Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Acknowledgements
Can You Fall Into Social Acceptance?
“I can’t believe you did this, Emma-Jean! Why did you have to butt in? I didn’t ask you to!”
“Yes you did,” Emma-Jean said. “You said you wanted help.”
“I didn’t mean it! Why would I want help from YOU? Why are you even here?”
Emma-Jean didn’t know what to do. Colleen was telling her to leave, and yet she was obviously in deep distress. Emma-Jean wanted to assist her, but Colleen didn’t seem to want her help.
Colleen was crying loudly now, sobbing, sputtering, and gasping. The sound made Emma-Jean’s head ache. It was the worst sound Emma-Jean had ever heard. It was worse than slamming lockers or the screeching of car tires. This was the sound of misery. Of grief. Of things you couldn’t control. Emma-Jean had heard a sound like this once before in her life. When her father died, Emma-Jean herself had made this sound.
Emma-Jean rushed toward the window, away from Colleen and her sobs.
“Emma-Jean!” Colleen called.
Emma-Jean stepped up to the windowsill and climbed out onto the magnolia tree.
“Emma-Jean, no!” Colleen shouted.
Emma-Jean started climbing down, but in her haste her foot slipped. She fell back into the cold air—down, down, down. And then she was lying in the cold dirt, staring up at the bright winter sky.
OTHER BOOKS YOU MAY ENJOY
AN INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN TARSHIS
In middle school, were you more like Emma-Jean or Colleen?
I was like Colleen in many ways. Like Colleen, I wished I could be “Super Not-Care Girl,” because I cared about everything. I was always sure my breath smelled like egg salad and that something was stuck between my teeth and that my best friend was going to pick someone else (she never did, by the way; we’re still best friends). My clay mug exploded in the kiln and I couldn’t finish the mile in gym (though I didn’t cry). Like Colleen, I had a small group of best friends who got me through. I was a little like Emma-Jean too, though, in that I was always observing everyone around me. I was—and still am—fascinated by how people behave, and sometimes confused about why people aren’t kinder to each other.
If you could describe Emma-Jean Lazarus in one word, what would it be?
Strange, in the best sense of the word.
How about Colleen Pomerantz?
Nice, in every possible way, even when she shouldn’t be!
And Laura Gilroy? Will Keeler?
Laura Gilroy: selfish. Laura doesn’t just think she is the most important person in the world. She thinks she is the only person in the world. People like Laura don’t actually mean to be so awful and hurtful. It’s just that she never stops to wonder how anyone else is feeling.
Will Keeler: himself. Will is comfortable with who he is. He knows what’s right and wrong. This is what the other kids admire about Will, not just that he is cute and a great basketball player, but that he is strong within himself.
Emma-Jean inherited her father’s love of Jules Henri Poincare. What made you choose Poincare to be such an important part of Emma-Jean’s concept of herself?
Poincare wasn’t just a brilliant mathematician. He was a man with a big heart and spirit. This is what I admired about him, and why I chose him to be Eugene Lazarus’s hero and Emma-Jean’s, too. (But to be honest with you, I don’t really understand his theories. I’ve tried, but he’s just way too smart for me.)
Was Henri the parakeet inspired by a pet from your past?
My good friends Gloria and Larry had a parakeet named Zimmerman. They loved this bird so much and let him fly around the house. He would perch on their shoulders and always seemed to be keeping an eye on everything and everyone. Gloria and Larry are from the Bronx, in New York City, and they both have very thick New York accents. And so did Zimmy.
What book has had the biggest impact on you and your writing?
There are three books that I read over and over again while I was trying to learn how to write a novel for kids. They were:The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods
by Ann Cameron
This is a quiet book set in the late 1950s, with a wonderful main character, Amanda, who is slowly coming out of the shadow of her older sister. Ann has a beautiful style of writing, very spare. There is not one extra word in the whole book. I really studied Ann’s writing to learn her techniques.
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town,
by Kimberly Willis Holt
This book is set in a small Texas town, and you really feel that you are right there with all the characters, waiting on line to pay a dollar to see the fattest boy in the world. From Kimberly, I tried to learn how to create characters that were believable, that were connected to each other in ways that made you care about their relationships.
Walk Two Moons
by Sharon Creech
This is a book about a girl named Sal whose mother has left her life for reasons that aren’t clear until the completely shocking ending. I read this book over and over to see how Sharon wove together all of her subplots. So much happens in this book, but it never feels too busy.
What was the biggest challenge in writing your first novel?
