Flying Solo (1998) by Ralph Fletcher takes place over one day in a sixth-grade classroom at Paulson Elementary School. The novel’s plot centers around a class having no teacher for the day when the substitute never shows up. With no adult supervision, emotions run high between the students, especially since it is the six-month anniversary of a classmate’s death.

Booklist describes Flying Solo as “sad, poignant, and funny,” while School Library Journal praises the work as “more thoughtful and poignant than most school stories.” The novel’s themes include responsibility, tolerance, and acceptance. The American author has written several children’s novels, picture books, poetry books, and writing guides.

Plot Summary

The novel is narrated in alternating third-person perspectives, with each chapter seen through the eyes of a different character. The story begins in Room 238 on April 28, when Mr. Fabiano, a charming and beloved sixth-grade teacher, is absent for the day. He leaves a note on the chalkboard informing his students that a substitute teacher, Mrs. Muchmore, will take his place. Mrs. Muchmore calls in sick, and through a series of mishaps, the secretary forgets to call in a new substitute. When no substitute shows up, the students in Mr. Fabiano’s class decide to run the class themselves for the day.

The protagonist, Rachel White, loves to read and wants to be a pilot when she grows up. Rachel is diagnosed with selective mutism; she has taken a purposeful vow of silence since the death of classmate Tommy Feathers, who died of natural causes exactly six months ago on October 28. Tommy was in love with Rachel and gave her presents almost daily. However, Rachel harshly rejected Tommy the day before died. Rachel now feels a deep sense of guilt and sadness and does not want to speak. She writes notes and uses hand gestures to communicate, mostly using her best friend, Missy, as her voice.

As the story unfolds, each classmate has their own ideas of how to spend the day in class. Bastian Fauvell is a brash and bullying young man spending his final day at Paulson Elementary before moving to Hawaii—his eighth move in 12 years. Though Bastian is distracted by his upcoming move, he is still cruel toward his classmates. He debates whether to bring his dog with him to Hawaii; if he does, his dog will be quarantined for several months.

The de facto class leader, Karen Ballard, just wants to run the class as normally as possible, and she sees it as a test of character. A shy boy from a low-income background, Sean O’Day has a crush on Rachel and is willing to spend the day however she pleases. The only person who opposes the class’s decision not to inform the authorities of the substitute teacher’s absence is Jessica Cooke, a lawyer’s daughter who wants to be chief justice of the Supreme Court when she grows up.

Mr. Fabiano’s class keeps their scheme a secret by ensuring that all the sixth-grade classes know what is going on, therefore making them feel as though the venture is a collaborative effort. There are a few instances where the students risk being caught, but for the most part, the adults do not question the students at all.

The class progresses rather smoothly until the end of the day when, deciding that Bastian’s last day at school is an important matter, they hold a ritual where the students pass around a rock and share a personal memory about Bastian. The ritual turns ugly when Rachel, upset that nobody seems to care that it is the sixth-month anniversary of Tommy’s death, confronts Bastian in a written letter: She calls out the times Bastian was mean toward Tommy. Tempers flare, and the experiment in a self-run classroom nearly erupts into anarchy. Bastian accuses Rachel of being cruel to Tommy as well, which makes Rachel sob. Karen suggests everyone calm down by spending a few minutes writing about Tommy. The students agree, resulting in some heavy emotions.

Mr. Peacock, the principal, calls the class to a school assembly. On the way to the assembly, Sean asks if he can walk Rachel home, and she agrees with a smile. Bastian also tells Sean that he can have his beloved dog because it would be unfair to make Barkley go through a quarantine when Bastian’s family moves to Hawaii. When the assembly begins, all the sixth-grade teachers are called on stage. When Mr. Peacock asks the whereabouts of Mr. Fabiano or Mrs. Muchmore, Karen reveals that they do not have a substitute teacher. On the weekend, Mr. Fabiano calls Karen’s house to learn what happened on Friday, and Karen explains that the class followed his lesson plans. She also tells Mr. Fabiano that she doesn’t think he should be mad at them. On Monday, Rachel finally speaks, breaking her six-month vow of silence. Mr. Fabiano urges the class to write their version of what happened in class when no teachers were watching. Rachel writes that while she now understands she can’t change how she treated Tommy, she knows she is not a bad person.