Reviewed by:
Mary Jackson, NBCT
K-5 Gifted (Title I Resource)
St. Petersburg, Florida

I probably should divulge upfront that I like middle schoolers.
I like them so much that after teaching elementary students
for 15 years I'm determined to return to middle school next
year.

I've been warned about how their hormones and changes in their
brains make them mentally unstable. My own wonderful daughter's
middle school years were, how should I put it, educational.
I've observed the mixed look of horror and pity on the faces
of elementary and high school teachers when I tell them my
plans. I've also heard the much greater level of applause
in teacher gatherings when a group of middle school teachers
are introduced, a level usually reserved for military heroes.
I've even read Yes, Your Teen is Crazy by Michael J.
Bradley.

However, a little picture book like Mr. DeVore's Do-Over helps
explain why middle school teachers continue to teach at that
level and why I want to do so again. A pair of middle school
teachers that I shared the book with teared up a little afterward,
and said that they loved how it showed a teacher reaching
out to an individual student. One of them had even had a similar
experience.

The narrator, a seventh grader named Donald, begins the book with
"When it comes to school, I've always been a failure! I never
could do anything well." The typical clutzy kid disasters
befall him daily. He hears that Mr. DeVore is the "hardest
teacher in the whole school," and learns that he has him for
Social Studies this year. But because of Mr. DeVore's faith
and encouragement and the "do-overs", Donald's self-confidence
is re-established, and his grades in all subjects improve.

But then one day, late in the year, Mr. DeVore has a bad day with
the class, the kids aren't attentive, there are interruptions,
and Mr. DeVore is obviously discouraged. Donald reaches out
to him (I won't ruin it and tell you how, but it's very touching).
Moments like that can fuel us teachers for a long time. Even
vicariously experiencing it through a book can help us carry
on, so I recommend copies of this for every middle school
teacher you care about.