The View From Saturday

Konigsburg, E. L., The View from Saturday, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1996, 163 pgs

Summary: This is the story of four 6^th grade students who are all members of a winning quiz bowl team. Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian didn’t really know each other before they became the winning quiz bowl team, but as each of their stories is told the connections grow. You see by chance Noah was the best man at Ethan’s grandmothers and Nadia’s grandfathers wedding and that is just the beginning. Don’t forget about the baby sea turtles and the tuxedo t-shirts. As each person’s story is revealed and then woven together, it becomes clear that they all selected each other rather than Mrs. Olinski choosing them. Will they join together and be the first sixth grade team to beat the seventh graders? What will they teach each other in the process? A story about overcoming fears and beating the odds that will make you smile as each new character is revealed and all the pieces fall into place.

Evaluation: This is a very fun novel to read. I fell in love with this book at the first twist when you realize that all the stories are possibly woven together. I enjoy books with strong characters and this one has four strong characters that are all connected! I would encourage any young person to read this, but as a girl who was always a bit smarter than the rest in her class, this book is a good book for those students that feel like they just don’t fit in.

Annotation: Winning a quiz bowl, saving sea turtles, making cakes, being a best man…all in a days work.

Significance of Book: I felt this book was significant because of the strong characters, the unique relationships with elderly, and the under tone of disability whether real or imagined.

Genre/subject: fiction, school contests

Awards:

National:

· ALA Notable Children's Books: 1997

· Newbery Medal: 1997

Why I selected the book: I choose this book because of the cover and the fact that it had strong characters in it.

Price: $17.99