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 76-97Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 76 Summary: “what i could have said.”
Dad walks in while Albie is working on the second, almost-complete model airplane. Dad is impressed and asks Albie how he did it so quickly; Albie tells him about the previous model and what happened to it. Dad apologizes to Albie, and together, they assemble the last bits of the second model airplane.
Chapter 77 Summary: “one last hint.”
Albie leaves a last note for Betsy, telling her how great he thinks she is—just the way she is.
Chapter 78 Summary: “a note from home.”
Mrs. Rouse asks Albie for a note explaining his absence from school, and he doesn’t know what to say. She asks him to bring it in the next day, and he nods, not knowing what else to do.
Chapter 79 Summary: “hannah schaffhauser.”
Albie looks through old sick notes on Mom’s laptop and copies one out. He practices forging her signature as well but is unable to get it perfect. Despite the imperfection of the signature, Albie is desperate to keep Calista from getting in trouble, so he signs the note.
Chapter 80 Summary: “worrying.”
Albie hands the note to Mrs. Rouse the next day, who looks at him, thanks him, and asks him to sit down. He doesn’t get into any trouble.
Chapter 81 Summary: “the worst worst thing.”
Mom picks up Albie from school that day, which is unusual. Albie asks where Calista is, and Mom tells him that she won’t be his babysitter anymore: Mrs. Rouse called Mom about the note, and Mom found out about the zoo trip. Albie cries and tells Mom to call Calista back as she didn’t write the note, but Mom simply responds, “I’m sorry, Albie” (238).
Chapter 82 Summary: “voice mail.”
Albie leaves a voicemail for Calista, apologizing for the note.
Chapter 83 Summary: “mad.”
Mom tucks Albie in at night. She tells him she loves him and that she tries her best to be a good mother—she only wants Albie to be safe and happy. Albie tells Mom she doesn’t need to worry about him all the time, but Mom responds, “Of course I do. I’m your mother” (242).
Chapter 84 Summary: “new kid.”
There is a new kid in school, Darissa, who is in math club with Albie. Mr. Clifton asks Albie to be her buddy and assures Darissa she is in good hands with Albie.
Chapter 85 Summary: “what got into me.”
Betsy brings a live bug to class on Science Friday. She takes it around the classroom but skips Albie’s desk as she is still mad at him. During recess, Darren and his friends take the bug from Betsy and make fun of her. Albie goes to help but is too late—Darren sets the bug free. After recess, the class discovers Darren’s desk overturned and his things messed up and broken. Albie knows it was Betsy, but he takes the blame when Mrs. Rouse asks who is responsible. At lunch, Betsy thanks Albie and gives him a whole bag of gummy bears.
Chapter 86 Summary: “lucky.”
Grandpa Park comes for dinner. He asks Albie how Mountford Prep is, and Mom reminds Grandpa Park that Albie doesn’t go there anymore. Grandpa Park is derisive about Mountford’s request that Albie leave, and he becomes even more insulting when he learns that Albie now attends a public school, asking, “Why bother? […] Why not just throw him in a ditch now and be done with it? That’s where he’ll end up at this rate” (253).
Mom is furious at this and takes Albie to his room while Dad angrily responds to Grandpa Park. In his room, Mom apologizes to Albie for what Grandpa Park said, telling him that Grandpa is not a nice man. Mom tells Albie that she loves him, and Albie responds that Mom is “caring and thoughtful and good” (255). Mom tells Albie that she is lucky to have a son like him, and Albie hugs her, feeling “pretty lucky,” too.
Chapter 87 Summary: “being famous.”
While playing with Erlan in Erlan’s new room on the Upper West Side, Albie tells him that he wishes he himself were famous. Erlan, however, explains to Albie all the bad parts about being famous: Among other things, no one talks to him at school anymore, and people laugh at him about everything that they see on the show; Albie is the only one who still treats him normally. Albie thinks that “[being] famous sounded a whole lot like being cool” (258).
Chapter 88 Summary: “green pencil.”
Calista leaves a green sketching pencil for Albie at his house. He uses it to sketch a Donut Man cartoon.
Chapter 89 Summary: “studying with betsy.”
Chapter 90 Summary: “a famous schaffhauser grilled cheese.”
When Dad asks Albie about the class elections, Albie tells him that he ran for vice president and lost, as he only got one vote. Dad asks Albie if he really wanted to be vice president; Albie responds that it would have been nice to win something.
Out of the blue, Dad decides to teach Albie how to make “a famous Schaffhauser grilled cheese” (265), a sandwich recipe that has been passed down from Dad’s own father. While they eat the completed sandwich, Dad asks Albie if he really wanted to be vice president or just wanted to win; Albie affirms the latter. Dad says that once Albie figures out what he truly wants in life, he will get it. Albie thinks that sometimes Dad understands him better than anyone else does.
Chapter 91 Summary: “new lunch.”
Albie now eats lunch with Darissa and Betsy in Mr. Clifton’s room, as all of them are decidedly “not cool.” Afterward, they play handball while Betsy and Albie teach Darissa about New York and make plans to see the city together.
Chapter 92 Summary: “wednesday."
Albie correctly guesses the answer to Mr. Clifton’s math joke, and Mr. Clifton gives him a gold star. Albie wears it on his sweatshirt all day.
Chapter 93 Summary: “gummy bears.”
Albie gets his spelling test score, and he got eight right—a B grade, his highest ever. Albie is not happy, however; he was hoping for an A, and a B only feels “almost good.”
