Kool Ada

by Sheila Solomon Klass

When Ada, a tough, street-fighting transplant from coal mining country to the Chicago slums, gets the no-nonsense Ms. Walker as a teacher, she learns that there are other ways to stand up for yourself.

Genres: Young Adult

167 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

SHEILA SOLOMON KLASS has been writing fiction for young adults for nearly five decades. Her books include The Uncivil War; Shooting Star: A Novel About Annie Oakley; and Little Women Next Door. Ms. Klass lives in New York City.

Ms. Klass passed away in 2014 at the age of 86.

Reviews

[Chhad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently re-read for the first time since I was in school and it's even better than I remember. I was obsessed with Ada and thought she was *so* Kool. Reading as a adult I now notice all the things I missed when I was a kid: neurodiversity, racism, classicism, addiction, intergenerational trauma... I'm so glad I could revisit this childhood favourite. Highly recommend for young adults struggling with belonging...which was all of us once... And probably still now let's be honest :)

[Allison Renner · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books when I was a kid. Ada has a learning disability, possibly dyslexia, though it is never explicitly addressed. She also has a temper problem, never turning her back on a fight when provoked. After losing her family and having to move from the country to live with her aunt in Chicago, Ada is put in the "special" sixth grade class. There, she slowly starts learning words and patience from her teacher, Ms. Walker. A very sweet, inspiring story, and I liked it just as much as I did when I was younger.

[Michelle]

Listed as Q3 = A good story with some faults, P3 = A booktalk on this title will excite most people’s interest

[Aya Dawawsi]

Soooo booring.