Everything about writing is challenging to me, especially figuring out how to keep the plot moving, and how to get the characters to grow in the ways they need to. But I love these challenges, which is why I keep writing, why I wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote for about ten years, finishing two pretty horrible novels before I started on Emma-Jean. If I hadn’t written those bad novels, I wouldn’t have written Emma-Jean . And so the biggest challenge was—and is—to keep going, even when I don’t like what appears on the page.
What is your favorite scene in the book?
My favorite scene is when Emma-Jean discovers that Vikram and his mother have repaired her quilt, when she is sitting on her bed. That scene took a very long time to write, and it was only in the very last draft of the book.
Have you gotten fan mail or other responses to your novel that made a big impression on you?
I have gotten so many amazing letters from readers from around the country. I’ve also gotten letters from parents and teachers. I am surprised by how many people, boys and girls, young people and older people, completely relate to both Emma-Jean and Colleen. I always write back that minute because I am so touched to think of someone reading my book, liking my book, and taking the time to write to me. I’ve also visited many, many schools since the book came out, and met thousands of kids, which has been an incredible experience. The most common question is: Will there be any more Emma-Jean books? And I’m happy to say there will be one more.
Do you have any advice for young writers?
Write and write and write, like I did. And don’t worry if what you wri
te at first isn’t any good. Think about the first time you tried to do a cartwheel, or the first time you shot a basketball, or the first time you made cookies. Were you instantly a great gymnast or basketball player or chef? Probably not. But the more you practice, the better you get, and that’s how it is with writing. Another bit of advice: Read your favorite books over and over again. Ask yourself: What is so great about this? Keep a notebook handy and write down the sentences that made you laugh or cry or think. Study those sentences. Learn from them.
When you’re not writing, what kinds of things do you enjoy doing?
I have a busy life, so busy that I have to literally hide myself away to write. I sneak off to the public library and sit in a secret room near a window where nobody can find me. When I’m not hiding in my secret sunny library corner, I’m working at my job, which is the best job in the world. I’m the editor of Scholastic’s Storyworks magazine, which is a language arts magazine for kids in the fourth to sixth grades. I get to write exciting stories about man-eating lions and avalanches and think of fun ways to get kids to learn grammar and writing. And when I’m not working, I am with my husband and four children, which is my favorite thing of all.
Can you tell us anything about your next writing project?
I’m working on a sequel to Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree. It’s called (I hope you like the title) Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love. It picks up where the last book leaves off, six weeks later. Emma-Jean is trying to unlock the mysteries of friendship . . . and love. And she’s still trying to help her peers solve their messy problems, with surprising results for everyone.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
by Lauren Tarshis
1. The book tells the story from Emma-Jean’s point of view, and also from Colleen’s. How do the two points of view differ? Do the chapters about Emma-Jean sound different from the ones about Colleen? What do you learn from each point of view?
2. Emma-Jean does fall out of Colleen’s magnolia tree, but the book’s title is also a metaphor. What do you think it means?
3. “Emma-Jean disliked disorder of any kind, and had thus made it her habit to keep herself separate.” How does Emma-Jean relate to the people at her school? Her family? Is she really as separate from her classmates as she thinks she is?
4. How would Colleen be different if she was “Super Not-Care Girl”? Would she really be happier if she could ignore other people?
5. Emma-Jean compares Laura Gilroy to a peacock and an alpha chimp. Why does she talk about her peers as animals? What qualities does Laura Gilroy in particular have to get such comparisons?
6. How did Emma-Jean connect to her father before he died? How does she do so after his death?
7. Emma-Jean tells Ms. Wright the story of her name. What does Emma-Jean’s name mean to her? Why is telling the story important?
8. How does Vikram change life in the Lazarus house?
9. Why does Colleen decide to tell Laura Gilroy her feelings before the dance? How has Colleen changed?
10. Emma-Jean’s mother tells her Eugene Lazarus’s favorite Poincare quote: “It is by logic that we prove, but it is in our hearts that we discover life’s possibilities.” What does the quote mean to Elizabeth Lazarus? To Emma-Jean? What does the quote mean to you?
11. To solve her classmates’ problems, Emma-Jean forges two letters. Is that an acceptable solution? Why or why not? How else might she have tried to help?
12. Emma-Jean and Colleen have known each other for years, but their relationship changes after Emma-Jean finds Colleen crying in the bathroom. How does it change? What do they learn from each other?
13. Toward the end of the book, Colleen resolves to “tell Kaitlin and Valerie and Michele how Emma-Jean had tried to help her, and that once they got to know Emma-Jean they’d see that she wasn’t so weird, not really, and even if she was a little weird, she was such a good person, it didn’t matter.” Do you agree with Colleen that Emma-Jean’s goodness makes her worthy of friendship even if she isn’t like the other girls?
