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Summary
Summary
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year!
"Lester's first-person narrative is honest and pure." --Kirkus (starred review)
Perfect for fans of Fish in a Tree and Wonder, this uplifting debut novel from Mandy Davis follows space-obsessed Lester Musselbaum as he experiences the challenges of his first days of public school: making friends, facing bullies, finding his "thing," and accidentally learning of his autism-spectrum diagnosis.
Lester's first days as a fifth grader at Quarry Elementary School are not even a little bit like he thought they would be--the cafeteria is too loud for Lester's ears, there are too many kids, and then there's the bully.
Lester was always home-schooled, and now he's shocked to be stuck in a school where everything just seems wrong. That's until he hears about the science fair, which goes really well for Lester! This is it. The moment where I find out for 100 percent sure that I won.
But then things go a bit sideways, and Lester has to find his way back. A touching peek into the life of a sensitive autism-spectrum boy facing the everydayness of elementary school, Superstar testifies that what you can do isn't nearly as important as who you are.
"A lovely, heartfelt narrative about the things we've lost, and the things we've found again." --Gary D. Schmidt, Newbery Honor winner for The Wednesday Wars
"I LOVE LESTER." --Linda Urban, author of Milo Speck, Accidental Agent and A Crooked Kind of Perfect
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In an excellent first novel, Davis channels the idiosyncratic perspective and voice of Lester, a 10-year-old stargazer, as he makes the difficult transition from homeschooling to fifth grade. Layers of unspoken grief for Lester's astronaut father, who died five years earlier, loom large, especially because Lester's mother resists her son's avid interest in space. When she takes a job at the library and Lester starts school, Davis strongly sketches how his personality and quirks make for a difficult adjustment: Lester struggles with a bully, can't stand the cacophony of the cafeteria, lacks tact and social skills, calls out in class, and doesn't handle schedule changes well. Lester is an immensely sympathetic narrator as he navigates a friendship with a fashion-forward classmate, competes in the science fair, and participates in a kickball game. When he opens an official letter addressed to his mother, he discovers that he's been diagnosed with "autism spectrum disorder" and works to understand what that means. This unsentimental portrait of an endearing and memorable protagonist offers powerful insight into living with autism. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Flight trajectories consume autistic ten-year-old Lesters thoughts: those of meteors, planes, even kickballs. Up till now Lester has led a sheltered, home-schooled life, but Lesters astronaut father has died, the familys savings have dwindled, and his mother takes a full-time job. Suddenly, Lester finds that his own trajectory is about to change: hell now have to attend public school, with a realistically portrayed about-to-retire teacher who is not thrilled to have him in her class, no less. Fortunately, Lester finds a friend in classmate Abby--that is, until a new student joins the class and steals Abby away. If readers accept the fact that Lester has never heard of autism (despite his mother being a librarian), there is plenty to enjoy in this story of friendship, bullying, education, and community. Lesters literal perceptions are often different from what the adults (and readers) understand, providing insight into his character, especially surrounding his relationship with Abby and his ideas of what a friend should be. And thats a superstar message for all readers. ed spicer (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
When his mother takes a job, Lester's homeschooling days are over, and the adjustment to his new school is rough. Not only is the cafeteria noise unbearably loud, but his reaction to it lands him in the principal's office on his first day as a fifth-grader. Quickly he becomes the target of a bully. And after making one good friend in his class, he experiences a painful rejection. When Lester learns that he's on the autism spectrum, it takes some work to understand what that means and how the diagnosis will help the school adapt to his needs. Written in first person from Lester's point of view, the narrative has a refreshing directness of expression. His compelling backstory and aspects of his individuality are gradually revealed. By the time the word autism appears, readers are accustomed to seeing the world from Lester's point of view, a fine vantage point for getting to know anyone's good points, foibles, and dreams. Davis creates a memorable character within a promising first novel.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2017 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Lester loves two things: science and homeschooled life with his devoted mother. So it's a shock when Mom announces that Lester will be attending fifth grade in public school because she is going back to work full-time. The pair have been especially close since the tragic, mission-related death of Lester's astronaut father five years earlier; unresolved grief still haunts the family. Lester's behaviors make his transition to public school a challenge (he later discovers he has autism), but caring staff and a kindhearted classmate, Abby, offer support. Then the annual science fair gives Lester both a way to fit in and an opportunity he's been longing for: a chance to study space and flying, taboo subjects at home. Emphasizing characterization over action, the first-person narrative helps readers understand the social difficulties experienced by a child on the autism spectrum. In Lester and his mother, debut author Davis creates genuine, emotionally engaging characters who, over the course of the novel, grow and move toward heartfelt triumphs. While Lester's mother is aware of his behavioral issues, it is not clear whether she sought services for him before he received a diagnosis and IEP from his new school. This may lead to comparisons with Lynda Mullaly Hunt's Fish in a Tree, but Ally's and Lester's home lives are quite different. The book also overlooks Davis's larger story of a family recovering from devastating loss. VERDICT Give to sensitive readers who enjoy rooting for the underdog and to fans of realistic stories with scientific themes.-Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Autism gets the unsentimentally sensitive treatment it deserves in Davis' debut.White kid Lester Musselbaum loves science, especially space, more than anything, but since his astronaut father died in a shuttle accident five years ago, the 10-year-old's mother refuses to talk about the stars with him. When Mom goes back to work, the previously home-schooled Lester goes to public school. Navigating this strange place where no one, not even his teacher, understands him, the easily overwhelmed Lester gets into trouble daily. The noise in the lunchroom makes his head feel like it will explode, and last-minute changes in the schedule throw him off course. When a bully destroys Lester's anchor, a Superman figure that was a gift from his father, a kind classmate, a black boy named Michael Z, tells him to find his "thing"something he does better than anyone else. Since science is already his thing, Lester finds a way to use his smarts to deflect the angry bully. Lester's first-person narrative is honest and pure. The text never infantilizes or romanticizes him, something that often happens in an attempt to teach a lesson about kids who don't fit into any particular box. An intelligent and gently humorous story about an underdog who explores his place in a world that doesn't readily accommodate kids who possess different ways of being or thinking. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
