It isn't that Abby Carson can't do her schoolwork. She just doesn't like doing it. And in February a warning letter arrives at her home. Abby will ...
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Apr 18, 2009
Carter
rated it: 
So this one was much better than his last book, but... while I think it was great that he chose a topic like this, I feel like it wrapped up too quickly. There's an obvious comparison w/ the flags at the end, but Abby never picks up on it. She had the perfect moment when she gave her presentation. All she had to do was read her letter and talk about the missing flag. I was a little frustrated that she moved on so quickly after her project was over (she threw away the letters!). Also, the choice
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Dec 26, 2009
Abby
rated it: 
When Abby Carson learns she's in danger of failing the sixth grade, her teacher assigns her an extra credit assignment to help with her social studies grade. Abby will write to a pen pal in Afghanistan and then present a report to the class. When Sadeed writes back to her, Abby learns that although they are different, they are also the same, and she begins to see her life in America through new eyes.
Andrew Clements is a master of realistic fiction for middle graders. Abby and Sadeed More...
Andrew Clements is a master of realistic fiction for middle graders. Abby and Sadeed More...
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Sep 05, 2011
Librarianforhim
rated it: 
Plot: Abby Carson is in danger of being held back in the 6th grade. As part of an extra credit assignment she writes to a pen pal in Afghanistan. Amira is the girl who receives Abby's letters, but it's her brother who handles writing back even though it's not considered proper by the men of the village for a boy to write to a girl. Abby's growing friendship with Amira and her brother Sadeed must come to a quick end when it becomes unsafe for the village to receive letters from America.
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Aug 25, 2011
Ms.walker
rated it:
Abbey- I would recommend this book because it is very interesting how a student is going to fail sixth grade but learns she has some way to go to seventh grade and that is extra credit. Abby Carson (main character)has never even heard of extra credit so she get's worried... But Abby's teacher assigns her a project to have a pen pal in a foreign country. She has 3 options. Kabul Afghanistan,Jakarta Indonesia and Beijing China. She chose Kabul Afghanistan. Her pen pal was a boy named Sadeed Bayat.
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May 31, 2011
Phoebe
rated it:
Abby is failing 6th grade, and after a meeting with the principal, learns that in order to go on to 7th grade, she must get Bs or better on her homework, and complete an extra credit project: write to a pen pal in a foreign country. She picks Afghanistan, because it has big mountains, and she loves to rock climb. Her new pen pal is a 10 year old girl called Amira, who lives outside of Kabul. What Abby doesn't know is that Amira's older brother, Sadeed, is the one who is really writing the let
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May 09, 2011
Ruth
rated it:
Abby Carson hasn't done well in school and might have to repeat sixth grade is she doesn't bring up her grades and do an extra credit project. The project is a penpal exchange with a student in Afghanistan.
She writes and gets a letter in return. It is supposedly from a girl, but in fact she's helped by her able brother who is two years older and the best student in the school. He couldn't write directly because the culture deems an exchange between 12-year-olds of the oppposite sex ina More...
She writes and gets a letter in return. It is supposedly from a girl, but in fact she's helped by her able brother who is two years older and the best student in the school. He couldn't write directly because the culture deems an exchange between 12-year-olds of the oppposite sex ina More...
Feb 14, 2011
Heidi
rated it:
Abby Carson has perfected the art of homework avoidance. It's not that she can't do it, she just finds other things more enticing. She discovers to her shock, however, that unless she can make up some of the missing work, she will be held back a year. Abby finds herself working on a project involving a pen pal from Afghanistan.
Sadeed loves his schoolwork and is the best student in his class, but he cannot correspond with Abby directly, because she is a girl. His younger sister More...
Sadeed loves his schoolwork and is the best student in his class, but he cannot correspond with Abby directly, because she is a girl. His younger sister More...
