3/26/2019 The Cat Ate My Gymsuit - Wikipedia

Ms. Finney brings a legal case against her firing, with some of her former students speaking in her defense in court. The
court determines that the school administration had no legal grounds to fire her, because it is unconstitutional to force her
to recite the Pledge. The school board reluctantly reinstates her, but Ms. Finney, realising that her return would only
continue to divide the community, declines to return. Marcy and her friends feel betrayed, but come to understand her
reasons. The class gets a new, more conventional English teacher, and Ms. Finney finds a new job as a therapist elsewhere.

In the aftermath, Marcy comes to the conclusion that she and her father are simply too different to ever be close, and that
while she can never change her father, she can continue to try to change herself. Her mother also learns this lesson and
decides to take night classes at the local college in order to improve and fulfill herself. Marcy finds that the friends she
made during their struggle to save Ms. Finney continue to be supportive, and she is even surprised to learn that the crush
she has on one of the boys is requited.

Inspiration
The most recent edition of the book has an afterword by Danziger explaining why she initially wrote the book and why it is
still relevant today.

The title of the book comes from one of the many excuses Marcy offers to her gym teacher, named Ms. Schmidt, but she
called her just Schmidt, such as "the cat ate my gymsuit" to get out of physical education classes.

Sequel
Followed by There's a Bat in Bunk Five.

External links
Scholastic Books website on Paula Danziger (http://www.scholastic.com/titles/paula/)

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This page was last edited on 12 October 2018, at 14:46 (UTC).

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