How Hard Could It Possibly Be for a Third Grader To Be a "Perfect" Angel?

Third Grade Angels by Jerry Spinelli

First grade babies!
Second grade cats!
Third grade angels!
Fourth grade rats!

So goes the rhyme at George (aka "Suds") Morton's elementary school. Suds has been looking forward to third grade so he can finally be an angel. But what does that mean, exactly?

It means his teacher, Mrs. Simms, will hold a competition every week to see which student deserves to be awarded "the halo" - which student is best-behaved, kindest to others, and, in short, perfect. Suds is determined to be the first to earn the halo, but being good all the time can be pretty stressful. Does he have to be good even outside of school? Does he have to be nice to his annoying little sister? And if Mrs. Simms doesn't actually see him doing a good deed, does it even count? (Source: inside book flap)

Possible Discussion Questions:

1. On page 18, Suds says, "All of a sudden it was like there was no door between my brain and my mouth." What does he mean? Why do you think that was happening? Have you ever been in a similar situation?
2. Why do you think Suds feels a bit uncomfortable about Joey?
3. What does Suds mean when he says he feels "chipmunky?" When have you ever felt that way?
4. What strategy does Suds use to help himself calm down when he worries? What do you do when you need to calm yourself down?
5. On page 48, Mrs. Simms says, "This may be the first class where nobody gets a halo." Why does Mrs. Simms say this?
6. Why does it bother Suds when his sister, whom he calls Zippernose, says, "He always has to be first..."? (page 55-56)
7. What did Mrs. Simms mean on page 63 when she said, "Yes - you must earn your halo. But no - you may not buy your halo. I cannot be bribed."
8. Suds wonders, "Does it count if the teacher doesn't see it?" What do you think?
9. "Being nice means doing something, not doing nothing." Agree or disagree? Why?
10. Even when Suds was doing many good deeds and trying hard to be an angel, he couldn't relax. Why was he still worried? (page 91)
11. Who wins the first halo, and why?
12. Do you think Mrs. Simms has "spies"?

Curriculum Connections:

• Visit Jerry Spinelli's website to learn more about other books he has written.
• Character Development (problem solving, how to deal with stress and worries)

What 2nd and 3rd Grade Book Club Members Thought:

• Our rating: 4.1 out of 5
• "My favorite part was when he saved the dog." -- Joliz
• "I want to talk about why Constantina got the first halo of the year, but George did the same thing." -- Jake
• "One question I wondered was does Mrs. Simms have spies?" -- Rivian

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