What do you think?
Rate this book
Superstar
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year!
“Lester’s first-person narrative is honest and pure.” —Kirkus (starred review)
Perfect for fans of Fish in a Tree and Wonder, this uplifting debut novel from Mandy Davis follows space-obsessed Lester Musselbaum as he experiences the challenges of his first days of public making friends, facing bullies, finding his "thing," and accidentally learning of his autism-spectrum diagnosis.
Lester’s first days as a fifth grader at Quarry Elementary School are not even a little bit like he thought they would be—the cafeteria is too loud for Lester's ears, there are too many kids, and then there's the bully.
Lester was always home-schooled, and now he’s shocked to be stuck in a school where everything just seems wrong. That's until he hears about the science fair, which goes really well for Lester! This is it. The moment where I find out for 100 percent sure that I won.
But then things go a bit sideways, and Lester has to find his way back. A touching peek into the life of a sensitive autism-spectrum boy facing the everydayness of elementary school, Superstar testifies that what you can do isn’t nearly as important as who you are.
“A lovely, heartfelt narrative about the things we’ve lost, and the things we’ve found again.” —Gary D. Schmidt, Newbery Honor winner for The Wednesday Wars
“I LOVE LESTER.” —Linda Urban, author of Milo Speck, Accidental Agent and A Crooked Kind of Perfect
“Lester’s first-person narrative is honest and pure.” —Kirkus (starred review)
Perfect for fans of Fish in a Tree and Wonder, this uplifting debut novel from Mandy Davis follows space-obsessed Lester Musselbaum as he experiences the challenges of his first days of public making friends, facing bullies, finding his "thing," and accidentally learning of his autism-spectrum diagnosis.
Lester’s first days as a fifth grader at Quarry Elementary School are not even a little bit like he thought they would be—the cafeteria is too loud for Lester's ears, there are too many kids, and then there's the bully.
Lester was always home-schooled, and now he’s shocked to be stuck in a school where everything just seems wrong. That's until he hears about the science fair, which goes really well for Lester! This is it. The moment where I find out for 100 percent sure that I won.
But then things go a bit sideways, and Lester has to find his way back. A touching peek into the life of a sensitive autism-spectrum boy facing the everydayness of elementary school, Superstar testifies that what you can do isn’t nearly as important as who you are.
“A lovely, heartfelt narrative about the things we’ve lost, and the things we’ve found again.” —Gary D. Schmidt, Newbery Honor winner for The Wednesday Wars
“I LOVE LESTER.” —Linda Urban, author of Milo Speck, Accidental Agent and A Crooked Kind of Perfect
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2017
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
Read
October 22, 2017Proud to say a former Hamilton Southeastern Schools teacher gave Lester his beautiful mind and voice.
June 18, 2018
Public school is full of new challenges for Lester, a fifth-grader on the autism spectrum, who has been homeschooled all his life. When his mother must go back to work after the death of his father on a space mission, Lester must try to figure out all the new rules of school and how to navigate successfully amongst bullies, social situations and teachers who don’t always announce there’s been a change of plan. Fashion designer Abby and a sympathetic Michael V. come alongside Lester to support and encourage him in spite of his differences, but then the science fair and an undiscovered talent for kickball give Lester his chance to shine.
A character-driven novel, Superstar gives a fresh and unique look inside the head of a child on the autism spectrum. Davis manages to avoid some of the common pitfalls of an MC with autism, and writes Lester with a warm, relatable voice, making his choices and reactions sensible for his feelings, and sympathetically conveying his confusion over common social norms, without justifying his frequent lack of empathy for his friends. Lester is able to grow and learn with help from his peers, while still remaining realistically unique. Lester’s fascination with space and science, and the creative ways in which his particular obsessions are used to drive the story forward make this a very enjoyable read. Give to fans of Wonder, Rain Reign and Counting By Sevens.
A character-driven novel, Superstar gives a fresh and unique look inside the head of a child on the autism spectrum. Davis manages to avoid some of the common pitfalls of an MC with autism, and writes Lester with a warm, relatable voice, making his choices and reactions sensible for his feelings, and sympathetically conveying his confusion over common social norms, without justifying his frequent lack of empathy for his friends. Lester is able to grow and learn with help from his peers, while still remaining realistically unique. Lester’s fascination with space and science, and the creative ways in which his particular obsessions are used to drive the story forward make this a very enjoyable read. Give to fans of Wonder, Rain Reign and Counting By Sevens.
October 22, 2017
Mandy Davis knows kids... knows teachers.. knows the school day and autism... I'm so glad I got to hear her speak and that she pursued becoming a writer... she's a natural... following Lester through his struggles after being home schooled to being in a fifth grade class... tough enough without his learning issues... so well done...
