrong girl determined to control her own destiny.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9780547544618

Avi

Avi's many acclaimed books for young readers include the Newbery Medal-winning Crispin: The Cross of Lead and the Newbery Honor books Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle as well as The Fighting Ground, Poppy, and The Secret School. He lives in Colorado.           

Book preview

Copyright © 2001 by Avi

All rights reserved. Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Harcourt, Inc., 2001.

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to [e-mail] or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

A shorter version of this novel was published in newspapers throughout the country as part of the Breakfast Serials program.

hmhbooks.com

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Avi, 1937–

The secret school/by Avi.

p. cm.

Summary: In 1925, fourteen-year-old Ida Bidson secretly takes over as the teacher when the one-room schoolhouse in her remote Colorado area closes unexpectedly. [1. Teachers—Fiction. 2. One-room schools—Fiction. 3. Schools—Fiction. 4. Sex role—Fiction. 5. Colorado—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.A953Se 2001

[Fic]—dc21 2001000629

ISBN 978-0-15-216375-4 hardcover

ISBN 978-0-15-204699-6 paperback

eISBN 978-0-547-54461-8

v5.0119

For my friends and colleagues at the Eugene Field Library

One

ON A COOL MONDAY morning in early April 1925, Ida Bidson, aged fourteen, carefully guided her family’s battered Model T Ford along a narrow, twisting dirt road in Elk Valley, Colorado.

Brake and clutch! she shouted.

Ida, only four-feet-eleven and unable to reach the floor of the car, knelt on the torn seat and gripped the steering wheel tightly. Her seven-year-old brother, Felix, hunched on the floor before her and used his hands to push the brake and clutch pedals down.

As Ida adjusted the throttle lever, the battered car, hiccuping like a damp firecracker, swung into a sharp turn. Less brake! Ida called.

Where we at? Felix called up as he leaned onto the right pedal.

It’s ‘Where are we?’ his older sister corrected.

You’re not my teacher! Just tell me!

We’re close. Less brake!

The car bumped along, causing the old tin syrup can filled with their lunch to bounce on the seat beside Ida. Behind them, dust twirled out like an unraveling rope, momentarily hiding the high ring of snowcapped mountains that surrounded the valley.

As the car churned up a hill—with enough backfiring to suggest a small war had erupted—Ida caught sight of Tom Kohl and his younger sister, Mary, riding bareback on their mule, Ruckus. Best friends, Ida and Tom were forever talking about all kinds of things: their plans, their friends, their families, what was going on in the valley.

Seeing him, Ida grinned, reached over the door—the car had no windows—and squeezed the horn bulb attached to the outside of the car. Honnnk! Honnnk!

At the loud gooselike sound, Ruckus gave a little buck. Though startled, Tom skillfully reined the mule to the side of the road, then turned around and pushed his floppy flaxen hair out of his eyes. Seeing Ida’s slow-moving car, he smiled and yelled, Get yourself a mule!

Join the twentieth century! she shouted back.

Who’s there? Felix called from the floor.

Tom and Mary. Now pay attention. We’re almost there. Brake easy!

The car finally rounded the last bend, bringing Elk Valley’s schoolhouse into view. The building stood in the middle of its own small north-south valley, through which the dirt road ran. To the east low hills gave way to higher ground, woods, and mountains. West it was much the same. Squat and square, the school building had a pitched roof and a small bell steeple at the south end. The painted but peeling white clapboard walls had three windows on each side. Beyond the school stood two privies, one for boys and one for girls. To the south was a small shallow pond. In front of the school stood a flagpole not far from a water pump as well as a lopsided teeter-totter.

Clutch to neutral and brake! Ida shouted as she aimed the car toward its regular parking place, only to realize that another car—one she didn’t recognize—was already there.

Hold on! Ida screamed. With all her strength, she turned the wheel hard about, then yelled Brake! as she grabbed the hand lever and pulled back.

Barely avoiding a crash, the old Ford came to a lurching halt next to the other car. Its motor gave one more enormous backfire, sputtered, chuffed twice, then died with a shuddering sigh.

We’re here, Ida announced. Her heart was pounding.

What happened? Felix asked

Another car was parked in our spot. I almost hit it.

Whose car?

Don’t know.

Ida tightened the brake, then untied the rope that held the side door shut. With a squeak it swung open. Out you go! she called.

Felix, crawling headfirst, slipped down to the ground.

I hate this, he complained as he stretched his arms and legs.

Beats walking five miles both ways, Ida said as she got out and looked toward the school. She brushed the dust from her braided brown hair and checked to see if her blue ribbons were still tied tightly. Then she smoothed down her gingham dress. Of all the dresses her mother had made for her, this was her favorite.

