October Book of the Month

Dr. Evans', Assistant Principal's Response

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

By Judith Viorst

Illustrated by Ray Cruz

"I went to sleep with gum in mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."  This is how Alexander's day starts and it only gets worse!

His two brothers find toys in their cereal boxes but Alexander only finds cereal and at lunch guess whose mother forgot to put in dessert?  And that's not all - lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV.  Things are so bad that Alexander thinks the best solution is to just move to Australia.  Of course, Alexander's mom points out that everybody has 'bad' days - even in Australia.

Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was written by Judith Viorst and it was published in 1972.  She based the story on the experiences of her youngest son, Alexander, who seemed to have a lot off "different" days.  According to Mrs. Viorst, her son "fell out of trees and off of chairs, broke his wrist, and knocked out his front teeth".  She thought that by writing about them she could show children and adults that these "difficult days" really would come to an end.

I am very careful to say, personally, that I am having a "bad" day because all of my good days totally outweigh my "bad" days, so I truly don't and won't complain.  I like this book because it reminds me that everyone can have "not so good days" and that if I can make it to the end of the day I can go to bed thankful that I was able to see another day and wake up to a brand new, beautiful and wonderful day!  Therefore, I am thankful for everyday - no matter what.

If you enjoyed this book, you might also enjoy these books by Judith Viorst:

Alexander, Who used to Be Rich Last Sunday and

Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move.

Both books are available in the media center.

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