62 pages • 2 hours read
Lisa GraffAbsolutely Almost
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 1-25Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “rocks.”
Ten-year-old Albie, an only child, lives with his parents in a New York apartment. It’s the summer before his fifth-grade year, where he’ll be starting at a new public school, P.S. 183.
One day, he overhears Grandpa Park, his mother’s father, talk about him to his parents. Grandpa Park says that not everyone can be the rock at the top of the pile—some have to be the ones at the bottom, too. Albie feels uneasy hearing this. Mom quietly responds, “Albie’s not a rock” (2).
Chapter 2 Summary: “being friendly.”
Albie receives a food delivery. Mom asks him to not tip more than $5; Albie tips $8. Mom gets frustrated, but Dad pacifies her by saying that Albie was just “being friendly.” Albie’s mind goes “fuzzy” as he tries to recalculate what he thought was the right tip amount; eventually, he gives up and decides that perhaps he was just “being friendly after all” (5).
Chapter 3 Summary: “letters from school.”
Chapter 4 Summary: “calista.”
Mom brings home Calista, who is to be Albie’s nanny/babysitter. Albie is rude upon meeting Calista, telling her he is too old to have a nanny. Calista assures Albie that they can play games and just “hang out.” Mom suggests that Albie and Calista visit the Met the next day, as Calista is from California and is new to New York. Calista asks Albie if he will be her tour guide; Albie assesses Calista, notices a pink streak in her hair that he knows his parents would disapprove of, and agrees.
Chapter 5 Summary: “lights. camera.”
Albie goes across the hall to his best friend Erlan Kasteev’s apartment unit. When Albie arrives, the apartment is filled with filming equipment and crew; Erlan’s family is having a reality show made about their lives. Albie finds this exciting, but Erlan dislikes being filmed all the time.
Erlan and Albie talk about Albie leaving school. Eventually, Erlan has to begin filming, but he is sulky throughout the TV interview. Albie tries to cheer Erlan up by making funny faces at him until Albie is sent back home. That night, Albie and Erlan do a Vulcan salute to each other from their windows, and Albie is glad to see that Erlan is still his best friend even though he will soon be TV-famous.
Chapter 6 Summary: “a perfect summer day.”
Albie and Calista set out to visit the Met, and Albie teaches Calista about the city along the way. Albie tells Calista that he finds the Met boring. He remembers a visit to the Sea, Air, and Space Museum, which is his favorite—Dad bought him an A-10 Thunderbolt model airplane from the gift store there.
Since Albie thinks that the Met is boring, Calista suggests that Albie be the tour guide for the day; they then spend the day doing all the things that Albie likes, instead.
As they ride the bus back home, Albie hopes that Calista will last longer than his previous nannies. Back home, Calista says to Albie, “You’re real smart, you know that?” (26). When Mom asks Calista and Albie how the Met was, Calista says that it was “not boring at all” (26), and winks at Albie.
Chapter 7 Summary: “noticing.”
Albie lists the things he has noticed, such as how others his age are able to count faster than he can; how he is sometimes the only one who guesses the wrong answer in class; and how he now no longer raises his hand in class. While Albie struggles in school, he is also observant, and he hopes that he will “always be a better noticer than everybody else” (29).
Chapter 8 Summary: “lunch.”
Erlan’s sister Ainyr tells Albie that lunch will be the hardest part of his new school, as he will have to figure out the right people to sit with. Albie worries about this but is relieved when he discovers that the class has to eat together. Albie sits next to a girl named Betsy; when he talks to her, one of the popular boys, Darren Ackleman, makes fun of Betsy. Albie defends Betsy, which earns him Darren’s taunting but also Betsy’s friendship; she gives Albie a red gummy bear.
Chapter 9 Summary: “stutter.”
Albie discovers that Darren and his friends tease Betsy because she has a stutter. Albie, however, likes Betsy. She gives him gummy bears and explains things to him without making fun of him.
Chapter 10 Summary: “einstein.”
Albie and Mom go out to a café together and run into one of Mom’s colleagues, who says that Albie must be a “whiz” at school, mistakenly assuming that he is named after Albert Einstein; neither Albie nor Mom correct her. After she leaves, Albie reminds Mom that his name is “Albin,” not “Albert”; Mom reminds Albie that she’s the one who named him.