Herbert Bixler, Charley and Susie Spool, and Natasha Golobin were seated on the school’s front porch. As Ida and Felix approached, they all looked up.

Looky here! Herbert shouted gleefully. I’m back!

And he’s already tried to tie my shoelaces together, Susie complained.

Herbert lifted one of his bare feet and wiggled his toes. Guess I don’t know much about how shoes work, he said.

Ida ignored him. Whose car is that? she asked.

Natasha, who was a year younger than Ida, replied, Mr. Jordan’s.

Mr. Jordan was the owner-operator of Wally’s Mighty Fine Emporium, Elk Valley’s feed and grocery store. He was also head of the school board.

Guess he can park anywhere he wants, Ida acknowledged. How come he’s here?

Herbert shrugged. Dunno.

Is Miss Fletcher here? Felix asked.

Inside, Charley assured them. Charley and Susie, who lived just over the hill, were always the first to get to school.

What’s Mr. Jordan’s car doing here? Tom called as he slid off Ruckus, then helped his sister down. He come for inspection? As always, Tom tied the mule to the rear bumper of the Bidsons’ car with enough rope to allow for grazing.

No one knows, Ida replied.

Just then the schoolhouse door opened and Miss Fletcher appeared. A slight, middle-aged woman with dark hair piled atop her head, she was dressed in a simple blue cotton dress.

Children, she said, come in quickly, please. There’s grave news to share.

The children exchanged puzzled looks.

What’s that supposed to mean? Herbert muttered as soon as Miss Fletcher went back in.

"Shhh! Ida hissed at him. Don’t sass!"

Felix said, She didn’t even say her regular ‘Good morning.’

Natasha added, Wasn’t even smiling.

Guess we better get ourselves in and see, Tom said, always the logical one.

Without another word, the children climbed up the porch stairs and filed inside.

The school had but one room. Built entirely of wood from the nearby Columbine lumber mill, the building was twenty years old. Most of the room was filled with ancient low benches and long student desks etched with countless initials. The desks were older than the school building. To the right of the front door was the boys’ wardrobe. On the other side was the girls’. Miss Fletcher’s desk stood on the left, close to a small wall-mounted blackboard, which at the moment was perfectly clean.

An aspen switch—for discipline—hung alongside the board. Next to that was the school’s library, a small bookcase containing some fifteen tattered books plus a few old magazines.

A round, iron wood-burning stove stood to the right, opposite the teacher’s desk. Kerosene lamps were fastened on each wall along with pictures of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and a chart of the Palmer script alphabet. There were also pull-down maps of Colorado, the

Reviews for The Secret School

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This spunky girl takes on almost more than she can haul tale seriously pushes the bounds of credulity but stays charming enough that we want to believe and doesn't quite cloy.

[blbooks-14314 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First sentence: On a cool Monday morning in early April 1925, Ida Bidson, aged fourteen, carefully guided her family's battered Model T Ford along a narrow, twisting dirt road in Elk Valley, Colorado. "Brake and clutch!" she shouted. Ida, only four-feet-eleven and unable to reach the floor of the car, knelt on the torn seat and gripped the steering wheel tightly. Her seven-year-old brother, Felix, hunched on the floor before her and used his hands to push the brake and clutch pedals down. Premise/plot: Ida desperately wants the chance to go to high school. Ultimately she wants to go to "normal school" and get her teaching certificate as well. But this eighth grader may not get the chance to graduate eighth grade dashing all her future dreams. Why? Well, their current teacher is leaving abruptly--a family emergency. The school board had decided to end the term early. The two eighth graders wouldn't get a chance to take their final [final, final] exams and graduate. The two wouldn't be permitted to go on to high school the next school term. But Ida, well, she has BIG dreams. And when someone suggests that she should be their teacher for the rest of the term, well, it makes a lot of sense. It has risks, for sure. She'll be a secret teacher at a secret school. Will she get a chance to take her exam? Will she be going to high school after all?My thoughts: I love, love, love stories of one-room schoolhouses. This one was a PERFECTLY PERFECT fit for me. I loved getting to know Ida. I loved getting to know all her classmates/students. I felt the story was fleshed out. It felt very REAL. I cared about these students and their families. I wanted more, more, more. I don't know WHY I'm just now discovering this one. But I am super thankful I read it.

[christopher.kyle1706 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is 1925, and Ida Bidson is just an 8th Grader in school, but when something tragic happens all goes downhill until Ida Bidson steps in to become a teacher of "The Secret School"
I really liked this book because it show determination in Ida, and her students. My favorite part was when they received great news that they can run The Secret School to pass their grade. My favorite character was Ida for stepping up and doing to right thing to help the students of the school, and to help her. My least favorite character was Mr.Jordan for ruining the dreams of the children throughout the book. Read The Secret School to find out more.