July 29, 2019
Lester’s story was told so incredibly well. As a fifth grade teacher myself, I could relate to the situations his mother and teacher faced. Lester’s voice was insightful, and I can see a lot of my students being able to relate to his character. I can’t wait to introduce this book to my classroom library this year!
March 20, 2021
Read for my daughter’s Battle of the Books. Loved Lester’s narration and his journey— he’s a great, fully realized character, and I loved that his personal growth didn’t require him to lose what makes him special. The way that kids reacted to him felt very spot on, and the choices the kids made seemed authentic. That said, I found the premise that a child presenting as classically autistic (in every way!) would not immediately be identified as such by principals and teachers to be distractingly far fetched. The principal yells in his face to make eye contact? He gets screamed at for responding literally to instructions, and the principal is befuddled by this behavior? His sensory overload gets him sent to the principals office and the principal again has no understanding for why this is happening, or any solution to provide? It all felt very of the 1980s, not today. (Especially given the context that this is a school with a resource teacher and several other autistic students!) It made me nuts, honestly.
August 21, 2017
Lester has been home schooled in the past, but now his mother is going to work and so he will be entering public school. That's when the adults discover (finally) that he is autistic.
I liked the story and the growing up that takes place by Lester, but I found his mother and teachers to be a little lacking in child psychology. His mother is a little more believable because Lester's father has died and she is still a wreck, but the teacher's should have had a little more awareness of Lester's issues.
I liked the story and the growing up that takes place by Lester, but I found his mother and teachers to be a little lacking in child psychology. His mother is a little more believable because Lester's father has died and she is still a wreck, but the teacher's should have had a little more awareness of Lester's issues.
September 3, 2017
It sagged in the middle but had a strong start and finish. I particularly liked how it dealt with unkindness from the other children -- almost everyone was revealed to have either some redeeming quality or at least understandable issues (except maybe Mona). Since the boy was practically a poster boy for "Autism looks like this" it did take an astonishingly long time for the school (or the mother!) to wonder about it, but eventually they got their act together.
June 15, 2020
This was such a cute book. It is about this kid named Lester who starts public school for the first time, he is a fifth grader. Lester is really good at science. He likes to keep a schedule, he doesn’t like things changing. He is obsessed with space. He finds out that he is autistic. I think the author brings awareness to autism.I reccomend this book. I reccomend this book if you have read wonder, Fish out of a tree, rules, Out of my mind,and one third nerd.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2017
It was refreshing to see a middles grades book written from the perspective of a 5th grade boy with high functioning autism. There were weak areas that were hard for me to overlook, but overall I think a book like this helps spread awareness. For full review, see here: http://jungletigerteacher.blogspot.co...
August 15, 2019
4.5* A delightful story of a young boy navigating Year 5 after being home schooled. Along the way, Lester accidentally finds out he is on the autism spectrum, explaining many of the quirky challenges he faces along his journey. A beautiful book that will be loved by fans of Wonder, Fish in a Tree and See You in the Cosmos.
February 15, 2020
I love Lester, who narrates this story and is on the autism spectrum. Author Davis plots SUPERSTAR well with all the threads of the story and strengths of Lester coming together at the end. A delightful debut--will look for more from this author.
August 5, 2017
Autism gets the unsentimentally sensitive treatment it deserves in Davis' debut. [from Kirkus Reviews]
April 10, 2023
This author did an excellent job highlighting the difficulties that many autistic people go through. The main theme is just “be excellent to each other.”
March 24, 2019
Interesting premise in that the storyteller is a 5th grade boy on the autism spectrum. Lester has been homeschooled through fourth grade and now his widowed mother enrolls him in school since she has to go to work full time.
Lester's father was an astronaut who was killed when his spaceship exploded upon reentry. Like his dad, Lester is very interested in science and especially space. One storyline includes the research and effort he puts into his science fair project involving paper airplanes.
Lester has enough self-awareness to know that he's failing in the friends category. His classmate Abby is kind to him from the first day and makes room for him to be included in her circle of friends during recess and lunch. When a new girl comes who shares a particular interest, however, and who doesn't want to be around Lester, Abby defects and shuts Lester out. Michael tries to help Lester fit in a little better and gives him tips on avoiding being a target of Ricky, the class bully.
Adults in Lester's life - his mom, classroom teacher, resource room teacher, principal, and the children's librarian at the public library - are all portrayed positively in their interactions with Lester. I did find it puzzling, however, that during the first part of the story some of these adults didn't seem to recognize that Lester's quirks were caused by him being on the spectrum. That seemed unbelievable that they wouldn't have been aware before he entered school or wouldn't have quickly recognized his challenges.
