Tuesday, 20 August 2019

A Boy Called Bat - Elana K. Arnold and Charles Santoso - Bat Book 1

A Boy Called Bat
A Boy Called Bat Book 1
Elana K. Arnold
Charles Santoso (Illustrator)
Walden Pond Press an imprint of
Harper Collins
ISBN 9780062445834
eISBN 9780062445841
ASIN B01HBPQVBS



My youngest child came home from school raving about this book. They had read it the last week of school in grade 3, and it was an instant favorite. When she found out it was the first of a series, she was ecstatic, and wanted us to add it to our summer reading list. And my youngest two and I have just finished reading this first book in the series. As we read it we took turns often alternating pages.

Bat, Bixby Alexander Tam is a little different than many other kinds. In fact he goes to a different school than his sister, in order to have some extra help. When Bat’s mom is late coming home one day it causes his much anxiety, but when she unveils a baby skunk kit that was just born that day, Bat knows that they belong together. Bat is having a hard time settling now that his parents are separated, and ‘every other’ weekend is spent at his father’s new apartment. But he instantly bonds with the kit, and from that moment on is working to find a way to convince his mom to let him keep the kit.

Bat struggles, he sees the world in a very literal way. His interactions with others, even his family are often difficult or overly blunt. But because of his interactions with the Kit, Bat’s edges seem to be softening a bit. And a fellow student is showing interest in him, and the Kit. Learning to connect and care for the Kit seems to be really helping bat learn some other lessons. But will it be enough to be able to keep the Kit? To find out you will need to read the book.

This was a fun read. It helped my children understand a few of their classmates better. It does a great job representing the struggle. And The illustrations are fun. All three of us give it a big thumbs up!

Our Ratings:
8 year old – 5/5 Stars
11 year old 4/5 Stars
50 year old 4/5 Stars

And we are looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Note: there are German editions of the book, translated by Sylke Hachmeister and illustrated by Maja Bohn.

Books by Elana K. Arnold:
Damsel
What Girls Are made of
Burning
Infandous
The Question of Miracles
Far from Fair
Red Hood
What Riley Wore
An Ordinary Day
The House That Wasn’t There
Starla Jean and Opal Egg


A Boy Called Bat Series:
A Boy Called Bat
Bat and the Waiting Game
Bat and the End of Everything


Sacred Series:
Sacred
Splendor







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