Chapter 11 Summary: “almost, albie.”
Albie recalls all the ways in which he has been an “almost,” starting from when he was in kindergarten. By fourth grade, he “was an almost every day” (39).
Chapter 12 Summary: “a real a-10 thunderbolt.”
Albie remembers the trip to the Sea, Air, and Space Museum with Dad when they bought the model airplane. Although Dad told Albie they would build it together, he hasn’t had much time since; however, Albie is sure that when they eventually do, it will be great fun.
Chapter 13 Summary: “math club.”
Albie’s teacher, Mrs. Rouse, signs him up for Math Club without asking him, and Albie is initially upset. The group is led by another teacher, Mr. Clifton, and it includes children of different grades. They spend the session playing counting games with goldfish crackers, which Mr. Clifton then lets them eat. Albie tells Mrs. Rouse that math club “wasn’t so bad after all” (43) but that they didn’t actually do any math; Mrs. Rouse just smiles.
Chapter 14 Summary: “an empty tin can.”
Calista tells Albie that her boyfriend says Calista could make friends with an empty tin can. Albie sees the truth in this when Calista befriends Hugo, the owner of the bodega downstairs. Albie picks out a donut while Calista and Hugo talk. Calista lets Albie have a donut every day, even though Mom says his limit is one per week. On the way home, Albie asks Calista why she hadn’t told Albie about having a boyfriend; Calista says that she didn’t realize that she hadn’t, and Albie feels angry.
Chapter 15 Summary: “jokes.”
Mr. Clifton begins every math club session with a joke, taking note of the ones that elicit the most laughter to use again next year. Albie laughs at almost all of them.
Chapter 16 Summary: “ten words.”
Every Thursday, Calista helps Albie study for the weekly Friday spelling test using flash cards. Although Albie remembers the spellings when practicing, he gets nervous when taking the test and never gets more than four out of 10 right.
Chapter 17 Summary: “some bug.”
Darren brings a dead bug to class for Science Friday, and everyone in class is very excited to look at it. Mrs. Rouse lets Darren take the bug around the class for everyone to look at; however, when Darren passes Betsy, he makes a mean comment and rushes past.
Albie is able to take a closer look at the bug, and later at lunch he tells Betsy how many yellow dots the bug had. Betsy smiles at him and gives him three red gummy bears. They continue talking about bugs, discussing and imitating hissing cockroaches, which makes them both giggle. Seeing them laughing, Darren calls them mean names again. Betsy tells Albie that if Darren were a bug, she would step on him; Albie agrees; after this, every time Darren is mean to either of them, Albie and Betsy look at each other, hiss softly, and feel a little better.
Chapter 18 Summary: “erlan’s birthday.”
It’s Erlan’s birthday, and Mom and Albie buy a gift for him. Mom suggests a chess set, but they eventually buy Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.
At the party, Albie is stopped at the door and told that a parent or guardian needs to sign a release form first; the party is being filmed for television, and the children can’t be filmed unless a parent signs the form. Albie gets Dad, who becomes angry when he sees the form. He refuses to sign it, yelling at the man at the door saying that they can’t stop Albie from attending the party. Eventually the man lets Albie in, promising not to film him.
The party is unexpectedly crowded, and everyone, including Erlan, is dressed nicer than usual. The children play games, and Erlan and his brothers eventually cut their cake. Among other gifts, Erlan receives 10 chess sets. After the party, Erlan and Albie hang out in the quilt fort and play with the robots that Albie gifted Erlan.
Chapter 19 Summary: “reading log.”
Mom finds Albie’s reading log and, despite the positive comments on it from Mrs. Rouse, is upset that Albie is reading Captain Underpants. She thinks those books are for “babies" and instead gives Albie a copy of Johnny Tremain, a 1943 historical fiction set during the Revolutionary War. She loved the book in her own childhood. That night, Albie tries to read it but struggles to get through the first two paragraphs. When Mrs. Rouse asks Albie for his reading log the next day, Albie tells her that he lost it.
Chapter 20 Summary: “east 59th street tv.”
