The View from Saturday

The View from Saturday. By E. L. Konigsburg. Antheneum, 1998. 128 pages. Tr. $17.99 ISBN 978-0689809934

Summary: This is a story of Mrs. Olinski, a sixth-grade teacher at Epiphany Middle School, and the four students – Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian – who took part in the Academic Bowl. Why did Mrs. Olinski choose this group, and why were they so successful? We follow the teammates, watching them grow intellectually, emotionally and physically, and watch how they grow together as a team. This sensitively nuanced, award-winning novel will remain a favorite of readers for many years to come.

Critical Review: E. L. Konigsburg’s engaging, award-winning novel alternates between first-person and third-person narrators. This unusual structure captures the different personalities of each member of the team, showcasing the unique talents that each team member brings. Tweens learn that judging others by outside appearances often results in an inaccurate impression of their strengths, and that our interactions would be terribly circumscribed without the ability to engage with all types of people.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reading/Interest Level: 9-12 years

Awards: Newbery Award (1997)

Reviews: Booklist (December 15, 1998), School Library Journal (March 1, 1998), Publisher’s Weekly (February 2, 1998)

Similar Materials: E. L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler; Gary Schmidt’s The Wednesday Wars; Neal Shusterman’s The Schwa Was Here

Subject/Themes: Disabilities; Academic Bowls; Friendship; Calligraphy; Divorce; Sea Turtles; Bullying; Teams; Afternoon Tea; Musicals

Character Names: Noah Gershom; Nadia Diamondstein; Ethan Potter; Julian Singh; Mrs. Olinski

Programming Ideas and/or Lesson Plans:

http://www.planetbookclub.com/kids/archive/saturday12.98/saturdayintro.html (Fourteen Lessons)

http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/view/viewtg.html (Activities)

Brief Annotation: First-person and third-person narration describe the evolution of Epiphany Middle School’s Sixth Grade Academic Team, as they prepare for and participate in the Academic Bowl.