Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Extra Credit

by Andrew Clements, Mark Elliott (Illustrator)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 3,169 ratings · 348 reviews

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 conditions, including taking on an extra-credit project to find a pen pal in a distant country. Seems simple enough. But when Abby’s first letter arrives at a small schoo...more

Hardcover, 183 pages

Published June 23rd 2009 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (first published June 1st 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Newbery 2010

41st out of 104 books — 456 voters

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Books for eleven-year-old children

102nd out of 346 books — 208 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Aug 16, 2009 Abby Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blogged

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 came to lif...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 05, 2013 Susie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've always liked Clements' books, but was really impressed with this one. Some things I liked about it:
1)It effectively portrays a student who doesn't really care to do her work; it's not that she can't, she just doesn't want to. I think I have many students who could relate to this. I expected the stereotypical "never really learned how to read", but that wasn't it.
2) There are caring parents and teachers. (Sure, the dad is a bit gruff at times, but that's probably realistic.)
3) Kids can learn...more

like · see review

Jan 23, 2013 Brian Dansby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Andrew Clement's book "Extra Credit" taught how to appreciate who you are, where you are, and what you have. The special project that was used is one that is hands-on at learning about culture and acceptance. These two kids learned each other's languages, rules of the countries, about each other's families and the fact that although they were different, there was a similarity. This would be a good book for anyone having problems with accepting others because how you treat others is a reflection...more Andrew Clement's book "Extra Credit" taught how to appreciate who you are, where you are, and what you have. The special project that was used is one that is hands-on at learning about culture and acceptance. These two kids learned each other's languages, rules of the countries, about each other's families and the fact that although they were different, there was a similarity. This would be a good book for anyone having problems with accepting others because how you treat others is a reflection on who you really are. This book would definitely be one to recommend.

The book "Extra Credit" was really about extra credit, but it was live extra credit. Two kids that were strangers from far away lands were assigned to write letters. They mainly wrote letters describing their country, family, and laws. Their descriptions held their interest and fascinated all of their classmates as well. The communication between the two kids began to help them see how lucky they were to be where they are. An example of this is when, "Abbey" of America asked "Sadeed" about fighting and bombs in the land of Afghanstan. His response to her was "What you heard is true". But in our village, there has been no shooting or bombs of any kind for almost half of a year". "Abbey" was happy that "Sadeed" was not having this problem. These letters brought them closer and they became the best of friends.

This special project was so interesting and live that "Abbey" began to put forth extra effort to complete it. She had become personally interested in learning about this country. Since she knew that "Sadeed" could write English, she showed her appreciation by learning words from the Afghan language "Dari". She learned the words "peace" and wrote the symbol in her second letter. She also began to appreciate the artistic shapes of the "Dari" words. An example of this would be in second letter that "Abbey" sent to "Sadeed", where she told him, "I really love the shape of this word". "Abbey" also learned the work "salaam" which means hello. She was putting forth major effort and this project was work, but it was holding her attention. On the other hand, "Sadeed" tried to act as though he was not impressed. He probably was not as impressed as "Abbey" at first because the assignment was benefitting "Abbey" and "Sadeed's" sister "Amira". "Sadeed" said he felt as though he was "stuck between two girls". But his sister knew better. She even began to tease him about one of the letters by saying "Don't pretend not to care, my fine Sadeedy-doo". He had begun to appreciate the photos and poetic writings. "Abbey" appreciated the the drawings and want to share in "Abbey's" favorite activity of "rock climbing". It was all turning beautiful.

They had become such close friends that they began describing their families to each other. In doing this, they found that they had a similarity. "Abbey" family lived on flat farmland, as well as "Sadeed's" family sold "grain, rice and flour". "Sadeed" was so carried away with "Abbey" that he had to tell her the truth about the letters. So he wrote a letter that stated "The truth is that Amira is not really writing these letters to you, not on her own. I am helping her". He also let her know that following the traditions of his country was a way of life and that you did not stray from them. An example of this would be when he wrote "Here in our village, it is conservative that is a word I know. It means that everyone is staying close to the tradition, to the old ways, and especially the rules of our religion. And here it is believed by most of the men who run the village that a boy of my age should not be writing letters to a girl of your age". But "Abbey" appreciated his honesty so much, she was still his friend and kept his secret at home.

