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 26-50Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 26 Summary: “(not) johnny treeface.”
Mrs. Rouse hands Albie his reading log back and asks him how he’s liking Johnny Tremain. Albie realizes that Mrs. Rouse has seen the fake cover on his Captain Underpants; however, she winks, smiles at him, and says “Keep it up, Albie” (90).
Chapter 27 Summary: “only a test.”
Mom tells Albie that the school counselor wants Albie to take a test, as she thinks he might have dyslexia, a reading-related learning disorder. Although Albie is initially worried, Mom reassures him that lots of smart and famous people have it, and the diagnosis would lead to Albie getting the right help in bringing his grades up. Albie realizes Mom is hoping that he does have dyslexia; Albie finds this strange, as he had always thought disorders were bad, but now he “sort of hoped [he] had it too” (93).
Chapter 28 Summary: “patience.”
It has been a year and a half since Albie and Dad bought the A-10 Thunderbolt model. Albie has often looked through the box and read the instructions; he has even put some parts together, unable to help himself. The model is now too big to fit in its box, so Albie hides it on his shelf and waits for Dad to help him build the rest.
Chapter 29 Summary: “friday.”
Mr. Clifton tells the class another good joke on Friday, and the children tell him to reuse this one, too.
Chapter 30 Summary: “the zombie in the bathtub.”
Mom suggests that Albie dress as Sherlock Holmes for Halloween, but Albie likes Calista’s idea better—a zombie. Calista and Albie buy parts for his costume from a thrift store, and Calista helps Albie rip and dye the clothes. However, they stain the bathtub red in the process, and Harriet, the cleaning lady, is terrified when she sees it, mistaking the dye for blood. While Albie is amused, Harriet is not, and she refuses to clean it up. Calista and Albie do so instead.
Chapter 31 Summary: “a fresh piece of paper.”
One Wednesday after Albie is done with homework, Calista suggests that they draw together. Calista and Albie draw superheroes, but Albie’s sketches are not very good. Calista shows him some tricks and helps him practice, and his sketches slowly get better. Albie asks Calista if he could get good enough to one day be an artist; he wants to “be something [he’s] good at” (105). Calista points out that Albie should first find something he loves, then work at getting good at it. Albie asks Calista what if he never ends up getting good at what he loves; to this Calista responds, “Then won’t you be glad you found something you love?” (106).
Chapter 32 Summary: “the things about cups.”
After a few times of stacking cups at the bodega, Albie figures out that there are always four piles of 25, which make a total of 100 cups. Albie shares this with Mr. Clifton, who says that Albie has “accidentally” done math. Albie decides that this is “the best way to do it” (108).
Chapter 33 Summary: “change of plans.”
A huge storm on Halloween interrupts plans; since the film crew can’t work in the rain, Erlan joins Albie and Betsy instead of attending the parade in the Village with his family. Dad takes Albie and his friends trick-or-treating in the apartment building, which turns out to be far more fun than Albie expects. Many people compliment Albie’s costume, and the three friends collect lots of candy.
Back at Albie’s, the friends split the haul between themselves. Mom lets them have dinner on a blanket on the floor like a picnic, and Dad tells the group ghost stories after dinner. Betsy’s parents can’t come collect her due to the storm, so she and Erlan spend the night—it is Albie’s first mid-week sleepover. As the children ready their sleeping bags for the night, Betsy tells Albie that this was fun. Albie feels the same way, wishing every day could be Halloween.
Chapter 34 Summary: “gus.”
When Albie asks Calista about the pink streak in her hair, she says that Gus doesn’t like it, explaining that Gus is her boyfriend. She tells Albie all about him. When Calista asks Albie if he wants to see a picture of Gus, Albie declines.
Chapter 35 Summary: “parent-teacher conferences.”
Dad and Mom attend a parent-teacher conference, and Dad comes back upset. Dad tells Albie that his grades are “unacceptable,” pointing out the D in spelling. Albie tells Dad that he studies every Thursday with Calista, but Dad thinks Albie needs to study harder, and he wants Albie to get a perfect score on the next spelling test. Mom doesn’t say anything until Dad leaves, after which she simply asks Albie to get ready for bed. Albie does so, thinking about how he hates parent-teacher conferences.
Chapter 36 Summary: “studying.”
Chapter 37 Summary: “what’s wrong with my brain.”
