Book Review: Ms. Bixby's Last Day

Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson

Okay, this one is very special. Three sixth-grade boys have one of *those* special teachers -- the kind that every kid deserves. The kind that finds what is special about each student and leads the student to discover it. The kind that saves student doodles out of the trash, or goes to bat for the student against a helicopter parent. Ms. Bixby tells her class that she is suffering from a rare form of cancer, and will need to take the remainder of the school year off. The class looks forward to sending her off for treatment with a big party they plan, but her condition is serious enough that she leaves earlier than expected. Our three boys: Topher, Steve, and Brand, skip school on Friday with a pretty difficult to-do list (for 6th graders) when they overhear that she will be flown to Boston for a specialized treatment on Saturday. The odds are against their success, and indeed, they face disaster at every turn. The story alternates between each of the boys as slowly they reveal aspects of their lives, and why they are each so affected by Ms. Bixby. The book, as you might expect, is heartbreaking. I just ache for those boys, and of course, for Ms. Bixby. Truly every student deserves a Ms. Bixby.