Fish in a Tree: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Mrs. Hall stands in front of Ally's desk, encouraging her to finish her page of writing about herself for her new teacher. Ally brushes off Mrs. Hall's insistences that Ally can do it, asking if Mrs. Hall would say the same thing if Ally were going to climb a tree using her teeth. Shay groans that Ally should act normally, Oliver throws himself on his desk laughing, and Albert, a bulky kid wearing a t-shirt that reads "Flint," sits up straight. Ally would rather write about vomiting at a birthday party than about herself.

Mrs. Hall reminds Ally that if she weren't drawing all the time, she could get her work done. Ally slides her drawings of being shot out of a cannon away and explains to the reader that she can't win. She's been to seven schools in seven years and at every one, she does her best—but her teachers say she doesn't try hard enough, is too messy, and is a careless speller. Ally always gets headaches looking at words on pages and often spells words differently on the same page.

The rest of the class starts to sigh. Ally knows that they're all thinking that she's a dumb freak and wonders why Mrs. Hall won't let her off the hook like she usually does. Ally tries to stall by asking Mrs. Hall if she's decided what to name her soon-to-be-born baby, but Mrs. Hall won't answer. Ally watches a "mind movie" of Mrs. Hall, dressed as a sheriff, drawing a line in the dirt between herself and Ally, who's dressed as a prisoner. Ally explains that these mind movies happen all the time and they offer her an escape from real life.

Ally picks up her pencil and scribbles all over her desk, and then explains to a flabbergasted Mrs. Hall that the scribbles were there when she sat down. Kids start laughing and Shay whispers loudly that Ally is a freak. Mrs. Hall sends Ally to the office but when Ally pleads to stay, Mrs. Hall seats her at the reading table. While Mrs. Hall cleans the desk, Ally squints at her paper and writes "Why?" over and over again, hoping that someone can answer the question.