The school counselor calls with the results of Albie’s test—he doesn’t have dyslexia. However, Mom seems mad about this, so Albie offers to take the test again. Mom doesn’t respond to this and leaves the house to get coffee. While she is gone, Albie stares at his homework, trying unsuccessfully to “get the letters to look funny” (122). Albie concludes that the “only thing wrong with [his] brain was [his] brain” (123).
Chapter 38 Summary: “things i don’t know.”
Albie lists the things he doesn’t know. These include math, spellings, how to make his parents worry less, and why he keeps messing things up despite trying so hard.
Chapter 39 Summary: “donut days.”
On Thursday night, despite all the studying, Albie gets only five out of 10 spellings right. He tells Calista that he feels unwell, but she doesn’t believe him; instead, she shows him the negative feedback she has received from one of her professors at art school. Despite hating the professor, Calista goes to his class every Tuesday; she helps herself look forward to it by treating herself to ice cream after class. Albie and Calista decide that from now on, every Friday will be Donut Day.
Chapter 40 Summary: “afterward.”
The spelling test goes okay, and Calista lets Albie have two donuts after school; the donuts almost make the test seem worth it.
Chapter 41 Summary: “monday.”
Mr. Clifton starts class with a bad joke; nobody laughs, though one of the children’s responses makes Mr. Clifton laugh instead.
Chapter 42 Summary: “six words.”
Albie gets six words right on his spelling test, which is his highest score yet. Albie can’t decide if he is happy, because it is not a perfect score. He waits nervously for Dad’s reaction, but Dad forgets to ask him about the test all week. Albie can’t decide if he is happy about this, either.
Chapter 43 Summary: “crying.”
Calista picks up Albie from school, and it looks like she has been crying, though she denies this. Albie overhears her fighting with Gus in the bathroom and decides that he doesn’t like Gus as he “probably wasn’t very nice” (137).
Chapter 44 Summary: “superheroes.”
Calista asks Albie what Donut Man’s superpower is; Albie says that he doesn’t have any and that “[s]ome people aren’t good at anything. Some people just really like donuts” (139).
Chapter 45 Summary: “just like me.”
Mom gets excited when she finds an advertisement about class elections in Albie’s folder. Although Albie doesn’t want to run for election, Mom pushes him to consider it, saying that he might end up treasurer just like she did in school.
Albie receives a food delivery again, and the delivery boy frowns when Albie asks for change back; later, Albie recalculates and realizes that he only tipped 60 cents this time. He is sure that he “would never end up treasurer of anything” (142).
Chapter 46 Summary: “thursday.”
Mr. Clifton starts class with a really good joke that makes the whole room explode in laughter.
Chapter 47 Summary: “friends.”
Albie is with Erlan, his family, and the film crew at the park when he spots Darren there, too. After Erlan and his family leave, Albie and Calista stay a little longer and play cards. While they play, Darren comes up to them and asks about the cameras; Albie explains about Erlan and the reality show. Darren seems impressed and invites Albie to play football with Darren and his father.
Albie is surprised that Darren seems quite friendly after all. Albie also chats with Darren’s father, who teaches him some football and invites him home to see more bugs. Darren asks Albie to bring his friend along, too; Albie thinks he means Betsy, but Darren is referring to Erlan.
After Darren and his father leave, Albie and Calista head home, too. Calista asks Albie to be careful around Darren because sometimes “people aren’t always nice for good reasons” (150), and she doesn’t want to see Albie get hurt. Albie is confused by this as he thinks Darren is now his friend, but he promises Calista that he will be careful.
Chapter 48 Summary: “isn’t.”
Dad remembers about the spelling test and asks to see Albie’s grade. Albie got a seven on the latest one, which is his highest yet; however, Dad says this isn’t good enough.
Chapter 49 Summary: “being cool.”
On Monday, Albie learns what it’s like to be cool from Darren; this includes not sitting next to Betsy, which Albie doesn’t like. Albie sneaks away to talk to Betsy and offers to teach her how to be cool so that they can sit together again. However, Betsy gets angry, tells Albie that he is not cool, and storms off. For the time that school year, Albie doesn’t get any gummy bears at lunch.
Chapter 50 Summary: “still.”
At Erlan’s apartment, Ainyr is crying about breaking up with her boyfriend. Erlan tells Albie that she deleted all the pictures of her boyfriend from her phone after their breakup. The next day, Albie asks Calista if she still has pictures of Gus on her phone; she does, and Albie figures out that they are still together.
