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Keisha
Albert is one of Ally's best friends. A hulking boy who loves science and logic, he comes to school every day wearing a shirt that reads "Flint" and a pair of jeans. He's also often covered in fresh bruises. While everyone in Ally's class agrees that Albert is smart, they often find his insistence on exactitude and his pedantic nature trying. Shay teases Albert for this as well as for his family's poverty, which is often apparent in the clothes that Albert wears. Ally eventually invites Albert to sit with her and Keisha, and the three become close friends. Keisha and Ally learn that Albert gets free lunch, that Albert's dad is an inventor who named Albert after Albert Einstein, and that his bruises come from a group of bullies who beat Albert up almost daily after school. Because Albert is a pacifist, he doesn't fight back. However, this doesn't mean that this treatment doesn't bother him; he reveals that his "Flint" shirts are a reference to a Star Trek character named Flint, who fled to a planet to live with robots to escape unkind people on Earth. Albert still makes an effort to not let bullies see that they're bothering him, as he believes this will make the bullying worse. He wants to be a scientist when he grows up, and when it comes out that Ally has dyslexia and Albert learns how many great scientists have had dyslexia as well, he confides in Ally that he almost wishes he had it too. Albert finally stands up to the bullies when they try to pick on Ally and Keisha. It only takes a couple of punches, but the novel implies that Albert will never have to deal with the bullies again. He seems more confident and happier after standing up for himself and his friends.
Albert Quotes in Fish in a Tree
The Fish in a Tree quotes below are all either spoken by Albert or refer to Albert. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 11
Quotes
I'm not perfect, but at least I'm not mean.
And then my heart sinks, because I realize that I just was.
I guess I did it because I was lonely. Now I know that there are worse things than being lonely.
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Chapter 34
Quotes
“People ask what you want to be when you grow up. I know what kind of grown-up I want to be. But I don't know who I am now.” Albert stretches his legs out. “There are always people ready to tell you who you are, like a nerd or a jerk or a wimp.”
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And I think of words. The power they have. How they can be waved around like a wand—sometimes for good, like how Mr. Daniels uses them. How he makes kids like me and Oliver feel better about ourselves. And how words can also be used for bad. To hurt.
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Chapter 50
Quotes
I feel like I'm going to cry. Thinking how Albert has come to school every day with those bruises for all this time. We always asked him what it would take for him to fight back. Turns out it was protecting us.
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Albert Quotes in Fish in a Tree
The Fish in a Tree quotes below are all either spoken by Albert or refer to Albert. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 11
Quotes
I'm not perfect, but at least I'm not mean.
And then my heart sinks, because I realize that I just was.
I guess I did it because I was lonely. Now I know that there are worse things than being lonely.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34
Quotes
“People ask what you want to be when you grow up. I know what kind of grown-up I want to be. But I don't know who I am now.” Albert stretches his legs out. “There are always people ready to tell you who you are, like a nerd or a jerk or a wimp.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
And I think of words. The power they have. How they can be waved around like a wand—sometimes for good, like how Mr. Daniels uses them. How he makes kids like me and Oliver feel better about ourselves. And how words can also be used for bad. To hurt.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 50
Quotes
I feel like I'm going to cry. Thinking how Albert has come to school every day with those bruises for all this time. We always asked him what it would take for him to fight back. Turns out it was protecting us.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
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