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Jan 23, 2011
Jackie
rated it:
It's amazing what you can learn from someone you've never met, except in letters...and even more amazing when that person lives 7000 miles away. Such is the case in the story, Extra Credit by Andrew Clements. Abby Carson, sixth grader, is an ok-student, but doesn't really take any classes or homework seriously. She gets by, or so she thought. One February afternoon, her teachers called her in for a conference. She was failing, they said, and would have to repeat sixth grade. Abby, her teachers,
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Dec 09, 2010
It isn't that Abby Carson can't do her schoolwork, it's just that she doesn't like doing it. And that means she's pretty much failing sixth grade. When a warning letter is sent home, Abby realizes that all her slacking off could cause her to be held back -- for real! Unless she wants to repeat the sixth grade, she'll have to meet some specific conditions, including taking on an extra-credit project: find a pen pal in a foreign country. Simple enough (even for a girl who hates homework).
Abb More...
Abb More...
Feb 17, 2010
Annr
rated it:
Extra Credit
Andrew Clements
Antheneum Books
Imprint of Simon & Schuster
2009
ISBN: 978-1-4169 -4929-9
183 pp.
illustrated by Mark Elliott
cover illustration: Brian Selznick
I have always felt fortunate that, in his early years of writing, Andrew Clements accepted my invitation to be the author in residence at the elementary school in which I was the library teacher. The week was glorious. He talked about Frindle and Big Al with various class More...
Andrew Clements
Antheneum Books
Imprint of Simon & Schuster
2009
ISBN: 978-1-4169 -4929-9
183 pp.
illustrated by Mark Elliott
cover illustration: Brian Selznick
I have always felt fortunate that, in his early years of writing, Andrew Clements accepted my invitation to be the author in residence at the elementary school in which I was the library teacher. The week was glorious. He talked about Frindle and Big Al with various class More...
Dec 21, 2009
Lisa
rated it:
Publisher Summary 2
Provides the story of a special friendship that forms between an American girl in Illinois, an Afghani girl who cannot write, and her brother who isn't allowed to communicate with girls as letters are sent and received, rules are broken, and bonds are made through their new understanding of the world and their place in it.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Clements (Frindle) successfully bridges two cultures in this timely and insightful dual-perspective More...
Provides the story of a special friendship that forms between an American girl in Illinois, an Afghani girl who cannot write, and her brother who isn't allowed to communicate with girls as letters are sent and received, rules are broken, and bonds are made through their new understanding of the world and their place in it.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Clements (Frindle) successfully bridges two cultures in this timely and insightful dual-perspective More...
Sep 03, 2009
Sam
rated it:
It isn't that Abby Carson can't do her schoolwork, it's just that she doesn't like doing it. And that means she's pretty much failing sixth grade. When a warning letter is sent home, Abby realizes that all her slacking off could cause her to be held back -- for real! Unless she wants to repeat the sixth grade, she'll have to meet some specific conditions, including taking on an extra-credit project: find a pen pal in a foreign country. Simple enough (even for a girl who hates homework).
Abb More...
Abb More...
Jul 06, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Andrew Clements' novels are always a success in my opinion. Written for a middle grade audience, they are entertaining, inspirational, and educational, and EXTRA CREDIT is no exception.
Just look closely at the cover and you will probably guess EXTRA CREDIT is a pen pal story, but it is not just any pen pal situation. Abby finds herself reluctantly writing a pen pal letter for extra credit. She is in More...
Andrew Clements' novels are always a success in my opinion. Written for a middle grade audience, they are entertaining, inspirational, and educational, and EXTRA CREDIT is no exception.
Just look closely at the cover and you will probably guess EXTRA CREDIT is a pen pal story, but it is not just any pen pal situation. Abby finds herself reluctantly writing a pen pal letter for extra credit. She is in More...
Jan 15, 2012
Oops I read this in one day and was sad when it ended. I thought I have another couple of chapters but when she said the farms and green fields were beautiful and I turned the page, it was all over. Great book, especially where 2 parts of the world are compared and contrasted.
It isn’t that Abby Carson can’t do her schoolwork. She just doesn’t like doing it. And in February a warning letter arrives at her home. Abby will have to repeat sixth grade—unless she meets some specific condit More...
It isn’t that Abby Carson can’t do her schoolwork. She just doesn’t like doing it. And in February a warning letter arrives at her home. Abby will have to repeat sixth grade—unless she meets some specific condit More...
