Margaret Peterson Haddix 
Dexter the Tough 

Im the new kid. I am tuf. This morning I beat up a kid. Its only the first day of school for Dexter, but hes already mad at the principal, and the secretary, and the janitor, and the kids who laugh at him. When his teacher tells the class to write a story, Dexter writes about how tough he isand how hes already gotten into a fight. Is any of Dexters story true? Why was the other boy crying before Dexter hit him? And why would the other boy still want to be Dexters friend? Even Dexter doesnt know the answers to some of those questions. But as he deals with family problems, a persistent teacher, and a boy whos strangely interested in floor wax, he discovers many surprises hidden in his own tale.