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

Russell Culver, 15 years old, is raring to light out for the Dakotas to join one of the team of harvesters working the new 1904 all-steel Case Special threshing machine.  The only thing standing in his way is school.

Lucky for him, his teacher just dropped dead weeks before the start of school.  Hopefully, the school board will decide there aren't enough students to hire another teacher and keep the school open.

No such luck.  Russell and his schoolmates are about to get the teacher of their nightmares -- Russell's sister Tansy.

Despite stolen supplies, vandalism, privy fires, and snakes, Russell discovers the new school year isn't as bad as he first thought.  In fact, it might just give him a new dream.



This is another great historical book from Richard Peck looking at rural Indiana in 1904.  Readers will enjoy hearing how people thought differently about education years ago.  This would be a great book for boys to read.