Synopses & Reviews
Based on a true story, All of the Above is the delightful and suspenseful story of four inner city students and their quest to build the world's largest tetrahedron. Weaving together the stories of the kids, their teachers, and the community that surrounds them, award-winning author Shelley Pearsall has written a vividly engaging story about the human spirit. Filled with unexpected humor, poignant characters and quiet brilliance, All of the Above is a surprising gem.
Review
"Pearsall has a knack for creating strong narratives and characters that eschew predictability. While this solid, multivoiced offering is a hopeful one, the action is realistically gritty and true to its inner-city setting." School Library Journal
Review
"The authentic voices of the students and the well-intentioned, supportive adults surrounding them illustrate all that is good about schools, family, friendship, and community." Booklist
Review
"Smart and fast-paced, this story inspires as well as entertains." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Every voice in All of the Above sounds authentic. And, like each of the 16,384 smaller tetrahedrons required to break the world record, each one is integral to the building process....Pearsall deftly suggests the connections between math and real life connections which add poignancy and depth to her tale. But at least one equation in All of the Above, is quite simple: Seven characters + lots of heart = one really good novel." Jenny Sawyer, The Christian Science Monitor (read the entire CSM review)
About the Author
A former teacher and museum historian, Shelley Pearsall is now a full-time writer. Her first novel, Trouble Don't Last, won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. She lives in Silver Lake, Ohio.