Brand-new pencils, brand-new books
Gilbert's excitement over starting first grade turns to worry that the teacher will be mean, the work too hard, and his classmates too unfriendly, but throughout the day there are pleasant surprises.
More by Diane De Groat
Chappie’s discussion starters
🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.
- Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
- Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
- What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
- If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
- Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?