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Review: A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold

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A Boy Called Bat is a middle grade/chapter book about a third-grader who tries to convince his veterinarian mom to let him keep the baby skunk she brings home. I found this an intriguing novel, and so did my ten-year-old goddaughter Meadow, who was diagnosed on the autism spectrum as a toddler (as was her twin brother). She chose to write a review of her own. With her (enthusiastic) permission, I’ve included it below. First, for my own thoughts.

A Boy Called BatOn the opening page, the reader meets Bat and learns he does not like to eat leftovers, sliced cheese, or most yogurt flavors. Having grown up with an abundance of highly specific food-related issues myself, I was instantly able to relate. On the next pages, the author quickly introduces a number of Bat’s other “quirks” – oversensitive hearing, flapping his hands, and being particular about the way his possessions are organized. While these are definitely traits of many autism-spectrum people, I was afraid their inclusion might mean Bat was in danger of becoming an autism stereotype. They were introduced in close succession early on, which made me worry he might have been created using an internet “Your Child Might Have Autism If…” checklist. That aside, I related to Bat again shortly thereafter, when he wanted to call the police because his mother was a few minutes late. I’m more than three times his age and I still feel that way every time my mom fails to answer her cell phone. It was a wonderful touch, and shows that kids on the spectrum do worry about their loved ones, which often gets overlooked or denied entirely in the case of ASD characters in literature. Additionally, it veered Bat away from becoming that stereotype I worried about in the opening pages.

When Bat’s mom finally arrives and hasn’t even brought his vanilla yogurt like she was supposed to, Bat teeters on the edge of a meltdown. The author captured this well, juxtaposing the way he feels inside (relieved but anxious) and the way he appears from the outside (angry and unreasonable). The author does a decent job of this throughout the story – showing how Bat can appear to lack empathy or react to events in an inappropriate way, when on the inside the way he feels is entirely plausible and directly contrary to how he appears. This is all too accurate when living with autism. While many people wouldn’t recognize that their words or actions are being negatively perceived in the moment (or at all), Bat can always tell and simply chooses not to bother correcting anyone about what he really meant. This is realistic, though I worry that young neurotypical readers will not be able to grasp the nuance here and will think it is okay to treat autistic friends or family the way many of the people in Bat’s life treat him – with anger or frustration – when they’ve misunderstood him. I wish he had attempted to self-advocate, but that’s not the type of boy Bat is, so while I found it frustrating as a reader who has had similar experiences, it is definitely realistic. I hope that young ASD readers will be able to parse out that this bothers Bat and not feel that they, too, should quietly accept the judgment or criticism of others as if it’s deserved.

While Bat’s mom failed to bring home his yogurt, she did bring home something else: a baby skunk that needs hand-rearing. Bat falls for the skunk right away. Bat loves the skunk so much, in fact, that he is able to set aside his extreme aversion to deviation from his routine. He even lies about being sick to stay home with the skunk and to avoid going to his father’s for the weekend. The narrative says that lying is highly unusual for Bat. This bothered me because this trait is often used in television shows as an overdone plot device, which I did not want to see here. Lying is considered a cognitive milestone, one that was previously thought impossible for autistic people to reach – a detrimental belief as it supports the notion that autistic people are not capable of complex thoughts. However, and I apologize for the apparent contradiction, it is true that many autistic people have a tendency to be bluntly honest, sometimes inappropriately so, which is why, ultimately, I am torn about this characterization. I am glad Bat lied, as it showed how important the skunk is to him, but at the same time I wish lying hadn’t been presented as something unusual even though that would mean the moment wouldn’t pack the same narrative punch. This is not because hyper-honesty is unrealistic, but because it is overdone.

I enjoyed the infusion of humor, like when Bat, who dislikes chili, is told he might like it because it’s a new recipe, and his first thought is that he’ll only like it if the recipe doesn’t include any chili. This sliver of sarcasm added a lot to him as a character, and I wish there had been more of it.

