Miss Agnes and the Ginger Tom

In the previous book, The Year of Miss Agnes, it s 1948 and a new teacher comes to teach in the tiny Athabascan village on the Koyukuk River in Alaska. Ten-year-old Fred tells why Miss Agnes is the best teacher they ve ever had in their one-room school, and different in every way. ln the sequel, Miss Agnes and the Ginger Tom, their wonderful teacher is back. And she s brought a cat, the first they ve ever seen. But how long will she stay? Miss Agnes has arranged for her extraordinarily gifted student, Jimmy Sam, to go away to a college prep school outside. If he can pass the test. Miss Agnes starts Jimmy on a rigorous program of study for the test and Fred and the others learn right along with him. The whole village is part of Miss Agnes school. She s brought boxes of books and soon everyone in town is reading something from the school bookshelves. And she s brought a movie projector so the village people can see movies for the first time. The village s anxiety increases as the school year goes on, waiting for Jimmy s test. Grandma says it s hutlaanee, bad luck, to talk about the test, but they can t help it. If Jimmy doesn t pass it he will have to leave school next year to do a man s work with his father and brother, all his dreams of being a scientist come to nothing.