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A Boy Called Bat Paperback – Illustrated, March 13 2018
Elana K. Arnold (Author) Find all the books, read about the author and more. See search results for this author |
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The first book in a funny, heartfelt, and irresistible young middle grade series starring an unforgettable young boy on the autism spectrum.
For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter.
But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.
"This sweet and thoughtful novel chronicles Bat’s experiences and challenges at school with friends and teachers and at home with his sister and divorced parents. Approachable for younger or reluctant readers while still delivering a powerful and thoughtful story" (from the review by Brightly, which named A Boy Called Bat a best book of the year).
Elana K. Arnold's Bat trilogy is a proven winner in the home and classroom—kids love these short illustrated young middle grade books. The trilogy is A Boy Called Bat, Bat and the Waiting Game, and Bat and the End of Everything.
- Reading age6 - 10 years
- Print length224 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level1 - 5
- Lexile measure760L
- Dimensions13 x 1.14 x 19.35 cm
- PublisherWalden Pond Press
- Publication dateMarch 13 2018
- ISBN-100062445839
- ISBN-13978-0062445834
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From the Publisher
At HarperCollins, authors and their work are at the center of everything we do. We are proud to provide our authors with unprecedented editorial excellence, marketing reach, long-standing connections with booksellers, and insight into reader and consumer behavior. Consistently at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement, HarperCollins also uses digital technology to create unique reading experiences and expand the reach of our authors.
HarperCollins was founded by brothers James and John Harper in New York City in 1817 as J. and J. Harper, later Harper & Brothers. In 1987, as Harper & Row, it was acquired by News Corporation. The worldwide book group was formed following News Corporation's 1990 acquisition of the British publisher William Collins & Sons. Founded in 1819, William Collins & Sons published a range of Bibles, atlases, dictionaries, and reissued classics, expanding over the years to include legendary authors such as H. G. Wells, Agatha Christie, J. R. R. Tolkien, and C. S. Lewis.
The house of Mark Twain, the Brontë sisters, Thackeray, Dickens, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein, and Margaret Wise Brown, HarperCollins has a long and rich history that reaches back to the early nineteenth century and offers our publishing team a depth of experience.
Product description
Review
"How I love this beguiling and big-hearted book! Every child will root for Bat as he navigates the challenges that come with friendship and change, not to mention skunk parenting. A tender and important tale that belongs on every bookshelf." — Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan
★ “This engaging and insightful story makes readers intimately aware of what Bat is thinking and how he perceives the events and people in his life. With empathy and humor, Arnold delves into Bat’s relationships with his divorced parents, older sister, teachers, and classmates.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Brimming with quietly tender moments, subtle humor, and authentically rendered family dynamics, Arnold’s story, the first in a new series, offers a nonprescriptive and deeply heartfelt glimpse into the life of a boy on the autism spectrum.” — ALA Booklist
“Comfortably familiar and quietly groundbreaking, this introduction to Bat should charm readers, who will likely look forward to more opportunities to explore life from Bat’s particular point of view.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A Boy Called Bat will help children understand autism and that everybody loves animals.” — Temple Grandin, author of Animals In Translation
“Delightful, endearing, and utterly relatable, Bat Tam is destined to be a dear and necessary friend for young readers. I adore him and his story.” — Anne Ursu, author of The Real Boy
“A Boy Called Bat is sensitive, sweet, and super fun. I read this book with the biggest smile on my face.” — Corinne Duyvis, author of Otherbound
From the Back Cover
For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a stray baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter.
But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.
From acclaimed author Elana K. Arnold comes a story of first friendship starring an unforgettable young boy on the autism spectrum.
About the Author
Elana K. Arnold is the award-winning author of many books for children and teens, including The House That Wasn’t There, the Printz Honor winner Damsel, the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of, and the Global Read Aloud selection A Boy Called Bat. She is a member of the faculty at Hamline University’s MFA in writing for children and young adults program, and lives in Long Beach, CA, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. You can find her online at www.elanakarnold.com.
Charles Santoso loves drawing little things in his little journal and dreams about funny, wondrous stories. He moves around between different countries to live and work. Charles is always on the lookout for bookstores and cats whenever he explores a new place. You can visit him at www.charlessantoso.com.
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Product details
- Publisher : Walden Pond Press; Illustrated edition (March 13 2018)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0062445839
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062445834
- Item weight : 270 g
- Dimensions : 13 x 1.14 x 19.35 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Elana K Arnold writes books for and about children and teens. Her oeuvre includes DAMSEL, a Printz Honor Winner and a finalist for the California Book Award; WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF, a finalist for the National Book Award and the California Book Award and the winner of the Golden Kite Award; A BOY CALLED BAT, a 2018 Global Read Aloud selection; and INFANDOUS, which won the Moonbeam Children's Book Award and the Westchester Fiction Prize. Her books have garnered many starred reviews and have been featured on numerous “Best Books of the Year” lists. She teaches in Hamline University’s low residency MFA program in Writing for Children and Teens and lives in Southern California with her family and a menagerie of animals.
You can sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/g9i6Kj
Customer reviews

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From my perspective, this was a sweet (though not especially exciting or gripping) peek into the mind and life of a child with "high-functioning" autism. The author never explicitly states that the main character, Bat, is on the spectrum, but she devotes a lot of time to implying that he is by describing symptomatic behaviors and characteristics. To me, the thin plot made the story feel a bit flat, but I think that was one reason why my son loved it; the relative lack of conflict and tension makes the story feel comforting and stable.
My son really identified with Bat and frequently became excited by all of their commonalities: a love for animals and facts about animals, divorced parents and the disruptions caused by shared custody, anxiety and sensory sensitivities, difficulty connecting with peers...even the sibling relationship between Bat and his neurotypical older sister. It was as if Bat had become the friend that my son has yet to make, and I know that reading about him made my child feel less isolated in the world. For that reason alone, this book was well worth the purchase.
I really love seeing a kiddo like Bat (and my own son) represented in children's literature, and I feel that the author did a wonderful job of portraying his quirks and needs in a fair, compassionate, and affirming manner. I'd definitely recommend this story to animal-loving kids who are (or know/love someone who is) affected by Aspergers-like ASD. Readers who do not fall within that specific category may have a little trouble feeling engaged by this particular book, but it was perfect for us.

In addition to having realistic characters and believable situations in regard to Bat, there is also the fact that Bat's parents are divorced and he spends every other weekend with his Dad. I loved how real this whole story felt and the way the animal facts and Bat's challenges are so beautifully woven together. This is a book that I think ALL elementary libraries should have and a great one for personal collections as well. Definitely going on my shelf of favorites.
