Historical Fiction

The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts
By Richard Peck

It's a rural Indiana August in 1904. Russell Culver is 15 and can barely wait until he and his friend Charlie Parr take off for the Dakotas to work as harvesters, using the latest innovation in farming - the all steel threshing machine. Russell has been secretly planning this trip for what seems like ages. Going to back to school is the last thing he wants to do. So when the teacher, Miss Myrt Arbuckle, dies practically on the eve of the new school year it seems a miracle. Maybe now the school board will decide that it's best to shut down Hominy Ridge School for good.

No such luck.

Soon Russell finds himself under the instruction of the last person he wants teaching him orthography - his older sister, Tansy. Despite Randall's attempts to disuade Tansy - stuffing the school bell and (accidentally) bringing the boy's privy to near ruin, he soon finds that Tansy isn't all that bad of a teacher. Even Glenn Tarbox, who must be near 20 is coming to school on a regular basis and is actually learning to read!

Just when things seem to be going smoothly, a new sort of vandalism emerges, and this time Russell isn't behind it. A broken lock and a snake in the teacher's desk are hardly harmless. Never mind that Charlie and Glenn are in some kind of competition for Tansy's attention that Russell simply cannot comprehend. That, and Eugene Hammond, a salesman for an automobile manufacturer in Terre Haute has been sending quite impressive gifts to the school house.

Russell begins to wonder if he'll ever make it to the Dakotas. Charlie seems in no hurry to leave and Russell certainly can't go alone. Though he has no intention of finishing out the school year, Tansy has other, far grander plans for him.

This fabulously comedic book set in 1904 rural Indiana truly captures the spirit of the time. What was once done by hand or with a horse an plow can now be done by huge steel machines. Russell, like many boys of the time, thought they had never seen anything so beautiful as the large metal farm equipment brought in on the railroad. This was a time before standards in education, where many students and even some parents had difficulty seeing the need for education beyond junior high. This was also the dawning of the era of the automobile. Both fascinating and terrifying, these machines would soon be making their way across the country to become familiar rather than outlandish sites.

Peck offers what I believe to be a mostly accurate depiction of life during the period. Before the Great War, and even the Great Depression, there is a sense of both naivety about Russell. Students will identify with his school and family issues and find themselves laughing at the situations he finds himself in. Though Russell is 15, I would say that this is most definitely a book for junior high students. Though some high school readers might appreciate Peck's humor, most will likely find that the book reads a little "young" for them.

I have loved every one of Peck's books that I have read, and this was no exception. I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading it. I would recommend this to both male and female readers for grades 6-8. It is high interest enough that it would likely attract accelerated readers in grades 4 & 5. The humor and easy flow of the book makes it a great pick for reluctant readers. This is true of all Peck's books. I read A Long Way From Chicago with my 6th grade class and they enjoyed it so much we read the follow-up, A Year Down Yonder, as well.

Book Talk Hook:
As Russell Culver

I never was one for schoolin'. That summer I certainly wasn't looking forward to going back to school. Heck, I was 15 and not even close to passing the 8th grade graduation examination. I figured I could stick it out until the time came for me and Charlie to leave for the Dakotas though. Miss Myrt, our teacher, was old as dirt - she could barely whup kids anymore and besides I figured I should stick it out with my kid brother Lloyd until I left. Then, when Miss Myrt up and died out of nowhere, we all figured it was a miracle sent down from heaven.

Boy were we wrong.