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Navigating Early  By  cover art

Navigating Early

By: Clare Vanderpool
Narrated by: Robbie Daymond, Mark Bramhall, Cassandra Campbell
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Publisher's summary

From the author of Newbery Medal winner Moon Over Manifest comes the odyssey-like adventure of two boys’ incredible quest on the Appalachian Trail.

When Jack Baker’s father sends him from his home in Kansas to attend a boys’ boarding school in Maine, Jack doesn’t know what to expect. Certainly not Early Auden, the strangest of boys. Early keeps to himself, reads the number pi as a story, and refuses to accept truths others take for granted. Jack, feeling lonely and out of place, connects with Early, and the two become friends.

During a break from school, the boys set out for the Appalachian Trail on a quest for a great black bear. As Jack and Early travel deeper into the mountains, they meet peculiar and dangerous characters, and they make some shocking discoveries. But their adventure is only just beginning. Will Jack’s and Early’s friendship last the journey? Can the boys make it home alive?

©2013 Clare Vanderpool (P)2013 Listening Library

Critic reviews

A Michael L. Printz Honor Winner

An ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection

An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book

A New York Times Editor’s Choice

A New York Times Bestseller

An Indie Pick

A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

A Booklist Books for Youth Editors’ Choice Selection

A BookPage Best Children’s Book

A Texas Lone Star Reading List Selection

A Notable Children's Book in Language Arts Book

A Down East Magazine Best of Maine Book

A North Carolina Young Adult Book Award Master List Selection

An Iowa Children's Choice Award Finalist

“Reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn.” (The Wall Street Journal)

"Returning to themes she explored so affectingly in Moon Over Manifest, Newbery Medalist Vanderpool delivers another winning picaresque about memories, personal journeys, interconnectedness - and the power of stories." ( Kirkus Reviews)

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What listeners say about Navigating Early

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Reads Like a Newberry

I loved Clare's "Moon Over Manifest" which won the Newberry. This has a similar feel, a gentle, deep story of two Maine boarding school boys having lost family members and coming to terms with it. There is a weaving of past and present, fantasy and reality as the boys follow in the footsteps of a legend... I felt it was nicely done and easy to follow. You do have to suspend your disbelief... but it isn't jarring most of the time. One of the boys is high functioning autistic with OCD, seizures and unusual math abilities... watching the boys friendship grow despite their differences is part of the joy of the book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A surprising wonderful read

I had the pleasure of reading this as a part of a book club. At first I wasn't really into it, but something shifted around Chapter 6 and I was hooked. I decided to try it audibly at that point and believe that made it an even more enjoyable book. There are no coincidences indeed Mrs. Baker.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Character Study

I like coming of age stories and this one was very good. The picaresque elements are satisfying as the two engaging main characters search for important answers. The fairly obvious allegorical use of the Pi story makes an interesting background, and I really enjoyed Mark Bramhall's reading of those elements. I think this would make an excellent vehicle for teaching the novel to the middle-school grades.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Strong Imagery and Amazing Colloquialisms!

Would you consider the audio edition of Navigating Early to be better than the print version?

Great word choice and delightful characters!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Navigating Early?

"If you don't like how it is, then fix it!"

How many times have we heard that, only to begrudgingly choose to live with the situation rather than change it? When Early offers the advice to Jack we begin to understand how Early's view of the world is influenced, not by what he can't control, ---but rather by the things he can. His fearlessness is admirable and his sense of determination even more so.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This narrator has a wonderful way of making you feel like you are a part of the story --rather than someone who is just being read to.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I loved how this book transported me to a time and place from my own childhood where the words of adults didn't always make sense ---until given the opportunity to observe those words in action.

If you loved hearing the colloquialisms, metaphors, similes, and "ways" of the adults who empowered you as a child, then you will love this book. The tried and true sayings and the words of wisdom resonated on a deeper level for me. They reminded me of the people who shaped my own thinking.



Any additional comments?

I am a big fan of Clare Vanderpool's first book and loved this one equally as much. While I am no longer a classroom teacher, I do know that students love being read to. This book would be an amazing read aloud. It offers strong imagery, great descriptions and fun colloquialisms that help add color and depth to the story.

The use of Pi as a character, rather than just a math reference, offers a parallel reflection for how Early is really feeling. It helps the reader both understand what has happened and the foreboding of what is coming.

I appreciated the way the two main characters both searched for what they had lost, ---Early for his brother, and Jack for the loving memory of his mother and the pain of a disconnected father. Watching both characters grow as the story unravels helps the reader understand their respective sense of loss and how they each grapple with it.

Do yourself a favor --give this book a chance. You won't be disappointed.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning story

Beautiful book with many amazing messages. Jack baker is an amazing protagonist who spreads love.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Inventive, heartfelt story

Navigating Early reaches deep into your heart and asks that you shed a tear or too, laugh a lot, and deeply consider your place in the universe.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story, our kids love it and so do I!

I can't begin to count the nu.ber of times we have listened to this book. It has mystery, imagination, suspense, love, trials, intermingled with tolerence and respect for others, understanding the other person's perspective, dealing with grief and moving to a new place, and growth. Such an amazing book. Read anything you can get your hands on by this author, she is wonderful!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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awesome!

listened to this on a family trip. I love the twists the author takes you on, only to return back to it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great audio book

I gave performance a 4 instead of 5 because of the storytelling of Pi. It seemed as if it needed to be Early’s voice and bothered me every time the story switched to Pi. Jack was awesome at telling his part of the story however. Good, clean, feel-good read.
Like Vanderpool’s other book, Moon Over Manifest, this should be made into a movie. 💕

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My new favorite book!

I listened to this audio book with my daughter and it has become my new favorite book! We just got done listening to the whole thing a second time!
The characterization, the richness, depth and complexity of the plot... it is excellent, and a book that should go on the shelf with other classic required reading.

Also the performance was top notch. A quality production all around.

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