"Sadeed" eventually found that there were haters in Afghanstan. He was approached and stopped by a man that became angry when he saw the "Sadeed's" envelope with American stamps. The man tried to hold "Sadeed", but when he managed to break away from him, the man threatened "Sadeed", but left the scene. "Sadeed" let the elders know what happened by telling them, "I've never seen him before". He let "Mahmood" know that the man "spat and cursed at America". This was the end of "Sadeed" communicating with "Abbey" because the elders knew these people could be dangerous. "Amira" wrote to "Abbey" and let her know that they could no longer write to each other and why, and to keep their safety, "Abbey" followed along. It doesn't matter because this is true friendship. "Sadeed", "Amira", and "Abbey", will always be friends.

"Extra Credit" is definitely a book that I would recommend to my friends. Although, it appears as though it's for smaller children, it has some valuable lessons to be learned about life, acceptance, truth, protection, and rules. People can't just think about themselves. In order to have true friends, they have to be able to make sacrifices to protect those that they love. Although, "Sadeed" and "Abbey" had never met each other, other than on paper, their bond was strong enough to carry them to the next phase of friendship. This is what friendship is all about, whether it be wife, child, or friend,it's about caring for one another to the fullest extent. I don't if any of my friends feel this way about me, but whether they do or don't, I would say read this book. It can teach some valuable life lessons.
(less)

like · see review

Oct 28, 2012 Melissa Foley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: foleydigitalbookshelf

Abby Carson is failing the sixth grade. In order to pass, she must do an extra credit assignment that requires her to write letters to a pen pal named Amira from Afghanistan. The only thing is, is that Amira is really Sadeed; Amira's older brother. In Sadeed's village it is forbidden that unmarried boys write letters to unmarried girls. As Abby and Sadeed learn about each other's culture, they fast become friends, and Abby is able to complete her extra credit. But as their friendship flourishes,...more

like · see review

Mar 06, 2012 IndyPL Kids Book Blog rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kid-life

Abby doesn’t like homework much. She thinks she’s doing just enough to get by until she gets called into the principal’s office and learns that she has fallen below “get by” and is in danger of having to repeat sixth grade.

It’s February. In order to pass, Abby has to get a B or better on EVERY assignment and test in EVERY subject. For extra credit, she has to write a pen pal in another country, make a bulletin board display of the letters and do an oral report on the experience in front of her c...more

like · see review

Sep 05, 2011 Librarianforhim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-reads, friendships, racism-issues, read-in-2011

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.

Why I pick...more

like · see review

Aug 25, 2011 Ms.walker rated it 4 of 5 stars

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....more

like · see review

May 31, 2011 Phoebe rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 letter...more

like · see review

May 09, 2011 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 inappropriat...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 14, 2011 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 is given the task...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 09, 2010 Brenda Young added it

Shelves: black-eyed-susan-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).
Abby's fi...more

like · see review

Feb 17, 2010 Annr rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 classes as well as an after school program and then held writing...more 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 classes as well as an after school program and then held writing workshops for all. He came across as a genuine human being – he could have been anyone’s dad; he compared student experiences to those with his own boys; he set out to write just as we all do with personal experience at the core, with drafts, thinking time, and test reads with his children or students. He relaxed student writers as they worked and offered praise and suggestions with diplomacy.
With this as a backdrop, I look forward to reading Clements’ new books as they come out, and Extra Credit arrived perfectly timed for a vacation read. Yes, Clements has found his niche in the school-based story. In Extra Credit, Clements confronts the issue of a student who does not perform up to her potential, one who lets her passion for rock climbing compromise her schoolwork. Sixth grader Abby is faced with the grim reality that she will have to repeat the grade if she does not pull up her marks and complete an extra credit assignment. That project – pulled out of her language arts teacher’s extra credit box - involves a pen pal relationship with a student in a foreign country. Intrigued by the mountains of Afghanistan, Abby chooses that nation. Enter Sadeed and his sister Amira who become her pen pals. In alternate chapters, Sadeed and Abby relate their actions and feelings around the project. For each character the understanding of interpersonal relationships deepens.
For a school fiction writer the issue of retention is necessary to confront. Yes, with each letter Abby’s attitude becomes less blasé and the depth of her learning is evident. Yes, it is timely to share the school experience of both male and female students in Afghanistan. Yet, I can’t seem to let go of the notion that Clements has not done a service to ten to twelve year olds. While the American school scene feels familiar, how do we know that Clements has gone beyond a superficial and stereotyped look into Afghani town and school life? (He provides no research notes for the book.) His tendency to list – the people walking along the road into town, the items arriving in his father’s store, the events of Sadeed’s mother’s day seems an easy out for adding detail to a novel. Why does the moment of extreme tension come at the hands of a turban wrapped man surprising Sadeed from behind a rocky outcropping? I cannot help but feel that this would have been the perfect juncture for Clements to expand this writing niche by providing more depth – current, factual, and documented - for young people eager to know more about their world.

