A Boy Called Bat

By: Elana K. Arnold

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 2 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

The first book in a funny, heartfelt, and irresistible young middle grade series starring an unforgettable young boy on the autism spectrum, from acclaimed author Elana K. Arnold and with illustrations by Charles Santoso.

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.com, which named A Boy Called Bat a best book of 2017).

©2017 Elana K. Arnold (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

What a difference perspectives make!

This is an endearing story that gives insight into the mind and perspective of a child who has a different way of processing the world and the sensory input he receives. I like how it explains why he responds the way he does and about how things make him feel. Working with students, it was fun to see inside his mind and walk a mile in his shoes too give me insight as to how some of my students perceive the world. I recommend this sweet and endearing story.

Fun book with my son

What a great book to listen to with my son during our long commute home. He looked forward to listening to it. We were able to have some interesting discussions from this book. It covered a range of topics from autism, to skunks, divorced families, sibling rivalry, and so much more. Now we are going to check out Dr. Dragoos website!

just perfect!

a clever and sweet story both for children and grown ups. Nice illustration of characteristics of autism.

Entertaining & interesting

My grandson & I listen to this on our trip bring him back home. Loved it as it kept us entertained with a great story with some parts that made us chuckle. My grandson said he can’t wait for the second book :). I thought it displayed the true feelings of kids and how they may interact with others.

A good read.

This is a story of a young man who loves animals. What makes it a special story is that "Bat", the main character, has autism. His autism is never directly addressed or discussed, it is just part of who he is. The extra interesting part is that the story is being told from Bat's point of view. You experience his thoughts and reactions to the world going on around him. This book is an opportunity for those who are not on the spectrum to catch a glimpse of the internal world of someone who is. Also an opportunity for those on the spectrum to meet a character that they may identify with.

Ok for very young kids

What disappointed you about A Boy Called Bat?

Not really any humor

Has A Boy Called Bat put you off other books in this genre?

I will need to search harder for book for my children

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narration was ok but took a while to warm to the voice

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from A Boy Called Bat?

The story never really went anywhere

Any additional comments?

I was looking for a book for a car journey so needed to be child friendly for my kids.
This book just seems to exist and not do anything - it is simply a story, quite boring infact