The View from Saturday

by E. L. Konigsburg

Our story begins with a victory: Mrs. Olinski’s sixth-grade Academic Bowl team has triumphed.

Told in flashback form, the formation of the team is featured. Mrs. Olinski is asked about how she chose the team; she did not choose the members. Instead, the team members chose each other. The team is as follows:

• Nadia: the red-haired owner of a genius dog;
• Ethan: the quiet kid, who is part of one of the oldest families in town;
• Noah: the calligrapher and the best man at the wedding of Ethan’s grandmother and Nadia’s grandfather; and
• Julian: the new kid in town, who throws magnificent tea parties.

These four kids form a tight friendship and teach Mrs. Olinski a thing or two about teamwork.

This is a great novel about friendship for children. The characters and situations are unique, but the message is universal.

 

9/10/13