(less)

like · see review

Dec 21, 2009 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 story. When Abby learns that...more

like · see review

Sep 03, 2009 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars

like · see review

Jan 15, 2012 Jo Sorrell added it

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 conditions, includ...more

like · see review

Feb 03, 2010 Josiah rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 the praise t...more 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 the praise that it's been given. The narrative deftly weaves in and out of two sharply distinct cultures, from the points of view of American sixth grader Abby Carson and her Afghan counterpart, a boy named Sadeed Bayat. I was greatly impressed with the aptitude shown by Andrew Clements in skipping back and forth between these two nations that are so different, and doing so with such clear skill. Each time the tale crossed to the other ocean shore it took but a few well-chosen words to immerse me in what was happening there, in the thoughts and sounds and feelings that are so unique to each of their worlds. The story moves along without pretty word pictures or masterful use of metaphor, but simply, honestly, and with straightforward intentions that fit so well with the book's characters.

Extra Credit begins when Abby, a smart girl who just doesn't like the idea of doing a lot of schoolwork, is confronted by her teachers with the reality that her poor work in school is going to result in her having to repeat the sixth grade the following year, unless her academic ways dramatically change. One of the requirements that faces her is an essentially mandatory extra credit project, in which she will write a letter to a student in Afghanistan and attempt to begin a friendship as pen pals.

This exchange works quite well at the start, and soon Abby "meets" Sadeed, and the two kids begin writing letters back and forth to each other. Things are much more complicated than they might seem, however. Abby is required to put her letters (copies, at least) to and from Sadeed up on a bulletin board at school, to display her extra credit project as it begins to take shape. This inhibits her somewhat from getting too personal in what she says, leading her to begin writing two copies of each letter that she pens: a real letter to Sadeed, and a more innocuous one for use at school. Sadeed, meanwhile, cannot write to Abby directly because the elders in his Afghan village consider it inappropriate for a girl and boy of Sadeed and Abby's ages to communicate, even by letter. The situation is not ideal for either of them, but somehow through it all a glimmer of friendship's potential seems to emerge between Abby and Sadeed. Somehow, the sparks of humanity that they share regardless of cultural differences and lives that contrast so totally, fan into the beginning fires of a meaningful relationship.

I think the major ideas that Andrew Clements wanted to express in this story are outlined very well in Abby's final speech to her class, when she must summarize her extra credit project to them and describe what she learned along the way. Abby says that she was able to really see that kids are basically the same no matter what culture they live in; the important parts of who they are—their love for family and friends, hopes for the future, and desire to experience a happy, peaceful life—are the same whether they live in central Illinois like Abby or war-threatened Afghanistan, like Sadeed. Another important point she makes is that people are basically simple in what they really want, but those around them can make things much more complicated than they need to be. Abby's friendship with Sadeed makes for a vivid object lesson here: All they really want is to be friends, but the people around them, especially some of the residents in Sadeed's village, have the power to turn that into an impossibility. This is a sad but very true reality for Abby and Sadeed.

I like this book, for sure. Andrew Clements is an author whose work I would certainly be glad to read more of in the future. The dividing line between rounding my solid two-and-a-half-star rating either up or down out of necessity was a close one, but I reluctantly chose to round down. Extra Credit is definitely worth the additional half star though, in my opinion. (less)

like · see review

Jun 13, 2011 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jill by: 2012 Rebecca Caudill list

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. Had I not known most...more

like · see review

Jan 13, 2010 jessica wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, fave-books-for-children

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 Clements has a way...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 06, 2011 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Andrew Clements' books are hugely popular in my school library, and Extra Credit will be no exception. (It doesn't hurt that this book is a nominee for the 2011-12 South Carolina Children's Book Award.)

Extra Credit is about Abby, a girl in danger of failing the sixth grade. To be able to move on to junior high, she must go from failing to being on the honor roll, and she has to complete an extra credit project. Her project is to find a pen pal from another part of the world, create a bulletin bo...more Andrew Clements' books are hugely popular in my school library, and Extra Credit will be no exception. (It doesn't hurt that this book is a nominee for the 2011-12 South Carolina Children's Book Award.)

