Fifth-grader Patrick canât read, but when the new girl next door encourages him to overcome his fears and try, he starts believing he isnât so stupid after all
Patrick Lowe has always loved imagining his own fantastic stories of brave knights and dragons. Unfortunately, every time he tries to read, his fatherâs voice pops up in his head telling him heâs stupid, and the words on the page suddenly become too blurry to see. By his fifth grade year, Patrick has stopped trying to read altogether. He doesnât think he needs any friends, but his new next-door neighbor Celina just wonât leave him alone. As Patrick and Celina slowly become friends, Celina starts reading The Sword and the Stone to him every afternoon. Patrick is entranced by this mythical world of white knights and vicious beasts, magic and adventure, but no matter how hard he tries, he himself still cannot read.
But when Celina betrays his trust, Patrick finds himself betting to the class bully that he can read a story to the entire school. Patrick is determined to show everyone that heâs no dummy, but can he get past his own fears and finally learn to read?