August 2016: Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan

“I could have told Ravi not to sit at that table.  And I could have told him that it was only a matter of time before Dillon would come up with a mean nickname for him too.  Ravi thinks I’m dumb, and I’m pretty sure he thinks I was the one who tripped him, but I can’t help it: I feel sorry for him.  It’s not easy being a zebra.  In fact, it sucks.” Joe pg. 130 – 131 Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan

Joe has gone to Albert Einstein Elementary School since kindergarten, Ravi has just moved to America from India, and they are both hoping for a good start to the new school year.  Told in alternating chapters by the two authors, the book takes us through Joe and Ravi’s first week of fifth grade.  Though the boys are not friends, and never dream that they will be, their experiences throughout the week are similar.  On Monday neither boy feels that their new teacher, Mrs. Beam, understands them.  On Tuesday, for different reasons, they both end up in the resource room, Joe is happy to be there, Ravi is not.  On Wednesday, the class bully strikes, and on Thursday they both stay home from school.  On Friday, they realize that … “Sometimes all you need is a little help from a friend.” pg. 213

Save Me a Seat, is the perfect blend of finding friendship, dealing with bully’s and accepting cultural differences, all wrapped up in a funny, easy to read story.  If you liked Wonder by RJ Palacio, I think you’ll like Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan.