Because of the Rabbit

Shona, a younger kid from Emma’s homeschool group, recognizes her in the busy school hallway and guides Emma to the fifth-grade classroom. Emma finds her desk in a group of four. She reads and memorizes the names of the other three students: “Jack, Leah, Iris. Jack, Leah, Iris” (51). Excited, Emma joins her classmates on the rug in front of their teacher, Ms. Hutton. Looking around she wonders who her best friend will be.

Ms. Hutton starts a game of “Two Truths and a Lie” (53). Emma, unfamiliar with school rules, forgets to raise her hand and shouts out a question. She is embarrassed by her mistake, but Ms. Hutton is kind and encouraging, making all the students feel included and important. The teacher’s assistant, Ms. Martel, is there for the whole class, but she is really assigned to help Jack, who has special needs, stay on task without making him feel self-conscious.

Back at their desks, Emma introduces herself but avoids sharing that she was homeschooled. Ms. Hutton instructs the class to write down two truths and one lie. Emma writes down: “We once had a beaver in our barn” and “I’ve hatched frogs in our bathroom at home” for the truths and “I love dill pickles” for the lie (58).