Calista is in a bad mood and asks Albie to switch off the TV, even though on most days she lets him watch for much longer than his allowed limit. Albie whines that he wants to keep watching and rejects all the alternative activities that Calista suggests. Calista uses an old cardboard box to create a TV frame that she hangs around Albie’s window; Calista and Albie then proceed to watch different things out the window. At bedtime, Albie decides that he wants to leave the TV frame up because it “was sort of nice, to be able to change the channel whenever I wanted” (73).
Chapter 21 Summary: “tuesday.”
Mr. Clifton tells the class a good joke on Tuesday, which the children tell him to use again next year.
Chapter 22 Summary: “caring & thoughtful & good.”
Most nights, Calista is around for bedtime, making sure Albie has his book and teddy bear before leaving. When Mom does bedtime, she tucks Albie in, and even though she always forgets the bear, she never forgets to tell him that she loves him and that he is “caring and thoughtful and good” (76). Albie likes when Mom is there for bedtime.
Chapter 23 Summary: “johnny treeface.”
Calista looks at Albie’s reading log and is disappointed that he hasn’t been reading lately. Albie tells her about Mom giving him Johnny Tremain to read, and Calista agrees that it looks “awful.” Calista suggests that Albie continue to read Captain Underpants without Mom knowing, and Albie is surprised that an adult is suggesting sneakiness. Calista makes a cover with the title and author of Johnny Tremain listed on the front, and she slips the cover onto one of Albie’s Captain Underpants books; she asks Albie to make sure he spells the name right in his reading log. Albie smiles and begins to read.
Chapter 24 Summary: “being where you’ve been.”
Albie gets almost all the answers wrong on a quiz in math club, so he goes up to Mr. Clifton and asks to quit the club. Mr. Clifton refuses and shows Albie his own fourth grade report card instead: Mr. Clifton had gotten an F in math. He tells Albie that he used to struggle with math as a child, so he chose to eventually become a math teacher to help other children figure it out.
Chapter 25 Summary: “stacking cups.”
One of the days Albie and Calista are down at the bodega, Albie stacks cups to kill time while Calista and the owner Hugo chat. Albie asks Hugo how many cups he should stack, and Hugo tells him to do 25 in one stack. Albie stacks four neat towers, after which Hugo thanks him and gives him a donut in return for the help. Albie offers to do so again the next day, and this becomes a routine.
Chapters 1-25 Analysis
Albie is a 10-year-old boy facing academic challenges; by the second chapter, when Albie struggles with a simple calculation, the reader learns why Grandpa Park disparagingly called Albie a "rock" in the previous chapter. These challenges are significant, as evidenced by the fact that he has been asked to leave his old school—something Albie does not yet know, as he hasn’t read the letter. Albie feels like he has been an “almost” for all his life; this inspires the title of the book.
However, it also becomes clear that Albie’s academic challenges are offset by the kind of person he is. Just as his challenges are highlighted as part of his character’s introduction, so is his kind and friendly nature. Albie is remarkably self-aware and empathetic, and he is conscious of how he struggles with things other children don’t (he refers to this awareness as “noticing”). He is also attuned to the feelings of those around him, and he makes an effort to help people feel good; just as he tries to cheer up Erlan, who is an old friend, Albie is equally kind to Betsy whom he does not yet know. He defends her from Darren, even though it is the first time Albie is meeting either of them.
A host of other important characters are also introduced in these chapters: Albie’s parents, referred to simply as Mom and Dad throughout the book; Calista, Albie’s nanny; Erlan and Betsy, Albie’s friends; and Mr. Clifton, the math club teacher.
Mom and Dad are loving parents who nevertheless have certain expectations of their son. Mom, in particular, seems conscious of and frustrated by Albie’s inability to meet these expectations. This tension appears in her reaction to Albie miscalculating the tip in the chapter “being friendly.” Likewise, she doesn’t correct her colleague’s assumption that Albie was named after Albert Einstein, because she feels anxious about Albie’s academic ability. Albie is quite attached to Mom; he likes it when she is present for bedtime, and she, in turn, never forgets to tell Albie that she loves him and thinks of him as “caring and thoughtful and good” (76). However, while Mom loves Albie and recognizes her son’s strengths, she is equally caught up in her expectations of academic excellence, possibly because she was a high achiever as a child. This preoccupation, coupled with the pressure of her father’s opinion of Albie (he called Albie a “rock”), motivates her to push Albie beyond his actual capabilities. Despite positive comments from Albie’s teacher, Mom is disappointed that he is still reading Captain Underpants, and she insists that he try Johnny Tremain instead.