Chapters 26-50 Analysis
Parental expectations continue to weigh heavily on Albie. When Albie’s school counselor suggests a test for a learning disorder, Albie recognizes that Mom actually hopes he has dyslexia; the diagnosis would not only explain his struggles but also establish that he is smart after all, which is important to Mom. Indeed, when the results come back, she seems disappointed that he did well—a reaction that leads to Albie actually trying to “develop dyslexia.”
Similarly, Mom is excited about class elections, brushing aside that Albie does not share this enthusiasm. Furthermore, she thinks it a good idea for Albie to become treasurer—a position that involves handling money and making mathematical calculations. Mom’s hopefulness arises from her memory of her own school career, as she had been class treasurer. This is yet another thematic mismatch between parental expectation and the reality of Albie’s capabilities, and the mismatch is reinforced when Albie yet again miscalculates the tip for a food delivery. While it is glaringly obvious to Albie that he would not be right for the treasurer job, Mom is only selectively aware of her son’s reality.
While the pressure of Mom’s expectations is subtle, Dad’s expectations are far more explicit. He is unimpressed with Albie’s grades and clearly states his demand for perfection. Just as Albie did with Mom, he promptly responds to Dad’s reaction about the test: He works harder, preparing a whole two days earlier than usual. However, it does not help much—on the contrary, he is so stressed that he tries to feign sickness and miss school that week.
Although Calista eventually encourages Albie to turn up for the test, and although Albie receives his highest ever score for spelling, he is unable to enjoy this progress because he feels the anticipatory pressure of Dad’s reaction to it. That Dad forgets to ask him about it is striking. Dad is not very present or attentive to who Albie is or the goings-on in Albie’s life; Albie begins to sense this, too. Perpetuating this pattern of emotional neglect, when Dad does eventually remember to ask about the test (two weeks later), he dismisses Albie’s grade as still not “good enough.” Ultimately, and significantly, both Albie’s parents’ unrealistic expectations erode Albie’s self-esteem. Earlier in the book, Albie listed all the things he has noticed, recognizing that his ability to pick up on small details is a strength; now, in contrast, he lists all the things he doesn’t know.
Albie’s social world starts out in a happy place in these chapters, especially with his friendships with Betsy, Erlan, and Calista. Albie’s unexpectedly enjoyable Halloween with Betsy and Erlan sees a melding of his old life and new, and he echoes Betsy’s feelings about how fun the day was. Calista introduces Albie to art, helping him draw comics; she offers an important piece of insight when she tells Albie that it is more important to find something he loves, rather than something that he is good at. She even helps him cope with the negative emotions he experiences after a spelling test, by declaring Fridays “Donut Days.”
However, the continued parental expectations, and Albie’s inability to fulfill them, lead to two things, one of which severely impact his friendships. First, Albie’s self-esteem deteriorates. He tells Calista that his cartoon superhero, Donut Man (who represents Albie himself), possesses no actual superpowers, because “[some] people aren’t good at anything” (139).
This flagging self-esteem, in turn, has its own consequence. Albie’s desire to be good at something—a need that grows as his self-esteem shrinks—leads him to grab at the chance to be “cool.” Therefore, while an otherwise astute and empathetic Albie—someone who is able to pick up on Calista’s distress over fighting with Gus, for example—becomes too preoccupied to realize the artificiality of Darren’s sudden friendly overtures. Darren is only interested in Albie’s association with the TV-famous Erlan. Albie likewise does not understand the cause for Betsy’s anger, and it is the first time since meeting Betsy that Albie has not gotten any gummy bears at lunch. Just as Albie has struggled with academics, challenges are now emerging within his interpersonal relationships.
Other significant events in these chapters include the reappearance of the model airplane, and Albie’s “accidental math.” While the airplane is still a reminder of Dad’s disconnect from Albie, Albie’s independent but slow progress in building the airplane hints at something else entirely. This slow assembly of the plane, coupled with Albie’s arrival at mathematical conclusions based on repeatedly stacking cups, suggests that while Albie might not have dyslexia, he nevertheless needs more time to process information than his peers do. Albie is not “dumb”; he requires persistence and repetition to learn and apply a concept.
Related Titles
By Lisa Graff
