Mommy Brain

The Teacher’s Funeral : A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck was the perfect read-aloud to start our homeschool year. I wanted something light and funny and easy to listen to, and Michelle loaned us her copy of this great book.

15-year-old Russell and his younger brother Lloyd are overjoyed when their teacher, the fire-breathing Miss Myrt, dies at the end of summer vacation. Russell is convinced that the school board won’t be able to find a replacement in time, and that school will be called off. That’s fine with him, cause he’s dead set on heading to the Dakotas to be a farm hand anyway.

Of course, Russell is wrong, and when he finds out who his new teacher is, his troubles are just beginning. This book is filled with side-splitting stories involving snakes, ditches, a character named Aunt Fanny Hamline , and Russell’s attempts to de-rail his sister’s career as an educator.

This is a very fun read-aloud, especially if you like doing all them down-home, countrified voices.