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    Dexter the Tough
    Dexter the Tough
    Dexter the Tough
    Ebook84 pages1 hour

    Dexter the Tough

    By Margaret Peterson Haddix and Mark Elliott

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    I’m the new kid. I am tuf. This morning I beat up a kid.

    It’s only the first day of school for Dexter, but he’s already mad at the principal, and the secretary, and the janitor, and the kids who laugh at him. When his teacher tells the class to write a story, Dexter writes about how tough he is—and how he’s already gotten into a fight. Is any of Dexter’s story true? Why was the other boy crying before Dexter hit him? And why would the other boy still want to be Dexter’s friend?

    Even Dexter doesn’t know the answers to some of those questions. But as he deals with family problems, a persistent teacher, and a boy who’s strangely interested in floor wax, he discovers many surprises hidden in his own tale.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
    Release dateJun 18, 2013
    ISBN9781442497634
    Dexter the Tough
    Author

    Margaret Peterson Haddix

    Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm in Ohio. As a kid, she knew two girls who had the exact same first, middle, and last names and shared the same birthday—only one year apart—and she always thought that was bizarre. As an adult, Haddix worked as a newspaper reporter and copy editor in Indiana before her first book, Running Out of Time, was published. She has since written more than forty books for kids and teens, including the Greystone Secrets series, the Shadow Children series, the Missing series, the Children of Exile series, and lots of stand-alones. Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio, where they raised their two kids. You can learn more about her at haddixbooks.com.

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    Reviews for Dexter the Tough

    4.5/5

    10 ratings4 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I can connect to this book in some ways I loved it so much thank you to whoever wrote it
    • 5/5
      dexter is having hard times.His dad is sick and he moved.My favorite part is when they meet at the park.
    • 3/5
      He's mean, he's tough, he's in fourth grade, and he has a writing assignment. He's new to the school, and his first day is the worst ever, and then he beat up a kid. Will he be able to make friends? Will his parents ever come back?
    • 4/5
      This book is a great, quick read to understand why some students bully other students. It would be easy for students to understand and it will also help me work with students who are considered "a bully."Strengths: Great detail describing how the main character felt and the thoughts he was having throughout the story.Weaknesses: The author could have done a better job describing his old home setting and his new setting.

    Book preview

    Dexter the Tough - Margaret Peterson Haddix

    Chapter 1

    Dexter hated his new school already.

    It was only his first day—barely his first hour. So far Dexter had decided that he hated the principal, the school secretary, and the janitor. He hadn’t even met the janitor yet, but he hated him anyway. The janitor had made the floor so shiny and slick that Dexter slipped on it, falling right in front of a bunch of other kids.

    Dexter hated those kids, too. They laughed at him.

    Now he was standing in front of his new fourth-grade class, a sea of staring eyes.

    Dexter moved here from Cincinnati, his new teacher said. Dexter, would you like to tell us a little about yourself?

    No, Dexter said.

    The smile on his teacher’s face didn’t shrink at all.

    Well, that’s quite all right, Dexter, she said in a fake, cheerful voice. I know it can be kind of scary being new.

    Dexter wanted to say, Oh, no, I’m not scared. Not me. But the teacher was already showing him to his desk. Her too-wide smile stretched back almost to her ears.

    "It’s so wonderful that you’ve joined us today, Dexter, because we’re starting on the most exciting writing project," she said as Dexter slipped into his seat.

    She was wearing huge star earrings that seemed to twinkle at the class. He could tell already: She was going to be one of those sparkly, enthusiastic teachers.

    He hated that kind of teacher.

    Don’t you all want to hear what the project is? the teacher asked.

    Yes, Ms. Abbott, the whole class except Dexter chorused together.

    Disgusting. The other kids were going to be as sparkly and enthusiastic as the teacher.

    Great! the teacher said. "We’re going to be working on the same piece of writing every day for a month! We’re going to pretend we’re all professional writers, and that’s how they work. They don’t just write something and say, ‘Hurray! I’m done! Isn’t this wonderful?’ They write a story and then they go back and rewrite it, and revise it, and make it as good as possible. Some writers may rewrite the same story dozens of times! What do you think of that?"

    Dexter thought that professional writers must be pretty stupid. He wondered if he should add professional writers to the list of people he hated.

    We’ll start out today just writing the first draft, the teacher said, still all twinkly and cheerful. Get out a piece of paper and tell me a story. It can be a true story or it can be made up. But—her eyes seemed to rest on Dexter for a moment—I’d really like it if you could tell me a story that lets me know more about who you are!

    All the other kids started writing right away. Dexter sat frozen at his desk.

    Dexter? the teacher said. Don’t you have pencil and paper?

    Staring down at his empty desktop, Dexter shook his head. No. He didn’t have anything he needed.

    That’s okay, the teacher said, slipping a pencil into his hand and sliding paper onto his desk. I’ll send a note home with you tonight to let your parents know what school supplies to buy.

    Dexter clutched the pencil so hard he was surprised it didn’t snap in two.

    It’s my grandmother, he blurted.

    Excuse me? the teacher said, and for the first time, she didn’t look sparkly or twinkly. She looked confused.

    You have to send the note to my grandmother, not my parents, Dexter said, the words coming out in a rush. I live with her now.

    All right, the teacher said. No problem. Let’s get started writing, okay?

    Maybe it was no problem for her, but now there was a huge lump in Dexter’s throat, which made it hard for him to swallow. It kind of made it hard for him to breathe. He stared down at the blank sheet of paper on his desk. Every other kid in the class was writing like crazy. He could hear the pencils racing. He saw one girl already flipping over her sheet of paper, to start on her second page. Dexter couldn’t even remember exactly what he was supposed to be writing. Something about letting the teacher know who he was. Fine. He could do that.

    He gripped the pencil and printed:

    I’m the new kid. I am tuf.

    He put the pencil down.

    Some of you who finish early might want to start your revision process now, the teacher said from the front of the room. Add details, descriptions, examples!

    Examples.

    Dexter picked up his pencil again. His hand shook a little as he wrote:

    This morning I beat up a kid.

    It was kind of scary seeing those words in black and white. He stared down at his paper, and the words seemed to stare back at him. He put his hands over the paper so all he could see was one sentence: I am tuf.

    I am, he told himself. I am. So there.

    All right, everyone, the teacher said. Make sure your names are on your papers and hand them in. Even if you aren’t done, Marleeza.

    A girl in the front, who’d started waving one hand in the air, abruptly put her arm back down.

    Someone behind Dexter poked him in the shoulder and handed him a stack of papers. Dexter stuffed his own paper in the middle of the stack, so no one would see it. Then he handed the whole stack to

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