All of the Above, a novel by Shelley Pearsall
2008-2009 WAW nominee for Grades 6-8
August 17, 2008
Genre: realistic fiction
Characters: Mr. Collins, James Harris III, Rhondell, Sharice, Marcel, Willy Q., Aunt Asia
Setting: Washington Middle School, Cleveland, Ohio; Willy Q's Barbecue; Style R Us Hair Salon
Plot: Based on a true story, this novel is a series of revolving chapters, told from the point of view of each of the seven characters. Together they reveal their involvement in a math project, and their unfolding character development gained by working as a team.
Their goal is to break a Guinness Book of World Records by building a tetrahedron larger than seven feet tall. A tetrahedron is a geometric solid, shaped like a pyramid with a triangular base: Tetra- means "four," and -hedron means "base." Thus, tetrahedrons have four bases (or faces). All four faces are equilateral triangles.
The end of the novel includes Reader's Guide questions and instructions on how to build a tetrahedron.