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Elk Valley, Colorado, April 1925; a poor area of sheep ranchers. A single room schoolhouse with eight students from grades 1 to 8. Benches, pot bellied stove for heat, well-used books to study from and Miss Fletcher as teacher.

When the children arrive, that April day, they are told that Miss Fletcher has to leave to go take care of her ailing mother and the school will be closed for the rest of the year. An early start to summer vacation!! But when the children stop and think about it they realize that the whole school year will be for nothing. Ida and Tom, the eighth graders, won't be able to take the final test that will allow them to go on to high school. Something both of them have worked hard for. The young ones won't advance to the next level. They will have to repeat the school year. What to do?

After thinking it over and taking a vote, they decide to create a 'secret' school. Ida will be the teacher and they won't tell the school board as they know it would be shut down. Everyone is sworn to secrecy.

Will they be able to pull it off? Will they be able to take the tests and move up to the next grade? With home chores, papers to grade and her own work to learn, will Ida pass the test.

Life is not easy in this part of the country and at this time. The story gives a good illustration. Entertaining and written so that the reader wants to read it. A good read.

[dukefan86 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this audiobook. The story was a sweet one, with nice character dynamics.

[kathleen586 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I actually read this book when it published as a newspaper serial story in The Sacramento Bee. I think it may have been abridged.

[dd450 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was a good book to me.It was funny when the car went into the ditch and they got all muddy.I liked when she became a privite teacher at a secret school and know body new.I also liked when the school board lady came in and almost closed the school.The muel got into the school.And to find out other events you will have to read the book The School Story by AVI

[wade33-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a kind of a good book.This book is about this girl who is 14 and teaches at a secret school.Also,know one knows about it.

[elca0720 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

School gets shut down in a twon because the town can't afford it any more. The oldest student who is one year away from graduating steps up and becomes the teachers for all of the younger kids. They secretly run a school and are hoping not to get caught. This book is really cute. I enjoyed it.

[noelleon_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The secoret school.It starts when theres these girl named Ida and her little brother Felix they started driving through town to get to school felix is pushing down on the peddels whill ida is driving.I dont want to give the story away so I will real want you totry to read it I will realy recomended it.

[caro488 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

teacher leaves in the middle of the term, Ida wants to finish 8th grade so she can go on to high school, so the kids continue to arrive and study and leave, with the hep of the class troublemaker.

[kaydence_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Avi is one of the authors that I always expect great things from, and I am never disappointed when I read one of his books. The Secret School is about a fourth grade reading level, but perfect for a class that I teach of struggling readers. This quick read (about 150 pages, but larger print than normal) is about a valley of farmer's children that go to school in a one room schoolhouse. Their teacher is leaving because her mother is ill and the school board has decided to close the school. Then a student (Tom) decides that they could continue going to school if one of the other students (Ida) becomes the teacher. After a night of thinking about it, Ida decides that if the whole class agrees on it, then she will take over as teacher. The only thing is, they can't let the school board know, so the secret school is born. Ida learns that it is difficult becoming the teacher, as well as studying herself and working on the farm, but for the most part everything goes well, until... I'm sure that you can figure out some of the problems that erupt when you have a secret school, but you'll have to read the story to find out more. All in all, this is a great book that can get student's thinking about what it was like when everyone went to school in the same room regardless of age. There are lessons about motivation and helping one another as well. As a teacher, I would encourage others to take a deeper look at what it would be like if we were not forced to get an education. I think that if our students begin to really look at what privileges they have now, they might not be so upset when they have to get up in the morning or do their homework. Also, there are tons of history lessons that can pop up from discussing this book. It's a small book but can lead off to greater things. I highly recommend it to beginning novel readers, struggling older readers, or teachers that want something quick and sweet to start off their units.

[srssrs_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is another great book by Avi. What is best about Avi is his ability to write in so many genres. This fiction pieces is set out west in the 1920s and is about children in a rural area fighting to get an education when the real teacher is called away for the rest of the term. The motley group of children vote the smartest 8th grader in as teacher and agree to keep their experiment in education a secret. Avi does a great job in keeping the reader engaged in what could have been a very dull book. However, Avi has great skill in character development, and never leaves the reader frustrated by a slow plot or static characters.

[kelley12-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ida wants to get to high school but she can not because the school is shutting down. So she trys to be the teacher. but it does not work out with her eing in school and being teacher and having crushes.