  | Things seen from above Author: Pearsall, Shelley | |
| Price: $15.89 | ||
Summary:
April is having a difficult time adjusting to sixth grade, so she signs up to be a Buddy Bench monitor for fourth-grade recess and meets Joey Byrd, an autistic boy who communicates using drawings. At first the drawings seem random to April, but she learns over time that Joey is communicating a story that will touch the hearts of their community.
| Illustrator: | Jin, Xingye |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.20 Points: 8.0 Quiz: 507369 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (01/01/20)
School Library Journal (02/01/20)
Booklist (02/15/20)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (A) (00/02/20)
The Hornbook (00/05/20)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 02/01/2020 Gr 4–6—When sixth-grader April Boxler volunteers to spend time on the school playground's Buddy Bench, she doesn't expect it to change the way she sees everything. In fact, she only agreed to spend recess with the fourth graders to avoid dealing with her own changing friendships. But it's on the bench where April first watches fourth-grader Joey Bird walking in what seems to be deliberate patterns. Thanks to the help of the kind school janitor, Mr. Ulysses, April is able to get a "bird's-eye view" of Joey's playground designs. She begins to recognize the quiet boy's unique perspective. The Buddy Bench also turns out to be a place for April to make a new friend, Veena, a new student from India. Together, April and Veena try to understand Joey, who would prefer to be left alone with his "tracings." As more attention is drawn to Joey's talent, his private world is disrupted and April learns that actions have consequences. April also begins to consider viewpoints other than her own, a sign of her growing empathy. As Mr. Ulysses tells her, "I came to the conclusion a long time ago that people often see only what they expect to see. If they don't expect much, they don't see much." The story is told primarily from April's point of view, but chapters giving more insight into Joey—including his art—enrich and expand this thoughtful novel of emotional growth. VERDICT Readers will think about this novel after they've closed the book. It's full of heart and is sure to encourage looking at the world through a new lens.—Shelley Sommer, Inly School, Scituate, MA - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 02/15/2020 To avoid the stress of the cafeteria, sixth-grader April spends her lunches as a playground Bench Buddy, watching and helping the fourth-graders. She quickly becomes intrigued by Joey Byrd, who keeps to himself, often walking in methodical circles or lying perfectly still on the ground for all of recess. Soon, however, she and another Bench Buddy discover that Joey actually sees the world from a bird’s-eye view, and he is using his feet to create remarkable artwork in the playground wood chips, only visible from above. When his spectacular talent gets out, he goes from outcast to classroom star overnight, and April realizes she may have discovered a truly rare bird indeed. Inspired by the author’s nephew who has similar visual-spatial gifting to Joey’s, this book is a warm and gentle embrace of exceptional children, the recognition they deserve, and the sweet children who feel called to protect them. There’s not much in the way of plot or conflict, but there is a wealth of moral fortitude and a tender, earnest quality to the tween relationships with one another and the adults around them. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.