Betsy notices that Albie is sad, so she writes “B is for” on his test and places a gummy bear next to it. Albie says that Betsy should get many gummy bears since A is better than B; however, Betsy retorts that only B is for bear, while A is for “anchovies.”
After thinking hard about this, Albie makes Betsy a card, which he gives her the next day. It says, “A is for Art!” (275) on the front and is filled with the best drawings Calista taught him. Betsy likes the card and thanks Albie for it.
Chapter 94 Summary: “smoothing out the edges.”
Darren mostly ignores Albie now, but some days he still bullies him and calls him names. Albie rolls these words around in his head to smooth out the edges. Some days it works, other days it doesn’t; he still keeps rolling.
Chapter 95 Summary: “superpowers.”
Albie goes down to meet Hugo at the bodega. Hugo tells Albie that Calista has been by recently and she left a message for Albie to check the stock of coffee sleeves when he next came in. When Albie goes to do so, he finds a series of cartoons drawn on some of the sleeves, depicting Art Girl telling Donut Man what his superpower is—the last few have the words “YOU ARE KIND” drawn on them. Albie wears home two of the cuffs on his wrists, feeling like he really “might just have superpowers” (285).
Chapter 96 Summary: “almost.”
Albie tapes the “B is for Bear” spelling test sheet on his door, underneath the letter from Mountford.
Chapter 97 Summary: “things i know.”
Albie lists all the things he knows, which include what he is worth; he concludes that “[there] are a lot of things I know” (288).
Chapters 76-97 Analysis
Different narrative strands come together organically in these final chapters; most striking is how this resolution is driven by honesty and acceptance. The chapter in which Albie and Dad finish the model airplane together, for instance, is titled “what i could have said”; in response to Dad’s admiration at how quickly Albie put together this model, Albie initially thinks of all the impressive but untrue things he could say. However, Albie eventually tells Dad the truth, and this helps repair their relationship. Although Albie built most of the model himself, ultimately Dad helps him assemble the last bits. Their improved relationship further appears in “a famous schaffhauser grilled cheese,” as father and son bond over making a sandwich together; furthermore, Dad’s response to Albie losing the class election is an astute one, indicating that Dad is beginning to pay attention to who his son is. Albie truly feels understood by Dad in this moment.
Albie’s relationship with Mom also sees growth and bonding. When she tucks him in at night after she fires Calista, she tells him that she is trying to be a good mother. Her honesty in admitting this allows Albie to see a different side to her, as it is the first time he realizes that being a mother is something one has to work at. Similarly, in Mom’s conversation with Albie after dinner with Grandpa Park, she admits to him that her father is not a nice man, and she tells Albie she is lucky to have a son like him. This closeness between Albie and Mom results from Mom’s honesty with Albie and seeing him as he is.
Albie’s friendships also see healing. Although things with Erlan were always good, he begins to see what Erlan means about disliking being famous, as Albie compares it to his own brief brush with popularity. Albie also leaves Betsy a final note declaring that he likes her the way she is, and he takes the blame for her in the face of Darren’s bullying, echoing how he defended her the first time they met. As opposed to the single gummy bear Betsy gave him back then, he now gets a whole bag from her—a symbol of the health of their relationship. This is a clear sign that their friendship is well and good again. Their little group also expands, adding the new girl, Darissa, to the mix.
As the decidedly “not cool” trio hang out together, they make plans to show Darissa around the city. This echoes another time Albie showed a “new girl” around the city—Calista. Calista is no longer part of Albie’s everyday life; the consequences of her dishonesty eventually catch up with her, as Mom finds out about the zoo day. That Albie felt compelled to lie to his teacher is, undeniably, because Calista acted irresponsibly. She implied that if Albie was honest about the zoo day, she would get in trouble; Albie’s affection for Calista, thus, leads him to lie despite his better judgment, setting in motion the events leading to her firing. Although the reader is led to sympathize with Albie who is deeply upset by this, reminders of Calista’s habitual irresponsibility quickly follow. Albie’s offer to show Darissa around the city recalls how he did so for Calista on their very first day together—which she also lied about.
Calista’s story arc is a reminder that actions have consequences; it also, however, shows that life is not black and white. Despite some of Calista’s questionable decisions as an adult caring for a child, she nevertheless taught Albie valuable things and immensely helped his self-esteem. Albie uses the art skills Calista taught him and creates a card for Betsy. Albie and Calista’s shared connection through comics also comes back in the form of the illustrated coffee sleeves she leaves for him in Hugo’s bodega—as Albie wears the sleeves home like superhero cuffs, he finally truly believes in his own worth.
Albie’s newfound self-worth shows up in math club: He raises his hand to attempt an answer for a joke, and he gets it right, earning him a gold star. This shining moment symbolizes his happy and healthy psychological state. However, that Albie even attempts to answer the question is significant: In the beginning of the book, he remarks how other people don’t notice he has stopped raising his hand in class, so it is a milestone that he has gained the confidence to do so again. Albie also receives his highest grade yet on a spelling test—a B. This is a result of studying with Betsy, which involves taking a different approach to preparation—repetition and consistency. An implicit lesson through all this is that there are no quick-fixes or shortcuts to getting good at something. Things take time and consistent effort, sometimes more so for some people. In fact, Albie also applies this lesson to nonacademic situations, continuing to “roll around” in his head the words that Darren calls him. Despite it not always helping him feel better, he recognizes that he must keep at it. Thus, the lessons Albie has learned from Calista and Mr. Clifton eventually come together to help him accept his self-conferred label of an “almost.” He displays the spelling test with a B grade in his room, finally listing all the things that he does know, after all.
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