My husband has this thing where he doesn’t read the book cover or any type of summary of the book before he reads it. I’m not quite sure why, except for the fact that he enjoys surprises. I don’t follow this rule, but I decided to try it with #87 on the Top 100 Children’s Books list, The View From Saturday. I know that i read this book when I was in middle school, but unfortunately did not remember what it was about. What a perfect book to try out my husband’s rule!
The View From Saturday has five main characters, one teacher and four of her students. These four students were hand-picked by the teacher to be a part of the Academic Bowl team. The book is broken up into parts, in which each part is about one of the four students. As I read each part, the stories seemed pointless and irrelevant, but as you continue on, you start piecing together the puzzle and, in the end, the view is incredible (pun intended). I almost feel like if I would have read the book jacket or a summary, the book would have been a lot less entertaining. So thanks, Steve, for your insight into the process of reading. And thanks to Mrs. Konigsburg for yet another Newbery-winning (and deserving) children’s novel.
The View from Saturday
by E.L. Konigsburg
Originally published in 1996
Beth S.
August 23, 2010 at 8:50 am
VFS is one of my favorite books of all time. I love the message and the characters.