Just Call Me Stupid

Fifth-grader Patrick can’t read, but when the new girl next door encourages him to overcome his fears and try, he starts believing he isn’t so stupid after all

Patrick Lowe has always loved imagining his own fantastic stories of brave knights and dragons. Unfortunately, every time he tries to read, his father’s voice pops up in his head telling him he’s stupid, and the words on the page suddenly become too blurry to see. By his fifth grade year, Patrick has stopped trying to read altogether. He doesn’t think he needs any friends, but his new next-door neighbor Celina just won’t leave him alone. As Patrick and Celina slowly become friends, Celina starts reading The Sword and the Stone to him every afternoon. Patrick is entranced by this mythical world of white knights and vicious beasts, magic and adventure, but no matter how hard he tries, he himself still cannot read.
 
But when Celina betrays his trust, Patrick finds himself betting to the class bully that he can read a story to the entire school. Patrick is determined to show everyone that he’s no dummy, but can he get past his own fears and finally learn to read?

“Birdseye has composed a dramatic, insightful novel portraying a child’s reading problems. While the book’s vocabulary surpasses that of students with Patrick’s difficulties, the value of a support system providing care and understanding is clearly expressed.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Children will empathize with Patrick and be brought to tears when he finally recites his prizewinning story in front of the entire school. . . . A popular choice for individual reading, this novel may also spark classroom discussions about self-esteem, disabilities, and talents.” —Booklist
 
“Lively and well plotted, with funny—as well as touching—scenes and a satisfyingly upbeat ending.” —Kirkus Reviews

As a kid, Tom Birdseye was decidedly uninterested in writing—or any academic aspect of school, for that matter—never imagining that he would eventually become a published author. And yet, nineteen titles later—novels, picture books, and nonfiction—that is exactly what has happened. His work has been recognized for its excellence by the International Reading Association, Children’s Book Council, National Council of Social Studies, Society of School Librarians International, Oregon Library Association, and Oregon Reading Association, among others. Combined, his books have either won or been finalists for state children’s choice awards forty-three times. Life, it seems, is full of who’d-a-thought-its. He lives and writes in Corvallis, Oregon, but launches mountaineering expeditions to his beloved Cascades on a regular basis.