Unfortunately, the secondary characters felt rather two-dimensional. His father seems to exist purely to show how Bat dislikes deviating from routine, while his sister is mostly only present to be unkind to him, and Bat’s classmates are not developed enough as individuals to round out the cast of characters. This gives the appearance that they exist to help showcase various elements of Bat’s autism, including one of the most compelling scenes in which Bat attempts to do something nice for his sister but upsets her instead. Had she been developed as a more three-dimensional and sympathetic character from the start, this moment would have packed an even greater impact, but instead it’s simply another way to show how misunderstood Bat always is.

The strongest element in the book is seeing how Bat feels, as opposed to how he is perceived, which could be beneficial both to those readers who know nothing about autism, and those who are autistic themselves. Even as an adult it is a struggle to navigate this gap, and it would have been great as a kid to see someone else with the same issue and how they handle it. I wish a little more time had been spent on some of his traits while others could have been dropped. For example, I loved how his food-related issues, like with chili and leftovers and liking the way gummy candies feel but not wanting to eat them, helped make him feel real, whereas his hypersensitive hearing and earmuffs felt a little unnatural in the way they were introduced and therefore unnecessary; they could have worked better if presented somewhat differently.

One of the most fun-to-read scenes was Bat’s wonderfully awkward exchange with classmate Israel outside a candy store, when Bat felt like he was supposed to be responding even though he hadn’t been asked a question. That was an uncomfortable but funny moment to which I could completely relate, and I feel kid readers could too – even those who aren’t autistic – because who hasn’t had a conversation in which nobody actually knows what to say? Like Bat’s reaction to the “new” chili, I wish there had been more of this.

There is a saying about ASD: “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” This is absolutely true, albeit perhaps a bit clichéd. The experiences of spectrumites are so vast and nuanced and different from one another that a character who rings true to one autistic person might not feel authentic at all to another person on the spectrum, which is what makes reviewing A Boy Called Bat difficult. I personally share many characteristics with Bat, and those I don’t, I can readily identify in other autistic people I know, including kids around his age. Overall, even though nothing stood out as incorrect and his character was believable, he was perhaps too perfectly so. It is difficult to put my finger on exactly why, but despite being endearing, he was not as engaging as he easily could have been. I also wish characters around him were more developed and multifaceted.

Despite these reservations and mixed feelings overall, I would recommend the book to kids who are interested in learning more about autism but aren’t old enough for middle grade books that focus on ASD characters. That said, I would also only use it as a jumping-off point, while being sure to introduce other autistic characters to those readers too, so they don’t see Bat as representative of all of those on the spectrum. As for potential readers who are autistic themselves, I am conflicted. On the one (probably flapping) hand, I think some will relate and recognize themselves in the pages in a way that doesn’t happen in other chapter books, which is a massive plus; on the other, I worry some readers will feel Bat has been reduced to a checklist of “signs.”

As with all things autism, though (and to steal another somewhat clichéd phrase): “Your mileage may vary.”

IIn fact, it did vary for my animal-adoring goddaughter, a fifth grader. Take it away, Meadow!


I think A Boy Called Bat was AMAZING. I liked how the author chose to write about an autistic child. I also like how he loves animals, just like me! He really gives me a bigger understanding of Bat and kids like Bat. I think most of the characters really understood Bat very well. I really enjoyed the story and Bat’s adventures.

If I changed something, I would add another kid like Bat. Also, a lot more animals his mom gets to take care of. Some traits that made Bat a realistic autistic character were that he had trouble speaking and staying on task. He also had sensitive hearing. And he didn’t like different types of food and didn’t like change!

I would want to share this book with other autistic kids if they wanted to understand themselves more. I would also tell the author, “Please make A Boy Called Bat book series or a sequel. I would really like it and so would my community.

