Search - The View from Saturday

The View from Saturday by Konigsburg is about a teacher and four children who find their places in the difficult time of sixth grade. I honestly was pleased with this book, but it is by no means one of my favorites. I think my favorite part of this book is how it was written. Konigsburg has a main plot, the sixth grade team involved in a quiz bowl, but trickles off the main plot to add in who the characters are and how they are tied together. The interesting parts are the subplots, not the over plot of the quiz bowl championship.

Each child is tied together in someway. With each break, the reader gets deeper into the families and lives of each character, then see how they are connected to one another (not by choice). After each child's summer journey, they are pulled together by their fourth member for tea. These teas help to bring together their friendship and tighten their bond. The quiz-show is just a way that they are showing their talents out and helping their teacher.

All in all, this is a great book for 4th-7th grade readers. The language is fairly simple and the plot is easy to understand. The author throws in useful information, and even includes the questions and answers to some of the quiz show challenges. Some children might find those very interesting. I know that I learned a thing or two as I was reading. I think I know three times as much about sea turtles than I did when I began this book. It's a cute, sweet read that is short enough to get through in a day or two.

I went into this thinking it was going to be a Fantasy story, but it wasn't. It was a very good story, though. I like how each section is told by a different character but they each build on the others. I think Nadia's section was my favorite

I know that everyone has read "From the Mixed-up Files...", but I haven't. This was my first Konigsburg novel and I enjoyed it.

The characters were quirky and likable, the plot was well-crafted with plenty of unexpected connections and interesting twists. All-in-all, a nice piece of young adult lit.