The Landry News

"The Landry News" is a children's book by Andrew Clements first published in the United States in 1999 by Aladdin.

Infobox Book |
name = The Landry News
author = Andrew Clements
illustrator = Sal Murdocca (hc)
Brian Selznick (pb)
cover_artist = Sal Murdocca (hc)
Brian Selznick (pb)
country = United States
language = English
genre = Children's
publisher = Aladdin Paperbacks
release_date = 1999
media_type = Print

Plot summary

Cara Landry, a new kid in 6th grade, publishes her own individual newspaper during her first year at Denton Elementary School. She writes an editorial about her teacher, Mr. Larson, who had once been a top-quality teacher but had over time become too apathetic to teach. Mr. Larson soon returns to his old teaching ways, when Cara's merciless editorial opens his eyes to that it is true he has stopped teaching. Cara continues an old class newspaper with the novel's title for a so called "class project". Cara then expands the newspaper with every edition, using the help of her newly-found friends. One day when the newspaper is at its peak, or near peak, her friend named Michael, who handles the newspaper layout and is a computer whiz, comes up to her and asks if she could read a story his "friend" wrote. When she reads it later that evening, she realizes it has no name, and it is about a divorce between the author's parents and how he deal with it and learned to get over it. She loves the article mainly because that what she felt like when her parents divorced, so she prints it, but not before she passes it by Mr.Larson who says she is the one that makes the decision. The principal, who is keeping a sharp eye on Mr.Larson because he strongly disapproves of the way he teaches, jumps at the chance to get rid of him and brings the "problem" of the newspaper to the school board; saying that it was getting into the person's family privacy and that "This article is too personally revealing for children, nor anyone else." The newspaper makes publicity because of the first amendment and the board of rights, so Cara is interviewed for TV,and the hearing is placed in an auditorium because of all the people that are going to be there (mostly Cara's classmates and their parents). So the hearing came and it truly looked like Mr.Larson was going to be "sacked" or "fired". You see, beforehand Cara had asked Michael if he could read his story out loud in defense of Mr. Larson. Cara says in court that if kids are brave enough to say what they feel, then why can't adults and why is it so bad? Afterwards, Cara hands out a special edition to the Landry News with one article with the headline "Larson is Vindicated!" and a story explaining what happened. The only other thing is a very hearted-warming editorial written by Cara, writing about how Mr. Larson will always be the best teacher ever.