Review: <em>A Boy Called Bat</em> by Elana K. Arnold

Handwritten pages with Meadow’s review

Love, A Boy Called Bat’s Biggest Fan,

Meadow

 



About Author

Nicole Panteleakos

Nicole Panteleakos is a middle grade author represented by Katie Grimm at Don Congdon Associates. As a small child, she was labeled “persnickety” and ‘odd’ for her sensory issues, stimming behavior, and the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder she first displayed back when crawling was her primary mode of transportation. She was expected to ‘grow out of’ this, but as an adult she is still (contentedly!) odd, still stimming, and still struggling through the ups and downs of OCD. She is also heavily immersed in the autism community in a number of ways, including as godmother to three awesome kids on the spectrum.

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10 Comments

  1. My son really enjoyed this book. He just began third grade and was astonished at how many little things in the book described him, or aspects of daily life, almost exactly. Although he’s not exactly like Bat in two ways, some of the very nuanced scenes that the reviewer pointed out were some of the ones we appreciated too – they were subtle but described the character so well. My son already can’t wait for the next book, and I feel that this is one we will share with others as a starting point and to help gain an understanding.

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  4. Matthew Garvin on

    This is a great book. I have worked with Kids on the Autistic spectrum for the last ten years. I have worked with kids just like Bat and much more severe. The story was as detailed as it could be to paint the photo of what it is like to be autistic. This book could help a child that is on the autistic spectrum better relay the way he or she is feeling. I am going to read this book to my students this year so they my have a better understanding of what it is like to be autistic.

  5. Jerriell Gordon on

    I work with adults with disabilities and some of the things that describe Bat describes a few of my clients. have some clients who do not like noise. Certain clients are particular about their food. I have to learn their behaviors so that I can understand their needs better. In some cases, pets help the lifespan of my clients. The love and affection from the animals help them through their day. They have a very good memory. They will hold me to my word on things they want the most. I.e. going to the store to get a snack. I enjoy being able to help those in need.

  6. The review of the book promoted the book in a positive light while also included suggestions for further improvement. The author seemed to really understand autism and its factors. One thing that I agree on and stood out the most was the author’s comment of the characteristics of people with autism. Including the phrase “when you meet a person with autism, you meet a person with autism” was very important for further information over the topic. Liked mentioned in the review people have misconceptions over the characteristics of people with autism, and by adding this the author really touched on the uniqueness of people with autism. I agree that this book is for younger children because it’s not descriptive and just demonstrates the out layer of things. Overall, the review was informative and demonstrates the amount of knowledge the reviewer has on autism.

  7. I think the novel A Boy Called Bat was AWESOME!! it takes an author with a heart to write about an autistic child. I am actually going to school to have a degree in special education. Special needs kids are very special to me. I loved how this novel shows how every child that is autistic has it own different ways. Bat loved his animals and loved the way he was. While reading this novel I was hooked all the way to the end just to go through the life with Bat. Every family with an autistic child needs to read this novel!

  8. Andrea Edge - EDU 2120 on

    This is such an inspiring book! My little brother is autistic and I remember him coming home talking about the guest reader that came in and this was the first book he read. He was so thrilled that there was a book that featured someone like him. I have no doubt that other kids feel the same way!! I am not happy that someone wrote a book like this! I can’t wait to see the books that come out in the future that feature children with other disabilities.

  9. Nicole Rivers on

    I work in an Autism Unit at a elementary school and I’ve witnessed some of the things that Bat endures on a daily basis and a far more severe cases. I haven’t had the opportunity to read this book but I do plan on it sharing it with a few of my coworkers and parents to read to the students while learning from home now. In hopes that this gives some insist for parents who are still learning their kids. This awesome.

  10. Catherine B. on

    As a future educator, I am constantly looking for books to add to my classroom library. I really enjoyed reading this review and I appreciated reading about some of the positives and shortcomings of this book. Growing up, I was not exposed to books with characters on the autism spectrum but this review has made me excited to look into more book like A Boy Called Bat and push myself to know more about children on the autism spectrum so that I may teach and interact with them in an effective way. From the review from Meadow, I’m glad to see that children on the autism spectrum are able to see themselves in Bat.