  | View from the very best house in town Author: Trehan, Meera | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
Sam and Asha. Asha and Sam. A perfect pair of friends whose differences complement well, and whose main similarity, autism, means they understand each other. But when Sam is accepted into elite Castleton Academy, leaving Asha to navigate public middle school alone, she begins to wonder if the things she is certain about are so fixed after all. Soon Sam is spending time with Prestyn, Asha's tormentor whose family also happens to own Donnybrooke, the mansion Asha is banned from entering.
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| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.90 Points: 8.0 Quiz: 513934 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (12/01/21)
School Library Journal (12/01/21)
Booklist (11/01/21)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 11/01/2021 Welcome to an unusual tale of a girl, a boy, and a mansion. Best friends and both autistic, Asha and Sam have known each other since they were wee. Asha adores Donnybrooke, a grandiose mansion at the highest point of town, but she is banned from going there, making it all the more attractive. The story is told in alternating points of view (with a running commentary from the mansion), and readers learn why Asha isn’t allowed on the property; how these friends become disconnected after Sam’s mom pushes him to attend the elite Castleton Academy; and about the cruelty of Prestyn, whose family inhabits Donnybrooke. When Prestyn and her minion terrorize Sam, Asha comes to the rescue, but will she be in time to save him? And will Donnybrooke survive the disgrace of it all? This debut novel from Trehan presents intriguing, achingly real characters in the persons of Asha, Sam, and Prestyn, though the adults are somewhat less genuine. That quibble aside, the original presentation and complex young characters carry this compelling exploration of friendship and home. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 12/01/2021 Gr 4–6—Middle school friendships, discrimination, bullying, and the pressures of meeting parental expectations are all examined through the triple perspectives of middle-schoolers Sam and Asha, and the mansion that looms large over their neighborhood. Sam and Asha have always been friends, drawn together by their unique personalities, and possibly because they are both on the autism spectrum. Asha adores architecture, especially the quirky and imposing features of Donnybrooke, the mansion that borders her yard, but from which she was barred after just one visit. Sam is obsessed with space and with the Househaunt game on his phone, which combines Asha's love of buildings with his own fondness for killing monsters. Their easy friendship is tested when Sam is admitted to the prestigious Castleton Academy, where he becomes known as the "Miracle Boy" and is constantly bullied. Asha has to start middle school alone, and when she sees Sam going to Donnybrooke with Prestyn, her enemy (whose family also owns the mansion), she feels angry and abandoned. She doesn't realize that Prestyn torments Sam and only pretends to be his friend, both as a source of amusement and to annoy her mother. Sam goes along because it makes others at Castleton Academy bully him less, but Prestyn's evil games get out of control. Short chapters and easy vocabulary give readers multiple perspectives of how bullying starts, its devastating effects, and how adults can unknowingly pressure young people into behavior that causes pain. Asha is Hindu and possibly South Asian, but other characters are assumed to be white. VERDICT A thought-provoking look at bullying and social pressures through the eyes of its victims and of an inanimate, yet opinionated, mansion that will ring true with many readers.—MaryAnn Karre, Binghamton, NY - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
