The View from Saturday

Written by E.L. Konigsburg

A teacher's mysterious team selection leads to unexpected victories and deeper truths.

5.8/7 Bookroo expert·3.8/5 Goodreads · 46,908 ratings

176 pages· 42,685 words· Est. 6 hour read

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Bookroo's summary

Mrs. Olinski's return to teaching brings an unexpected challenge: forming a winning Academic Bowl team. Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian surprise everyone with their victories, but the real mystery lies in how they were chosen. As they triumph over older students, questions arise about their unique bond. Each member's story reveals a piece of the puzzle, from accidental weddings to saving turtles. Mrs. Olinski finds confidence in her team, but the true reason behind their selection remains a secret known only to them. Discover the surprising answers hidden within their intertwined tales.

From the publisher

HOW HAD MRS. OLINSKI CHOSEN her sixth-grade Academic Bowl team? She had a number of answers. But were any of them true? How had she really chosen Noah and Nadia and Ethan and Julian? And why did they make such a good team? It was a surprise to a lot of people when Mrs. Olinski’s team won the sixth-grade Academic Bowl contest at Epiphany Middle School. It was an even bigger surprise when they beat the seventh grade and the eighth grade, too. And when they went on to even greater victories, everyone began to ask: How did it happen? It happened at least partly because Noah had been the best man (quite by accident) at the wedding of Ethan’s grandmother and Nadia’s grandfather. It happened because Nadia discovered that she could not let a lot of baby turtles die. It happened when Ethan could not let Julian face disaster alone. And it happened because Julian valued something important in himself and saw in the other three something he also valued. Mrs. Olinski, returning to teaching after having been injured in an automobile accident, found that her Academic Bowl team became her answer to finding confidence and success. What she did not know, at least at first, was that her team knew more than she did the answer to why they had been chosen. This is a tale about a team, a class, a school, a series of contests and, set in the midst of this, four jewel-like short stories – one for each of the team members – that ask questions and demonstrate surprising answers.

Awards

Newbery Medal (1997)

At a glance

Format
Pages: 176
Words: 42,685
Reading age: 8–12
Audience: Middle Grade
Lexile: 870L

Themes & topics

Books about contests Books about teamwork Books about middle school Books about friendship Books about teachers

For the grown-ups

The parent guide

What families may want to know

Every family reads differently. These are the concepts our editors noticed in this book — worth seeking out for some readers, worth knowing about for others. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's a spoiler-light head start.

Serious Subject Matter

Mentions bras and reaching puberty

What readers & critics say

Reviews

5.8

out of 7

5.8

“As a kid, I got a bookmark from my library that listed every book that had won the Newbery Medal, and I set to work reading them all, checking them off my little bookmark one by one. The View from Saturday was one of my very favorites. It's a little eccentric and unexpected, but full of feel-good moments and great messages. I love the unusual premise and set-up of the book. I loved it as an elementary schooler, and I still love it as an adult.”

Lauren Hancock

Trusted reviewer

For readers who can't stop at one