The View from Saturday
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| Author | E. L. Konigsburg |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Atlantic Books |
Publication date | 1996 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 163 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 068980993X (first edition, hardback) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
The View from Saturday is a children's novel written by E. L. Konigsburg. It won the Newbery Medal in 1997.
Plot Summary
In this novel, four sixth grade children, Noah Gershom, Nadia Diamondstein, Ethan Potter, and Julian Singh form a group they call "The Souls". The academic bowl is coming up, and their paraplegic teacher, Mrs. Olinski, chooses them to represent her team in the Academic Bowl. The Epiphany team beats even the seventh and eight graders in the Academic Bowl and becomes the state champion. The novel's chapters alternate between the first person limited and third person omniscient. Each member of "The Souls" narrates one chapter about an event which connects with a question they were asked in the Academic Bowl. The first of the first person chapters is told by Noah Gershom; he tells about the time he was the best man at his grandparent's friend's wedding and his experience in writing calligraphy. Nadia Diamondstein describes her work with the conservation of sea turtles. Ethan Potter tells of attending one of Julian's tea parties, at which he met and befriended Nadia, Noah and Julian. Julian's story is about how he was truthful when Nadia's dog tried out for Annie: the Musical. Noah later discovers that the bride at the neighbor's wedding was actually Ethan's grandmother, and the groom was Nadia's grandfather. Julian meets them later.
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Main Characters
- Noah Gershom - Noah Gershom is a twelve-year-old boy who goes to Epiphany Middle School. Noah has brown hair, and glasses. Mrs. Olinski chose Noah first for her Academic team as he is smart, observant, always has a good answer for everything, he is good with words, a good leader, not afraid to take charge. His dad is a dentist, and Nadia’s mom works for him. His mom is a real estate agent. Noah Gershom learns that he isn’t always the hero and it is a team effort that wins Academic Bowls.
- Nadia Diamondstein - Nadia is a plump girl with curly red hair and freckles. She moved to New York from Florida. Her parents are divorced. Her mom is a dental hygienist that works with Noah's father, and her dad, Allen Diamondstein is an accountant. Her grandfather is Izzy Diamondstein, who married Ethan's grandmother. Nadia's dog, Ginger successfully auditioned for the part of Sandy in the school play Annie.
- Ethan Potter - Ethan is a tall boy with blonde hair and a love for theatre. He lives on a farm, and his family is one of the oldest in Epiphany. His grandmother, Margaret Draper, married Nadia's grandfather. The teachers at the school are disappointed in Ethan, as he is not as smart or athletic as his older brother, Lucas. He is often quiet, and is more on the nervous side until the Souls formed.
- Julian Singh - Julian is a rather eccentric Indian boy with black hair. He has a British accent because he went to boarding school in England. His mother, an American singer, died, and his father is a cook, and owns the Sillington House, (which is a farm) which he uses as a Bed & Breakfast Inn. He is teased and bullied by other sixth-graders. Julian is the last chosen for the Academic Bowl.
- Mrs. Eva Marie Olinski - Eva Marie Olinski is a 6th grade teacher at Epiphany Middle School and runs the Academic Bowl team, the Souls. The Souls respect Mrs. Olinski and restore her confidence in her ability as a teacher, which had been shaken after the accident which rendered her paraplegic.
Similarities with other works
It has been noted that the 2005 Indian novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup, upon which the film Slumdog Millionaire was based, has strikingly similar plot details. Such as, an outsider group, unpredicatably wins a quiz contest, not by having extensive knowledge, but by having the right knowledge due to events of their life, which as each question is presented, the back story to how the contestant(s) has the answer is shown.
External links
The View form Saturday has a lot of characters. One nonimportant character is Nadia's dog. Her name is Ginger. Ginger plays as Annie's dog in one of the plays in school. Ginger is a genius.
Another nonimportant is Allen. He is Nadia's father.He was supposed to be best man at the wedding,but since he hurt his foot, Noah had to replace him.
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