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

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.

animal lover w/ a spectrum disability makes heartwarming read for all ages!

I read this a few years back and just listened to it. Patrick Lawlor does a fantastic job conveying Bat’s spectrum disability in a believable and respectful manner. Highly recommend grades 1-5.

Wonderful book

What a great book that helps neurotypical children (and adults) better understand kids who are on the spectrum, without treating them with pity or as "others." The story provided a great jumping off point to discuss how autistic children see the world differently and the challenges this can present for them, as well as how it makes them special. A quick listen that my first grade daughter and I both loved.

Wonderful and heart-warming

This was an absolutely beautiful book. Bixby Alexander Tam, aka Bat, is a young boy with autism who sometimes struggles with understanding things. He also tends to dislike surprises. But, one day, his mom has a surprise that ends up being really good; his mom, a veterinarian, brings home a baby skunk whose mom had died. The baby is too young to live on its own yet, so Bat's mom brings it home to foster until it is old enough to go to a skunk rescue group.

Bat, who loves all kinds of animals, is quick to help his mom with the kit's care, and he quickly decides that he wants to keep it. But how will Bat convince his mom that she should let him keep the kit? Of course, as Bat is taking care of the kit, he also has to continue going to school and to his dad's on every other Friday. He has to get along with his sister, which is sometimes easier said than done. But through it all, Bat is determined to talk his mom into letting him keep the kit.

I loved this book. It was very well-written and the author represented Bat and his inner musings really well. It was wonderful to see the growth that Bat goes through over the month in which the book goes through. The audiobook, narrated by Patrick Lawlor, was fantastic. Lawlor's performance captured Bat perfectly and added a level of humanity to him that many people miss when they meet someone with Autism.

I look forward to reading or listening to more of Bat's stories in the future.

My granddaughter was bored!

This book is very boring. Probably best suited for a 5-6 year old. It needs to be advertised to be about an autistic boy.

Best book in the world thank you!

So good the book has so much detail thank you now I can do a book report!
😊🦄🇱🇷🍉.

We have listened to this over and over 😍

We love ❤️ this book and my son loves animals. I would recommend this book to anyone

AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it was a great story, and the performance was pretty good. i thought it was a really good price too. overall it was really good!

wonderful book.

loved it. interesting little story. I think most kids would enjoy it. as an adult I enjoyed

The best book!!!👍🏿😃💃🏼🕺🏽👑

I love the book 📚 but he has to do so much for school work so I'm just going to be the first to say that I'm not even going to bed at all because I'm so happy for the rest it's helped me. Keep it up and stay on the same page and keep the book going on the way.

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