Description
At Bell Creek Elementary, the new Hallway Harmony policy is supposed to keep students safe. There’s just one problem: the arrows on the floor keep sending everyone the long way around.
Fifth grader Nora Bell has questions. Lots of them. Why does returning a library book require a tour of the entire building? What happens when a cart blocks the approved path? And who decided the arrows always know best? Nora records the absurdities in a satirical rulebook, with help from her friends Amir, Jun, and Lila. Soon their jokes are getting attention far beyond their classroom.
But not everyone thinks the policy is ridiculous. Some students feel safer because of it, and the adults responsible for the hallways have problems Nora never considered. If she wants to change anything, Nora will have to do more than write punch lines. She and her friends begin collecting stories, checking routes, testing ideas, and learning what happens when a seemingly simple solution fails.
Funny, thoughtful, and grounded in the everyday world of fifth grade, The Great Fifth Grade Rulebook is a standalone story about speaking up, listening carefully, and discovering that the strongest argument is one that makes room for other people.
