Module 6 Book Review: "The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts"

Bibliography:

Peck, Richard. The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts. New York: Dial Books. (2004).

Synopsis:

Young Russell Culver, age fifteen, tells the story of the summer of 1904, in a rural Indiana town, that his teacher, Miss Myrt Arbuckle dies just before school is about to start for the year. Just as he begins to hope that the school will be shut down for good, things take a turn for the worse. As Miss Myrt's casket is about to be closed, Russell's older sister, Tansy, reaches down and grabs the wooden pointer out of Miss Myrt's cold, dead hands. Before he realizes what has happened, Tansy is elected as the new teacher by the school board. What Russell expects to be the worst school year ever turns out better than he bargained for.


My Thoughts:

It took a couple of chapters for me to become accustomed to the setting and dialect. I had to remind myself that it was in Indiana. But by the funeral for Miss Myrt, the story gained momentum. The local Methodist Preacher Parr, as well as the pianist Imogene Lustbader are hilarious minor characters. My favorite line from Preacher Parr's sermon is:

"We are a people of piety. We need somebody to blame." (Wham)
"Without blame, there is no shame." (Wham)
"Without shame, there is no humility!" (Double Wham)

I really enjoy nostalgic pieces. And the references to things like the "Monkey Ward catalog," rightly named because it was such a common household item back then. I like how they added that "without its pages, you'd have to carry corncobs to the privy."

What a great piece of historical fiction written about turn-of-the-century America. It's believable, even though it is fiction, based on the author's own family stories-- and that's why it's such a treasure.

Awards and Reviews:

• NYPL's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

• ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2005

• ALA Notable Book 2005

• “Peck is in his element here. [S]o vivid is the telling of every event, conversation, and emotion. Best of all, the dry wit and unpretentious tone make the story’s events comical, its characters memorable, and its conclusion unexpectedly moving.”

  —Booklist, starred review