  | Save me a seat Author: Weeks, Sarah | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
Ravi has just moved to the United States from India and has always been at the top of his class; Joe has lived in the same town his whole life and has learning problems--but when their lives intersect in the first week of fifth grade they are brought together by a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and the need to take control of their lives.
| Added Entry - Personal Name: | Varadarajan, Gita |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.80 Points: 5.0 Quiz: 179997 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 3-5 Reading Level: 4.70 Points: 9.0 Quiz: 68378 | |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (02/15/16)
Booklist (04/01/16)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (04/16)
The Hornbook (00/03/16)
Full Text Reviews:
Bulletin for the Center... - 04/01/2016 For Joe Sylvester, who has been diagnosed with auditory processing disorder, the start of fifth grade means more of the same: the same struggle to tame the onslaught of noise in the school day, the same breakout sessions with a special needs teacher that have branded him a dummy among his peers, and the same bullying by Dillon Samreen, autocrat of the fifth grade. For Ravi Suryanarayanan, a whip-smart Indian newcomer who’s accustomed to academic success and all its perks back home, the start of fifth grade is a rude awakening. Even though he does everything his mother and grandmother advise, his teachers just can’t get past his accent to recognize his brilliance, Dillon and company can’t get past his nerdy attire and accoutrements to recognize his coolness, and his family can’t stop smothering him with outraged sympathy. Joe, not one to get too involved in fifth-grade drama, clearly sees the hopelessness of Ravi’s situation, but he’s pretty busy with his own problem—his overprotective mother is now the lunch room monitor, and she sees just how badly her son is being treated. That Joe and Ravi will bond is a foregone conclusion, but their back-and-forth narration spanning five uncomfortable days and culminating in friendship for them is an absorbing read. Even better, the epically satisfying comeuppance for Dillon Samreen will have every misunderstood middle-grader fist-pumping with vindictive joy. EB - Copyright 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
Booklist - 04/01/2016 Ravi and Joe would seem at first glance to be opposites. One is from India and new at school, small and smart; the other is a native New Jersey boy, tall and suffering from auditory processing disorder—too much stimulation and noise unduly distracts him. But what Ravi and Joe have in common are caring families, moms who cook them special food, and an appreciation for the book Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis, which they are reading for class. They also share a bully, though Ravi doesn’t know it yet. He thinks Dillon, an Indian American boy in his class, will automatically like him and be his friend. Joe, Ravi thinks, is slow and clumsy, and he resents it when their teacher thinks he needs remedial help like Joe. A humiliating experience brings the two together, and their mutual empathy as outsiders seems to bode well for a future friendship. The popular Weeks teams with new author Varadarajan for a book that features tandem chapters narrated alternately by Ravi and Joe. Readers will readily recognize the familiar world of school cliques and social problems, and be pleased with the story’s outcome. - Copyright 2016 Booklist.
