The Teacher's Funeral by Richard Peck

Summary:
Having your teacher die in August isn't a bad idea but a miracle for Russel Culver. Miss Myrt Arbuckle, a strict screaming teacher has unexpectedly passed away.  She was going to be Russel's new teacher for the new school year. After her death, Russel hopes that Hominy Ridge School will close, so he and his best friend, Lloyd, can leave their fathers' farms in Indiana to travel to North Dakota, where the farms are much bigger and the equipment and farming methods much more modern and so that he can make some money. Just when he thinks he is in the clear, and the one-room schoolhouse will be closed for good, the most unexpected person steps in to save the day, and the school. Russel's older and bossy, sister, Tansy, is hired to replace the Miss Arbuckly. He suffers under her tutelage as she treats him like any other student. He cannot react to her like any other teacher, however, as they still live under the same roof with their parents. His father, especially, makes him respect his sister in her new role.
Russel's dreams of travel are destroyed when some harmless pranks go wrong and he begins to learn what growing up is all about. His best friend vies for Russel's sister's attention with both an older student and a well-off gentleman who rides through the town in the first race car to see this county in Indiana.  Russell adventures during the school year and his academic endeavors are stretched as his sister tries new teaching methods on all of the students, who are a rather mismatched bunch in both background and age. Russel comes to grudgingly respect the efforts of his sister and even root for her as she tries to earn her teachers certificate.  In the end, Tansy passes her exams, finishes school, and leads Lloyd and Russell to high school, having passed their exams.  She knows the importance of education, and makes sure they do too. Russel does a lot of growing up by the end of the story.

Mrs. Garza's Thoughts:
As a teacher, the novel, The Teacher's Funeral, could be used to teach several different themes from the story.  Themes include friends and friendship, family and love, responsibility, school life, and America changing. I thought this book was funny! Having two younger brothers, I could relate to Tansy. I am the older sister with two younger brothers that's the teacher! I taught at the same elementary school that my one of younger brothers and I attended! I am the the older sibling that tries to enforce the importance of education and how crucial it is needed in order to succeed in life. As a family we are trying to motivate the youngest sibling to finish up his college degree after deciding working was more important.
Richard Peck used great writing, characterization, and pacing. Peck definitely knows how to tell a story. This would be a great book for a read aloud in a library setting. It is also a great book to compare and contrast the past with the present. This book describes many of the early 1900's inventions.