Bel Kaufman’s bestselling classic, about a young teacher’s efforts to reach her students and the odd, amusing, and poignant ways that the students respond

When Miss Barrett arrives at Calvin Coolidge High, fresh from earning literature degrees at Hunter College, she can hardly wait to shape young minds. Instead, she encounters broken windows, no supplies, students who would rather be anyplace else, and a stifling bureaucracy that makes her job more difficult at every turn.

Narrated through hilarious inter-office memos, students’ notes, and other scraps drawn from the waste basket, Up the Down Staircase stands as the seminal novel of the American public school system, a beleaguered institution perpetually redeemed by teachers who love to teach and students who long to be recognized.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Bel Kaufman including photos from the author’s personal collection.