A Boy Called Bat

By: Elana K. Arnold

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

The first book in a funny, heartfelt, and irresistible young middle grade series starring an unforgettable young boy on the autism spectrum, from acclaimed author Elana K. Arnold and with illustrations by Charles Santoso.

For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter.

But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.

"This sweet and thoughtful novel chronicles Bat’s experiences and challenges at school with friends and teachers and at home with his sister and divorced parents. Approachable for younger or reluctant readers while still delivering a powerful and thoughtful story" (from the review by Brightly.com, which named A Boy Called Bat a best book of 2017).

©2017 Elana K. Arnold (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

What a difference perspectives make!

This is an endearing story that gives insight into the mind and perspective of a child who has a different way of processing the world and the sensory input he receives. I like how it explains why he responds the way he does and about how things make him feel. Working with students, it was fun to see inside his mind and walk a mile in his shoes too give me insight as to how some of my students perceive the world. I recommend this sweet and endearing story.

That bat loved Thor so so much

I love the book and I am so excited to read another book to
Thank you so much it’s helped me so much with school

The best book!!!👍🏿😃💃🏼🕺🏽👑

I love the book 📚 but he has to do so much for school work so I'm just going to be the first to say that I'm not even going to bed at all because I'm so happy for the rest it's helped me. Keep it up and stay on the same page and keep the book going on the way.

Excellent Bedtime Reader

My grandson loved this book. Very well done. It kept his interest throughout the story.

Entertaining & interesting

My grandson & I listen to this on our trip bring him back home. Loved it as it kept us entertained with a great story with some parts that made us chuckle. My grandson said he can’t wait for the second book :). I thought it displayed the true feelings of kids and how they may interact with others.

A good read.

This is a story of a young man who loves animals. What makes it a special story is that "Bat", the main character, has autism. His autism is never directly addressed or discussed, it is just part of who he is. The extra interesting part is that the story is being told from Bat's point of view. You experience his thoughts and reactions to the world going on around him. This book is an opportunity for those who are not on the spectrum to catch a glimpse of the internal world of someone who is. Also an opportunity for those on the spectrum to meet a character that they may identify with.

Wonderful book

What a great book that helps neurotypical children (and adults) better understand kids who are on the spectrum, without treating them with pity or as "others." The story provided a great jumping off point to discuss how autistic children see the world differently and the challenges this can present for them, as well as how it makes them special. A quick listen that my first grade daughter and I both loved.

"Again, again" my five year old

This years global read-a-loud, A Boy Called Bat, was a great read. My five year old can't wait for the next book in the series, in the mean time she wants to listen to the book again. I hope the audio book comes out soon.

Wonderful and heart-warming

This was an absolutely beautiful book. Bixby Alexander Tam, aka Bat, is a young boy with autism who sometimes struggles with understanding things. He also tends to dislike surprises. But, one day, his mom has a surprise that ends up being really good; his mom, a veterinarian, brings home a baby skunk whose mom had died. The baby is too young to live on its own yet, so Bat's mom brings it home to foster until it is old enough to go to a skunk rescue group.

Bat, who loves all kinds of animals, is quick to help his mom with the kit's care, and he quickly decides that he wants to keep it. But how will Bat convince his mom that she should let him keep the kit? Of course, as Bat is taking care of the kit, he also has to continue going to school and to his dad's on every other Friday. He has to get along with his sister, which is sometimes easier said than done. But through it all, Bat is determined to talk his mom into letting him keep the kit.

I loved this book. It was very well-written and the author represented Bat and his inner musings really well. It was wonderful to see the growth that Bat goes through over the month in which the book goes through. The audiobook, narrated by Patrick Lawlor, was fantastic. Lawlor's performance captured Bat perfectly and added a level of humanity to him that many people miss when they meet someone with Autism.

I look forward to reading or listening to more of Bat's stories in the future.

Fun book with my son

What a great book to listen to with my son during our long commute home. He looked forward to listening to it. We were able to have some interesting discussions from this book. It covered a range of topics from autism, to skunks, divorced families, sibling rivalry, and so much more. Now we are going to check out Dr. Dragoos website!