A Book For Kids About Making Assumptions

Summer continues and more good books are available to keep your kids reading.  The book I am profiling today is an insightful look at fitting in and more importantly about making assumptions about people.  If you have a child who will be going to a new school in the Fall, this might be the perfect book to hand them this summer.

Of course I want to share another summer reading tip with you.  Food!  Yes, that one word can make a difference.  I have a basket of "book worms" aka gummy worms.  When the kids read they are free to grab a bag to snack on, but only when reading.  Once again, it makes reading feel more like a treat than a punishment.  Behold the power of the snacks!

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Title: Save Me a Seat

Authors: Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

Target: Grades 3-6

Series: No

What this book is about: 

Told in alternating perspectives, this book focuses on Joe, a 5th grader with an auditory processing disorder and Ravi, a new student who has just move to Joe's school from India.  Both become the target of Dillon, the class bully.  Joe has to work on not letting Dillon define him and Ravi must confront the fact that first impressions are not always correct.  As Ravi adjusts to a new culture he also comes to realize that he acted just like Dillon in India and perhaps with this fresh start he can define himself differently.

Why I love this book:

• I got totally caught up in the plight of Joe and Ravi.  Joe is the kid who just warms your heart and you feel for him on so many levels.  Ravi kind of annoyed me at first with his arrogance, but I came to appreciate his desire to fit in and his realization that his past behavior was less than admirable.  That self realization made me like him quite a bit by the end.

• I love the technique of alternating view points.  It gives the reader so much more insight into the characters and I appreciate seeing the same scene from different points of view.  It also breaks up the text making it a much more mageable read, especially for reluctant readers

• The one problem I had with the book was how mean Dillon was to the boys.  I have a hard time believing someone could get away with all that name calling in Fifth grade.  I also felt that bullies are usually quite a bit smoother around adults.  However, I was completely caught up in the story, so a quibble.

Who this book is for: 

Great for reluctant readers because of the alternating viewpoints and larger print.  Good book for kids who like realistic fiction and are fans of books like Wonder.

Final thoughts: 

I really enjoy learning more about the immigrant experience, especially immigration from India.  I am several generations away from my Norwegian/German ancestors who came to America so I haven’t heard about their assimilation.  However, we have a plethora of new Indian families in my area and it did shed light on their efforts to fit in while maintaining their heritage.

To purchase this book: 

Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Save Me a Seat.  A portion of each purchase will go to support this blog at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support.