While not much of Dad is seen in these chapters, he appears to be a loving yet somewhat distant father—busy and preoccupied with his work and consequently disconnected from his son. The recurring appearance of the A-10 Thunderbolt model airplane highlights this relationship. Albie often thinks about the model airplane, having waited more than a year to build it with Dad; while Albie assumes that they have not yet done so because Dad has been busy, it later becomes clear that Dad had forgotten about it entirely.
Albie’s dynamic with his parents contrasts with his relationship with Calista, who has no expectations for Albie and is comfortable allowing him to be himself. She is happy to let Albie decide the day’s activities in the chapter “a perfect summer day,” and Albie notices that she calls him “smart” at the end of the day. Calista seems to be the first adult who sees Albie as he is. When Calista helps Albie make the cardboard TV frame, this playful craft represents the different lens through which she views Albie, and, in turn, it helps him see the world. This comforts Albie, as he can “change the channel” whenever he wants—the ability to switch perspectives is freeing. Though Albie initially resented her, Calista soon becomes an important pillar of support as well as his trusted friend.
However, Calista is also unconventional and perhaps irresponsible, though the latter is not made explicit, as the story is told through Albie’s eyes. The pink streak in her hair is something Albie knows his parents will disapprove of, and at the end of the very first day Calista and Albie spend together, Calista fibs about their activities to his parents. She tends to bend the rules, allowing Albie to watch TV for much longer than his allowance and have donuts every day; she even helps Albie continue reading Captain Underpants by using a fake Johnny Tremain book cover. This latter trick, however, even shocks Albie a little because he is surprised to see an adult telling him to be “sneaky.” Nevertheless, while Calista’s irresponsible streak is consistent, this character trait is as important as her acceptance of Albie; both traits will play into the story.
Albie meets a second adult who sees him as he is—Mr. Clifton. Mr. Clifton leads the math club, which is another space where Albie feels free and accepted. The club’s approach to math is nontraditional, as is Mr. Clifton himself, who begins the class with a joke and plays games with the children. Mr. Clifton is like Calista in his nonjudgmental and unconventional disposition; however, unlike Calista, he is a responsible adult in a position of legitimate authority as a teacher. Furthermore, in the face of a challenge, Calista’s strength lies in comforting Albie and helping him have fun; Mr. Clifton, in contrast, helps Albie work at a solution. Thus, the chapter in which Calista helps Albie “cheat” at reading Johnny Tremain is directly followed by the chapter in which Mr. Clifton refuses to let Albie quit math club. Instead, Mr. Clifton reveals his own past failures, using this as encouragement for Albie to continue trying at math. Shortly afterward, Albie begins to stack cups at the bodega, which later helps him learn math.
These chapters’ major themes, which continue throughout the book, include academic struggles and their impact on self-esteem, as well as parental expectation and pressure. Two instances that highlight these themes are the weekly spelling test and the reading log. The spelling test displays how, despite Albie’s efforts, he has been unable to improve his performance; this changes over the course of the book, a key factor being the change in Albie’s approach to preparation. The reading log, in turn, points to the relationship between academic performance and self-esteem. This ties into parental expectation and pressure, particularly in Mom’s reaction to the log.
Another emerging theme is that of the nature of friendship. Two important characters are Erlan, Albie’s long-standing best friend, and Betsy, the girl he befriends at school. Albie consciously and consistently demonstrates what it means to be a good friend, to new friends and old. Despite Mom’s suggestion of a chess set as a birthday gift for Erlan, Albie chooses robots. When Erlan receives 10 chess sets for his birthday, he still prefers to play with the robots Albie gave him; this demonstrates how well Albie knows Erlan. Similarly, Betsy’s stutter, for which the rest of their class judges her, doesn’t deter Albie—in fact, it is not even a point of consideration for him in befriending her. More important is that she, in turn, is also kind to Albie, which he appreciates. He also makes it a point to count the spots on the bug, simply because he knows Betsy would like to know this, as she missed the opportunity to look at the bug. Albie is rewarded with three gummy bears for his efforts—a recurring motif that represents Albie and Betsy’s friendship, the same way the model airplane represents Albie’s relationship with Dad.
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By Lisa Graff