Feb 03, 2010
Josiah
rated it: 
Andrew Clements is one of those authors who can slip by you and go unnoticed, if you let that happen. His books usually don't get a lot of vocal support in Newbery discussions, but they do get read by a large number of younger readers. His stories all have a good, loyal following among grade schoolers, and with the introduction of Extra Credit in 2009 I was intrigued to hear, really for the first time, Newbery talk about an Andrew Clements book.
I can see why this book would receive More...
I can see why this book would receive More...
Jun 13, 2011
Jill
rated it:
First Caudill book of the summer!!!
This book was about something near and dear to my heart - overseas pen pals! The story is about a girl in Illinois (yeah!) who gets an assignment to write to a child in Kabul, Afghanistan. Over the course of the book, we learn a lot about Muslim culture, the conservative feelings that go along with it sometimes, and the prejudices both Afghanistan and the United States have about each other.
I think the author covered his bases really well. H More...
This book was about something near and dear to my heart - overseas pen pals! The story is about a girl in Illinois (yeah!) who gets an assignment to write to a child in Kabul, Afghanistan. Over the course of the book, we learn a lot about Muslim culture, the conservative feelings that go along with it sometimes, and the prejudices both Afghanistan and the United States have about each other.
I think the author covered his bases really well. H More...
Jan 13, 2010
Jek
rated it:
I have to say I am quite fond of Andrew Clements. I have yet to read one of his books that I didn't like. This one was just as delightful as the rest. Maybe I best relate to the twelve year olds of his world?
Last night I began reading and as I crawled into bed to finish up the chapter I was on I found myself turning page after page until I was done. Finished! I finished the whole book in one reading. I know it is a kids book and all but the story was sweet, and telling. Andrew Clemen More...
Last night I began reading and as I crawled into bed to finish up the chapter I was on I found myself turning page after page until I was done. Finished! I finished the whole book in one reading. I know it is a kids book and all but the story was sweet, and telling. Andrew Clemen More...
Aug 06, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jul 28, 2011
Alyssa
rated it:
Abby is failing 6th grade. She's not too worried, after all, she's been in this position before in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. However, when her principal tells her they are considering making her repeat the 6th grade, she decides something must be done. She begins studying and doing all of her homework. Her teacher allows her to do an extra credit assignment: she will be pen pals with a student her age in Afghanistan. She will write letters and then post them on a bulletin board, and at the end of
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Aug 02, 2010
Tamara the Librarian
rated it:
Great book. Pen pals Abby and Sadid -- she has to do extra credit project to help pass 6th grade because she doesn't apply herself, do all her hw, etc. She writes a student in Afghanistan b/c she loves rock climbing in gym and learns there are huge mountains in Afghan. Sadid's sister, Amirah, is chosen to write back b/c she is a girl so it is proper-- and Sadid can help b/c he is older and fluent in English. Friendship blooms across the seas-- but abruptly ends when a man from outside Sadid'
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Feb 13, 2010
Dana
rated it:
Addy Carson is about to fail the sixth grade when her teachers offer her a chance to pass and part of the contract involves an extra credit project. The extra credit project forces her to draw a project from an extra credit box. Her project involves writing to a pen pal in another country, creating a bulletin board in her classroom with the letters and making a presentation to her class at the end of the project. She chooses the country of Afghanistan for her pen pal, because it has mountains. S
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Feb 06, 2012
Barky
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Nov 10, 2011
Erin
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Abby Carson is failing the sixth grade because she hates doing homework. Faced with the threat of being held back, she decides to not only starting doing ALL of her homework but also take on a big extra credit project: write letters to a pen pal halfway around the world, post them on a bulletin board, and do a class presentation at the end of the year.
Sadeed Bayat is the best student in his village in Afghanistan, but it's not proper for a boy to write to a girl, so his little sister More...
Sadeed Bayat is the best student in his village in Afghanistan, but it's not proper for a boy to write to a girl, so his little sister More...
Jul 06, 2011
Miss.
rated it:
What would you do to keep from being "held back" and watching your friends move on to junior high as you repeated the 6th grade? Abby has always coasted along in school, but that plan won't work anymore. She has just a few months to bring all of her grades up, finish ALL of her homework, and complete an extra credit assignment. BORING.
Sadeed has always been one of the top students in his class, but now his teacher wants him to help his little sister answer letters from a gir More...
Sadeed has always been one of the top students in his class, but now his teacher wants him to help his little sister answer letters from a gir More...
Jun 16, 2011
Stacy
rated it:
Abby lives in Illinois. Sadeed lives north of Kabul, Afghanistan. Abby is a lackadaisical student. Sadeed is a hard working student working for a high school scholarship. Abby is at risk of being held back. Sadeed is the best student in his village school. These two couldn't be more different.
Abby's teachers arrange for an extra credit, pen pal exchange and she picks Afghanistan because it has mountains and she LOVES rock climbing. So, she embarks on the project, reluctatnt at f More...
Abby's teachers arrange for an extra credit, pen pal exchange and she picks Afghanistan because it has mountains and she LOVES rock climbing. So, she embarks on the project, reluctatnt at f More...
Feb 16, 2010
Gregg
rated it:
I liked the idea of this book. Two kids from very different cultures connect as pen pals, learn a bit about another part of the world very different from their own, and in doing so begin to see their own little worlds in a new way. I just felt like it could have delved in deeper to some of the potential conflicts and issues. Was there ever even any mention of the fact that U.S. soldiers were in Afghanistan fighting a war? There were certainly references to fighting in Afghanistan, but I don'
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Sep 16, 2009
babyhippoface
rated it:
Another solid story from Andrew Clements.
Abby would rather be outside rock-climbing than doing schoolwork, and now that attitude is catching up with her: all her missing assignment mean that, unless she makes some BIG changes, she'll be repeating 6th grade next year. For the first time, she decides to buckle down and do absolutely every assignment asked of her, as well as an extra-credit project--it's the only way she'll make it to 7th grade next year.
Her project: corr More...
Abby would rather be outside rock-climbing than doing schoolwork, and now that attitude is catching up with her: all her missing assignment mean that, unless she makes some BIG changes, she'll be repeating 6th grade next year. For the first time, she decides to buckle down and do absolutely every assignment asked of her, as well as an extra-credit project--it's the only way she'll make it to 7th grade next year.
Her project: corr More...
Feb 20, 2011
Linda
rated it:
Abby Carson may fail 6th grade. This girl who loves the outdoors and isn't too big on school work chooses a pen pal as an extra credit project. The pen pal is a girl in Afghanistan. However the village elders want the girl's older brother, Sadeed--the most capable student in the village, to proofread her letters.
This is the story of building bridges of understanding, friendship, and perhaps a bit of budding love.
The story and characters are engaging,especially Sadeed and Amira. Whil More...
This is the story of building bridges of understanding, friendship, and perhaps a bit of budding love.
The story and characters are engaging,especially Sadeed and Amira. Whil More...
Jul 29, 2009
Claire
rated it:
Abby is a bright, active 6th grader who would rather be out behind her house in the woods than cooped up doing homework. She has let so much work slide that she has now be asked to plan on staying in elementary school one more year. Kids as far behind academically as Abby struggle too much in Junior High. Appalled at the possibility of being left behind by her classmates Abby digs in to do her classwork and takes on an extra credit pen pal project. She loves mountain climbing and chooses mounta
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Jul 01, 2010
Elfiegirl
rated it:
Abby Carson is an intelligent girl of twelve. She loves the outdoors and rock climbing. But she's behind in sixth grade; WAY behind. She might have to even repeat it again while everyone from her class moves up.
So, scrambling to get to the top, Abby gets assigned an extra credit project to write to a boy in Afghanistan, and little does she know it will morph into something way bigger than an extra credit project.
She has chosen Afghanistan because of the mountains there; and there in More...
So, scrambling to get to the top, Abby gets assigned an extra credit project to write to a boy in Afghanistan, and little does she know it will morph into something way bigger than an extra credit project.
She has chosen Afghanistan because of the mountains there; and there in More...
