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    The Secret School
    The Secret School
    The Secret School
    Audiobook2 hours

    The Secret School

    Written by Avi

    Narrated by Johanna Parker

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    In 1925 Colorado, 14-year-old Ida Bidson dreams of becoming a teacher, but she knows it won't be easy. When the school board closes the town's one-room school, threatening to keep Ida from finishing eighth grade and moving on to high school, it looks like her dream will never come true. Then she and her classmates come up with a plan for a secret school-with Ida as their teacher!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 8, 2013
    ISBN9781470354121
    Author

    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.           

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    Reviews for The Secret School

    4/5

    155 ratings15 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Enjoyed this book. The narrator was easy to listen to. The story was well written.
    • 5/5
      Very nice and relaxing story. Perfect for this time of the year !
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this audiobook. The story was a sweet one, with nice character dynamics.
    • 3/5
      I actually read this book when it published as a newspaper serial story in The Sacramento Bee. I think it may have been abridged.
    • 4/5
      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
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 2/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.