Extra Credit is about Abby, a girl in danger of failing the sixth grade. To be able to move on to junior high, she must go from failing to being on the honor roll, and she has to complete an extra credit project. Her project is to find a pen pal from another part of the world, create a bulletin board with all of their correspondence, and give an oral report on what she learned. Her pen pal is a girl named Amira. She's from a village in Afghanistan. But Abby doesn't realize that Amira isn't the one actually writing the letters. They're actually being written by Amira's brother, Sadeed.

Sadeed is the best writer and reader of English in his school, so, when his teacher asks him to help Amira write letters to a girl in America, he reluctantly agrees. Soon, however, he looks forward to these letters, and even begins writing as himself in secret. He is fascinated by how life in America is both similar and different to life in Afghanistan. The people around him, though, do not share his fascination. When word spreads that he and his sister have an American friend, Sadeed is forced to face how different his world is from Abby's. But are there world's really so different? It seems that Abby is also dealing with some objections to her pen pal project.

Can two young people from such different worlds truly be friends? Can their similarities overcome their differences? And can Abby pass the sixth grade while learning a little something along the way? Read Extra Credit by Andrew Clements to find out!

I think that this book is an excellent way to highlight the similarities and differences between two cultural groups. Even though we come from different parts of the world, speak different languages, and have different traditions, we all, I hope, want to make our small parts of the world a better place. I think that comes with understanding and accepting those around us, and realizing that our differences don't have to come between us. They can, in fact, make us stornger and more well-rounded and give us a sense of empathy for our fellow man.(less)

like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 Alyssa Calhoun rated it 3 of 5 stars

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...more

like · see review

Aug 02, 2010 Tamara the Librarian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4th, nutmeg-2012-4th-6th

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's vi...more

like · see review

Feb 13, 2010 Dana Davis-avants rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: intermediate-fiction

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...more

like · see review

Feb 06, 2012 Karin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-caudill-nominees, juvenile-fiction, realistic, multicultural, penpals, letters, homework, elementary-school, afghanistan, rock-climbing, violence, differences, friendship, borrowed-from-the-library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Abby is in 6th grade and would rather spend her time outside or rock climbing rather than doing her homework. Halfway through the school year, she learns that she’ll be held back if her performance doesn’t improve. Determined to do everything in her power to bring up her grades, Abby focuses on her school work. Because she’s so far behind, her teachers also give her an extra credit project – she has to exchange letters with a student in another country. She picks Afghanistan (because of the surr...more Abby is in 6th grade and would rather spend her time outside or rock climbing rather than doing her homework. Halfway through the school year, she learns that she’ll be held back if her performance doesn’t improve. Determined to do everything in her power to bring up her grades, Abby focuses on her school work. Because she’s so far behind, her teachers also give her an extra credit project – she has to exchange letters with a student in another country. She picks Afghanistan (because of the surrounding mountains), and her first letter reaches Sadeed and Amira Bayat – who live just north of Kabul. It immediately presents the students’ teacher with a problem. He feels their best student – Sadeed – should respond to the letter, but because it comes from a girl, it is not considered appropriate. Instead, Sadeed’s younger sister, Amira, is asked to respond with Sadeed’s assistance. Sadeed, who is initially skeptical, finds himself intrigued by Abby and her country, and ends up putting much more of himself into the letters he sends to America, than he intends. Abby, upon receiving these letters, also finds herself interested in Sadeed and his land. The project is curtailed when those who hold anti-American sentiments threaten Sadeed’s village, but both Abby and Sadeed learn something about their similarities and differences and are able to see their own homes through fresh eyes.

This starts a little slowly, but becomes more engaging as Abby and Sadeed exchange letters and thoughts about their countries, becoming friends despite their differences. I would have liked to see some of the “drawings” Sadeed sent Abby. There are illustrations throughout this book, but for some reason not the ones that are mentioned in the text. (Perhaps the author and illustrator wanted readers to imagine these things for themselves?) This could easily be used in a classroom to spark interest in other countries, and for discussion (particularly of how America is viewed by people in other nations), and for spear-heading other pen pal exchanges. A fast and thought-provoking read.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 10, 2011 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: tweens

Shelves: audiobooks, juvenile-fiction, story-and-character-doorways, tweens

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 is chosen t...more

like · see review

Dec 31, 2012 NicolePeguin rated it 5 of 5 stars

this book was great. its about a sixth grade girl, named Abby Carson who doesnt do her homework and flunks exams. When she is told that if she won't improve her homework and exams, she wont be promoted to seventh grade. so she has to do a special assignment, which was to write letters to a student in another country. she chooses afghanistan, and she is writing to a boy named sadeed. but the authorities at afghanistan dont want a boy communicating with a girl, so his little sister writes them ins...more

like · see review

Jul 06, 2011 Miss. Belisle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: vsba

