Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time facts for kids
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| Author | Lisa Yee |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Contemporary Fiction |
| Published | October 1, 2005 Arthur A. Levine Books |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 304 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0-439-62247-6 |
| OCLC | 57452420 |
| LC Class | PZ7.Y3638 Sta 2005 |
Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time is an exciting novel written by Lisa Yee. It tells the story from the perspective of Stanford Wong, a character also seen in the book Millicent Min, Girl Genius. This book lets you see the world through Stanford's eyes!
Stanford's Summer Challenge
Stanford Wong is a fun-loving kid who loves basketball. He's really good at it! He's super excited for summer. His plan is to spend every day at the park with his best friends. These friends are Stretch, Gus, Tico, and Digger. He also plans to go to a special basketball camp. There, he hopes to learn from professional players.
But then, his English teacher, Mr. Glick, gives him bad news. Stanford got an F on his last book report about the book Holes. This means he failed English class! Now, instead of basketball camp, Stanford has to go to summer school. And it gets worse. His mom hires a tutor for him. This tutor is his biggest rival, Millicent Min.
Millicent Min is a child genius. She is only eleven years old but is already in her last year of high school. Stanford thinks she is a "world-class jerk." Millicent dislikes Stanford just as much as he dislikes her.
Problems Pile Up
Stanford's situation gets even harder. His dad starts spending less time at home. His grandmother, who is getting older, moves to a quiet retirement home. Millicent makes their study sessions tough for him. Also, Stanford told his friends he passed English easily. Now, it's getting harder to hide the truth from them.
Things start to look a little better when a new girl arrives. Her name is Emily Ebers, and she is very pretty. Emily likes Stanford right away, and he likes her too. But there's a problem: Emily is Millicent Min's only friend.
It seems Millicent doesn't want Emily to know how smart she is. Emily thinks Millicent is homeschooled. She also believes that Stanford is Millicent's tutor! Stanford goes along with this lie. He thinks Emily won't like him if she knows he isn't smart.
In a surprising way, Stanford and Millicent start to become friends. They both care about Emily. Because of this, they also grow closer to each other.
When Secrets Come Out
Soon, everything starts to fall apart. Emily accidentally finds out Stanford and Millicent's secret. She gets upset with both of them. It's not because of how smart they are. It's because they lied to her.
Another classmate, Digger Ronster, plays basketball with Stanford. Digger knows Stanford's real grade on his book report. Digger uses this information to make Stanford lose basketball games on purpose. Stanford feels very sad and depressed. All his lies have been discovered.
But then, things get better. Emily forgives Stanford. His friends also forgive him for lying about his English grade. Digger stops bothering Stanford when he realizes his blackmail won't work anymore. Millicent and Stanford also make up after arguing about Emily. Emily even kisses Stanford on the cheek, and they start dating!
At the end of the story, Stanford's dad shares some news. He had been working very hard to get a promotion. His boss offered him the new job. However, this promotion would mean moving to New York. Stanford gets angry about this idea. But his dad tells him he didn't take the job. He explains that he realized he had been too busy for his family. He wants to spend more time with them. Now that he turned down the promotion, he will have more free time for Stanford. The book ends with Stanford thinking, "I have so much to tell my dad." Later that night, he falls asleep wearing his favorite Alan Scott BK620s shoes.
Awards and Recognition
Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time has received several special awards:
