Chapter Nine: Our Atticus Summary and Analysis

A kid named Alex wanders into Tony's classroom before school. He admires the poetry hanging on the wall. He writes poetry he tells Tony. He writes about his father who was killed in a car accident and about his mother who was stabbed to death. Tony gives him a bear hug and fights back his tears. Alex and his sister live in a foster home with his step-uncle. The next day, Alex brings in a binder of his poetry. The kid is a prolific and talented poet. Alex becomes a regular in the "half-sandwich club." Ms. DeNaples permits Alex to read a poem he wrote in honor of the earth across the loudspeaker on Earth Day. Alex went on to compete in the Philly Youth Poetry contest and went to the national finals in Los...