The Souls – an academic bowl team made up of sixth-graders. Not just any sixth-graders, though. These four sixth-graders are connected in some very unexpected ways – not the least of which is their Saturday afternoon teas at Julian’s house.
And their teacher is also unique. She’s returned to teaching ten years after being paralyzed in an automobile accident. And somehow she chose these very four students – Noah, Nadia, Ethan and Julian – to be on her academic bowl team.
And they’re winning.
A View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg is an unusual story. Konigsburg tells it from the five different perspectives of the five main characters: Mrs. Olinski, Noah, Nadia, Ethan and Julian. And she jumps back and forth between the Academic Bowl state championship match and each of the different characters and their stories.
We listened to the audiobook, and I have to admit that at first it was a tad confusing. But we quickly caught onto the structure of the story, and enjoyed it immensely. The students learn from each other, and their teacher. And their teacher learns some powerful lessons from her team too.
A View From Saturday clearly shows individually these students are good, but together they are great – which illustrates the strength we, as people, gain from community.
Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Cultivating Readers 
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