Save Me a Seat

By: Sarah Weeks, Gita Varadarajan

Narrated by: Josh Hurley, Vikas Adam

Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

From award-winning author of Pie, Sarah Weeks, and debut author Gita Varadarajan comes a story that shows us the beautiful ways our lives end up being much more similar than we ever imagine.

Two boys - one white, one Indian American - gain strength from each other from afar as they struggle to navigate middle school, family, and friendships.

©2016 Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan (P)2016 Scholastic Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Using two narrators is the perfect way to deliver this story, told as the alternating first-person recollections of two fifth-grade boys.... Hurley creates a kind character in Joe, speaking softly in a measured voice, which makes it all the more heartbreaking when the listener discovers that Joe is the target of bullies. Fluent in Hindi, Adam provides a perfect accent for Ravi, the smart and confident boy who also becomes the butt of jokes because of his accent and Indian lifestyle." ( AudioFile)

It was inspiring!

We thought that this book was awesome, amazing, and inspiring. It was the best book ever!? We learned that not everything is just about you, but about other people too. That it is important to be yourself, and not a show off. The voice talent was amazing, and we learned so much about the Indian culture.

This recording really brings the story alive.

The accents used to tell the story really bring it to life. I will definitely be encouraging my whole book club of students to listen to it as theory read along.

awesome read

My students loved following along to this book. The voices were great to listen to. Great story with alternating perpectives.

Review

I loved the voices, I felt like I was in the story. It was so realistic and just a heart-warming story.

this book is why audio books were invented :-)

my sons are reading this book for a trivia contest at their school. The audio book was a wonderful way for us to listen to it in addition to the reading, because there were so many books to finish. This book was a rare and special treat having separate narrators for the separate accents was an amazing gift and led to a lot of wonderful conversations and really lent the story a real sense of reality and Power. this is one of the most Charming books I've ever read

Amazing!

What I really liked was that it shows what it is like for immigrants staring a new school. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys Wonder. Your should read this book!👏🏼😄👍🏻 Good work!!?

Our review of Save me a seat.

We loved it! We liked that it switched different perspectives. What goes on in the book is something that kids deal with every day. That's something to relate to. Five stars indeed!!

Love It!

The story is engaging for my students and the performance makes you feel like you are there. I love that Raji has an accent in the reading - it makes it so lifelike. The story leads to great discussions about bullying and accepting differences. I highly recommend this book for upper elementary students - 5th and 6th grades.

Perfect Narration! We couldn't stop listening!

My kids and I started listening to this audiobook on a road trip. We got so into it, even when we got to our destination, we wanted to keep listening! These narrators were perfectly cast. It was like we were really hearing from these characters. What a great blend of storytelling from Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan. I really hope they create a sequel or another book together because this was just brilliant. The way the story was told reminded me a little of Wonder, and that is another fantastic book. We hear from different perspectives and see things through the eyes of Joe and Ravi. It is so interesting to hear the different events from 2 points of view. Things are not the way they seem. There is more than meets the eye. There is a triangle of main characters and their perceptions of themselves and each other are not always correct. I only wish we could have heard from Dylan's point of view. Sequel please!

AWESOME!!!!!

I love this book! I give it 5 stars! It's awesome! I would recommend it to anyone who is reading this. 😉 I give the performance 5 stars.

Great books for kids and not bad for adults either.

Touches on cultural clashes, bullying and the struggle to fit in. A touching story of triumph in the face of adversity.