Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time

Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time is a 2005 children's novel by

Stanford Wong Flunks Big-
Lisa Yee. Narrating Stanford's point of view in Millicent Min, Girl
Time
Genius and So Totally Emily Ebers, it focuses on Stanford's
eventful summer after he learns his lack of academic interest leads
him to failing his English class and attending summer school. A
basketball star, Stanford finds himself at odds at having to keep his
summer school secret from his friends and teammates along with
hiding the fact he's being tutored by the infamous Millicent Min.
As Stanford struggles to deal with changes in his life, such as his
grandmother leaving his home, the rest of the novel finds Stanford
attempting to adapt to these changes along with dealing with
problems involving friendship, family tensions, and first love.

Plot summary
A slack-off, fun-loving, basketball prodigy, Stanford Wong is ready
for summer. He's going to spend every day at the park with his best Author Lisa Yee
friends (Stretch, Gus, Tico, and Digger) and he's going to a Country United States
basketball camp where he'll learn from the pros. But his English Language English
teacher, the horrible Mr. Glick, presents him with some bad news: Genre Contemporary Fiction
he got an F on his last book report on Holes and failed English
Published October 1, 2005
class. Now Stanford must trade basketball camp for summer school
Arthur A. Levine
- and as if this weren't bad enough, his mom hired a tutor for him:
Books
his arch-enemy Millicent Min. A child genius, Millicent Min is a
senior in high school at age eleven, not to mention a world-class Media type Print
jerk. She hates Stanford as much as he hates her. Pages 304 (hardcover)
ISBN 0-439-62247-6
Stanford's situation deteriorates as his father continues to distance
himself from home, his grandmother becomes senile and moves to OCLC 57452420 (https://ww
a dead retirement home, Millicent tortures him in their study w.worldcat.org/oclc/57
sessions, and his lie to his friends becomes harder and harder to 452420)
cover up - because he's told them that he passed English with LC Class PZ7.Y3638 Sta 2005
flying colors.

Life improves slightly when the beautiful new girl, Emily Ebers, takes an immediate liking to Stanford (the
feeling is mutual) but Emily is Millicent Min's one and only friend. Apparently, though, Millicent doesn't
want Emily to know of her sky-high IQ, because Emily is under the impression that Millicent is not only
homeschooled but tutored by Stanford. Stanford goes along with this lie because he believes that Emily will
never like him if she knows he is stupid. In a strange way, Millicent and Stanford form a tentative
friendship; they are bound by their affection for Emily, and in the process, the two become closer as well.
Soon, everything falls apart: Emily inadvertently discovers Stanford and Millicent's secret. She shuns them
both, not because of their varying intelligence levels, but because they lied to her. A classmate and
basketball player, Digger Ronster, knows what Stanford really got on his book report, and blackmails
Stanford into purposely losing whenever they play basketball with the other guys. Stanford descends into
depression because all of his lies have fallen through.

He is saved, though, when Emily forgives him. Also, Stanford doesn't have any more trouble with his
friends because even though they know that Stanford lied about his English grade, they forgive him, too.
Digger leaves Stanford alone after realizing that his blackmail no longer works. Millicent and Stanford
make up after getting in a fight over Emily. Emily kisses Stanford on the cheek and the two start dating.

At the end of the story, Stanford's father reveals that he has been working so incredibly hard all the time
because he was hoping for a promotion - which his boss granted him. However, the promotion required a
relocation to New York. Stanford protests angrily, but his father tells him that he didn't take the job. He says
that he just recently realized how distant he became from his family, and that wants to reconnect with them.
Now that he had rejected the promotion, he says, he would probably have a lot more free time on his hands
to spend with Stanford. The book ends with Stanford thinking, "I have so much to tell my dad." Later that
night, he falls asleep wearing Alan Scott BK620s, which he always wanted the whole summer.

Awards
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
CCBC Choice
Chicago Public Library "Best of the Best"
Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award for Youth
Chicago Children's Best Book Choice Award

See also
Children's
literature portal
Novels portal

So Totally Emily Ebers

Millicent Min, Girl Genius

External links
Lisa Yee's Official Website (http://www.lisayee.com)
Standford Wong Flunks Big-Time Official Website (http://www.arthuralevinebooks.com/book.
asp?bookid=99)

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