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Jessica
Oliver is one of Ally's classmates. He's always talking and moving, which makes him a common target of bullying. In the week after Mr. Daniels arrives to teach, Ally notices that Oliver likely has self-esteem issues, just like she does; one mean look from Jessica makes him cower. She also realizes that Mr. Daniels and Oliver have a signal that allows Mr. Daniels to tell Oliver to quiet down without calling him out and embarrassing him. Though Shay continues to pick on Oliver, Oliver's confidence grows over the course of the novel. When Ally is finally in a place where she feels better about herself, she begins to see that Oliver is actually very funny and thoughtful. Mr. Daniels even compliments Oliver explicitly on his kindness, saying that Oliver will grow up to be a great man with his kind heart.
Oliver Quotes in Fish in a Tree
The Fish in a Tree quotes below are all either spoken by Oliver or refer to Oliver. 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 9
Quotes
Mr. Daniels gives Oliver a thumbs-up, and I think how cool it is that they have the ear-pulling signal. That way he doesn't always have to tell Oliver that he's doing something wrong in front of everyone. I know what that feels like and I'm happy that Mr. Daniels cares so much. Most teachers seem to like their students to be all the same—perfect and quiet. Mr. Daniels actually seems to like that we're different.
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Chapter 34
Quotes
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 48
Quotes
And looking around the room, I remember thinking that my reading differences were like dragging a concrete block around every day, and how I felt sorry for myself. Now I realize that everyone has their own blocks to drag around. And they all feel heavy.
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Oliver Quotes in Fish in a Tree
The Fish in a Tree quotes below are all either spoken by Oliver or refer to Oliver. 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 9
Quotes
Mr. Daniels gives Oliver a thumbs-up, and I think how cool it is that they have the ear-pulling signal. That way he doesn't always have to tell Oliver that he's doing something wrong in front of everyone. I know what that feels like and I'm happy that Mr. Daniels cares so much. Most teachers seem to like their students to be all the same—perfect and quiet. Mr. Daniels actually seems to like that we're different.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34
Quotes
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 48
Quotes
And looking around the room, I remember thinking that my reading differences were like dragging a concrete block around every day, and how I felt sorry for myself. Now I realize that everyone has their own blocks to drag around. And they all feel heavy.
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