ANTI-BULLYING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
by Lauren Tarshis and Robin Friedman
1. Emma-Jean and Colleen compare Laura Gilroy to a chimp. How does the animal comparison fit Laura’s behavior? In what ways is a bully different from an alpha chimp?
2. Colleen says she would prefer the axe murderer from her nightmares to an angry Laura Gilroy. Why is Laura scarier?
3. “How could Colleen explain how it was with girls like Laura—girls who never told you your haircut looked pretty or your new shoes were cool . . . How could a girl like that make everyone want to be her friend?” How does Laura get friends? Who is she mean to most often? Why?
4. Colleen says Laura Gilroy can make her feel like the “tiniest bug,” or even invisible. How does this behavior affect people?
5. Out of their group of friends, Laura Gilroy seems to upset Colleen in particular. Why is Colleen so vulnerable to her?
6. Kaitlin suggests that Laura Gilroy is jealous because Kaitlin and Colleen are best friends. Is that true? Why might that make someone act cruelly?
7. Will Keeler intervenes when Brandon bothers Emma-Jean in the cafeteria. His actions cause him to be suspended for the rest of the day. What else might Will have done to assist Emma-Jean without getting in trouble?
8. “For as long as Colleen could remember, kids had snickered about Emma-Jean behind her back. But never Colleen!” Why is Colleen different? How is it that she is an ally to Emma-Jean?
9. Mr. Johannsen tries to protect both Emma-Jean and Colleen from bullies. How does he help? Is he the only adult who offers assistance? How else can adults intervene?
10. Emma-Jean’s mother suggests they look up the definition of Brandon Mahoney’s taunt, “strange.” How does Emma-Jean feel afterward? How else could you cope with name-calling?
11. . Why does Colleen finally stand up to Laura Gilroy? Do you think things will change?
12. Father William tells Colleen that he sometimes makes people feel silly when they try to discuss their problems. In what ways does his behavior differ from someone like Laura Gilroy?
DIAL BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
A division of Penguin Young Readers Group, Published by The Penguin Group
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Copyright © 2007 by Lauren Tarshis • Illustrations © 2007 by Kristin Smith
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
eISBN : 978-1-4406-3138-2
[1. Interpersonal relations—Fiction. 2. Problem solving—Fiction.
3. Middle schools—Fiction. 4. Schools—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.T211115Em 2007 [Fic]—dc22 2006018428
http://us.penguingroup.com
To my morn and dad
To David
To Leo, Jeremy, Dylan, and Valerie
with love
Chapter 1
Emma-Jean Lazarus knew very well that a few of the seventh-grade girls at William Gladstone Middle School were criers. They
cried if they got a 67 on an algebra test or if they dropped their retainer into the trash in the cafeteria. They cried if their clay mug exploded in the kiln and when they couldn’t finish the mile in gym. Two even cried in science, when Mr. Petrowski announced it was time to dissect a sheep’s eyeball. Of course Emma-Jean had no intention of participating in such a barbaric and unhygienic activity. But crying was not a logical way to express one’s opposition to the seventh-grade science curriculum. Emma-Jean submitted a memo to Mr. Petrowski, detailing her objections to the dissection point by point. He had excused her from the project.
Colleen Pomerantz was not one of the criers. Which was why Emma-Jean was so surprised when, on a cold February afternoon, she walked into the girls’ room and discovered Colleen leaning over the sink with tears pouring down her face.
Emma-Jean’s first thought was that Colleen had been injured. The halls of William Gladstone were crowded and hectic. It was possible that Colleen had been struck in the head by a carelessly slung backpack, or accidentally elbowed in the eye by a rambunctious seventh-grade boy.
Emma-Jean approached Colleen, ready to administer basic first aid if necessary.
“Are you hurt?” Emma-Jean asked.
Colleen shook her head and said in a loud voice, “Oh no! I’m really fine.” She straightened her body and smiled.
Emma-Jean peered into Colleen’s freckled face. She saw no blood or bruising or swelling. Colleen’s pupils appeared normal. But even so, Emma-Jean was quite sure that Colleen was not fine. Certainly Colleen was not really fine. Emma-Jean spent much of her time observing people, trying to understand them better. Really fine people did not have blood-shot eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
“No,” Emma-Jean said. “I do not think you are fine.”
Colleen’s smile quivered, then collapsed over her braces.
“You’re right, Emma-Jean,” Colleen whispered. “The truth is I’m not doing well at all. I’m having some trouble, bad trouble, with some of my friends. . . .” Colleen shook her head. “Some people . . . aren’t nice.”
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree Page 1