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 girl in America. It woul...more

like · see review

Jun 16, 2011 Stacy Ford rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cre, boy-protagonist, girl-protagonist, sequoyah-2011

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 first, but finds h...more

like · see review

Apr 11, 2012 M. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Abby, in Illinois, is going to fail 6th grade unless she gets her grades up and "volunteers" for an extra credit project--becoming a pen pal to a child in Afghanistan. Sadeed, in Afghanistan, is the best English student in the village but it's judged inappropriate for a boy to write a girl so the letters must come from his younger sister, Amira. Unfortunately Amira knows virtually no English and, perhaps because she is younger, has much less perception into the lives she and her brother are livi...more

like · see review

Feb 16, 2010 Gregg rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s

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't re...more

like · see review

Sep 16, 2009 babyhippoface rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-fiction, social-studies

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: correspond with a student from...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
afganistan	6	24	28 mar. 07:13

combine
Other Editions (8)

More editions...

Genres

Realistic Fiction

55 users

Childrens

25 users

Cultural

17 users

Childrens > Juvenile

14 users

Childrens > Middle Grade

12 users

Childrens > Chapter Books

11 users

Academic > School

11 users

Young Adult

9 users

Childrens > School Stories

5 users

Kids

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Andrew Clements

I was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1949 and lived in Oaklyn and Cherry Hill until the middle of sixth grade. Then we moved to Springfield, Illinois. My parents were avid readers and they gave that love of books and reading to me and to all my brothers and sisters. I didn’t think about being a writer at all back then, but I did love to read. I'm certain there's a link between reading good books an...more I was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1949 and lived in Oaklyn and Cherry Hill until the middle of sixth grade. Then we moved to Springfield, Illinois. My parents were avid readers and they gave that love of books and reading to me and to all my brothers and sisters. I didn’t think about being a writer at all back then, but I did love to read. I'm certain there's a link between reading good books and becoming a writer. I don't know a single writer who wasn’t a reader first.
Before moving to Illinois, and even afterwards, our family spent summers at a cabin on a lake in Maine. There was no TV there, no phone, no doorbell—and email wasn’t even invented. All day there was time to swim and fish and mess around outside, and every night, there was time to read. I know those quiet summers helped me begin to think like a writer.
During my senior year at Springfield High School my English teacher handed back a poem I’d written. Two things were amazing about that paper. First, I’d gotten an A—a rare event in this teacher’s class. And she’d also written in large, scrawly red writing, “Andrew—this poem is so funny. This should be published!”
That praise sent me off to Northwestern University feeling like I was a pretty good writer, and occasionally professors there also encouraged me and complimented the essays I was required to write as a literature major. But I didn’t write much on my own—just some poetry now and then. I learned to play guitar and began writing songs, but again, only when I felt like it. Writing felt like hard work—something that’s still true today.
After the songwriting came my first job in publishing. I worked for a small publisher who specialized in how-to books, the kind of books that have photos with informative captions below each one. The book in which my name first appeared in print is called A Country Christmas Treasury. I’d built a number of the projects featured in the book, and I was listed as one of the “craftspeople”on the acknowlegements page, in tiny, tiny type.
In 1990 I began trying to write a story about a boy who makes up a new word. That book eventually became my first novel, Frindle, published in 1996, and you can read the whole story of how it developed on another web site, frindle.com. Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or since—at least so far. And it had the eventual effect of turning me into a full-time writer.
I’ve learned that I need time and a quiet place to think and write. These days, I spend a lot of my time sitting in a small shed about seventy feet from my back door at our home in Massachusetts. There’s a woodstove in there for the cold winters, and an air conditioner for the hot summers. There’s a desk and chair, and I carry a laptop computer back and forth. But there’s no TV, no phone, no doorbell, no email. And the woodstove and the pine board walls make the place smell just like that cabin in Maine where I spent my earliest summers.
Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one word at a time. Which is a good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word. And growing up, it's the same way. We just have to go to that next class, read that next chapter, help that next person. You simply have to do that next good thing, and before you know it, you're living a good life.(less)

More about Andrew Clements...

Books by Andrew Clements

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Extra Credit

14 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

title link	preview: Extra Credit
avg rating	preview: Extra Credit Goodreads rating: 3.76 (3169 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6250208-extra-credit?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348998669l/6250208.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6250208-extra-credit?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Extra Credit by Andrew Clements[/url]

Extra Credit

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website