Book Review: The View From Saturday

I just finished reading The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg. It is a two time Newbery Medal Award Winner. The story takes place mostly in New York, but one chapter of it in Florida. The View From Saturday is a book about 4 sixth graders, Nadia, Ethan, Julian, and Noah who are picked to be their class's academic bowl team. Nadia is a girl from Florida who has a particular fond for turtles, and she moved to New York with her mom when her parents got divorced. Ethan is a boy who doesn't talk much, and his grandmother marries Nadia's grandfather. Julian is a magician who lived on a cruise ship, and has a tea party at his house every Saturday at 4. Noah was best man at Nadia's grandfather and Ethan's grandmother's wedding, and is great at calligraphy. They make the Souls. The Souls end up being a great team. Read The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg to find out more about The Souls.

Good things about the book:

 

1. It was a well written, great story.
2. E.L. Konigsburg could of easily made that one story at least five stories.
3. I learned lots of new words in the book.
4. At the end of the book, they have 15 questions with 36 answers to show that they are many ways to answer a question

 

Bad things about the book:

 

1. They put parts of the contest in random places.
2. They introduced a Mrs. Reynolds, but didn't say for a couple of pages that she is the High School drama teacher.
3. Also, they said chops had something to do with the ability to do magic, but never really said what it was.

 

Homonyms:

 

1. When you think about the word alien, do you think of those green people who live on a different planet? It can also mean "Belonging to a foreign country or nation".
2. When you hear the word sound, do you think of things that you hear? Sound can also mean "A narrow stretch of water forming an inlet or connecting two wider areas of water such as two seas or a sea and a lake".

 

New words I learned:

 

1. Quaint-attractively unusual or old-fashioned.
2. Paraplegic-paralysis of the legs and lower body typically caused by spinal injury or disease.
3. Brigadier-a rank of officer in the British army, above colonel and below major general.
4. Sentinel-a soldier or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch.
5. Nanosecond-one billionth of a second.
6. Derive-obtain something from.
7. Vulgar-lacking sophistication or good taste.
8. Malice-the intention or desire to do evil.

 

Overall, I rate this book as a A+, and I think anyone interested in smarts should read it, and all elementary school and middle school students.

 

Have you read The View From Saturday?

 

Do you know of any books that you can relate to this?