The author pulls a rabbit out of her hat with what she does with Ricky's character within just the last ten pages of the book. It made a good conclusion a great conclusion.
Lester's father was an astronaut who was killed when his spaceship exploded upon reentry. Like his dad, Lester is very interested in science and especially space. One storyline includes the research and effort he puts into his science fair project involving paper airplanes.
Lester has enough self-awareness to know that he's failing in the friends category. His classmate Abby is kind to him from the first day and makes room for him to be included in her circle of friends during recess and lunch. When a new girl comes who shares a particular interest, however, and who doesn't want to be around Lester, Abby defects and shuts Lester out. Michael tries to help Lester fit in a little better and gives him tips on avoiding being a target of Ricky, the class bully.
Adults in Lester's life - his mom, classroom teacher, resource room teacher, principal, and the children's librarian at the public library - are all portrayed positively in their interactions with Lester. I did find it puzzling, however, that during the first part of the story some of these adults didn't seem to recognize that Lester's quirks were caused by him being on the spectrum. That seemed unbelievable that they wouldn't have been aware before he entered school or wouldn't have quickly recognized his challenges.
The author pulls a rabbit out of her hat with what she does with Ricky's character within just the last ten pages of the book. It made a good conclusion a great conclusion.
May 15, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this look at the trials of adjusting to a new normal. Not only is Lester starting public school for the first time as his mom is resumes work, but he learns that his brain works a little differently from most people. He's not the only one struggling with carving out normalcy - his mom is still working through the grief of her husband's death (which was a very public affair in a fictional scenario mirroring the Challenger space shuttle disaster), and his new school friend has to navigate a new baby brother and the deceit of popularity. I appreciated how the autism diagnosis didn't change Lester's identity - it's used as a way to explain why he acts differently without deeming any one person better than the other, and the resulting IEP actually frees him from feeling overwhelmed by his new school. I can't speak personally to the accuracy of the presentation of high-functioning autism, but I recognized the fixation with details and routine, attachment to an object and area of interest, and trouble communicating emotions as being part of that. The first-person POV was insightful, since most readers will be able to understand the emotional connections that Lester misses.
May 10, 2019
This book is about Lester, who lives with his mom, who has been homeschooling him. His dad died in a space accident (that is remarkably similar to the Challenger disaster) and his mom wants to encourage him to be a scientist like his dad, but it's hard. When she gets a job as a librarian, she decides he should go to public school for the first time. It's not easy because Lester has some eccentricities that make school difficult, like his extreme sensitivity to noise, or his rigid adherence to rules and order, his very literal interpretation of things. As an educator, I recognized these things as being on the autism spectrum and in the mid 80s and early 90s, when this might have happened (given the Challenger timing) that makes sense. Today, it would be surprising that none of the doctors would have picked up it earlier. But ok. This story is terrific-Lester's reactions and coping strategies are great. The adults around him figure him out pretty fast and do what they can to help. The kids around him are great too-very realistic. And there's also a terrific piece about the scientific method that's going to win a lot of fans too. I liked this one a lot. I think it was a great pick for the Sunshine State Young Reader award list.
March 30, 2021
It was borrowed from the library, which was for my son and he read for two days. I just wondered why he just liked this, then i started reading it. It’s been Quite a while since I didn’t need a dictionary. So cool but felt a bit disappointed the reason why he finished this book so quickly. Anyway the story about the boy who was homeschooled and used to be a student in school at that moment. Quite hard to be one normal person like the other kids. He needs lots of help from teachers as well as his efforts to deal with all the new stuffs. He was diagnosed as autism spectrum disorder but he’s good at science and interested in kickball. That means he can do something in common with other kids. It was super good in the end. The title -Superstar - implies several meaning for him. After finishing this book, i can get that. I undersood why my son really liked it even though there was so special events but one thing that gabbed him most was the rules: kickball. Which is quite similar to the baseball that he really obsessed
In. It is easly read by anyone who is interested in “wonder “ book.
In. It is easly read by anyone who is interested in “wonder “ book.
December 16, 2017
12/16/2017 ~~ Lester is a superstar! His voice is believable, and I appreciated his growth over the course of the book. I really liked his fascination with science and the way he leveraged that fascination to find his niche in the classroom hierarchy. Lester's literal interpretation of other characters' directions added endearing humor to the story. I was also struck that nearly all the other characters showed growth as well. When I was only partway through the book, I was annoyed that the school seemed to have no clue about how to handle a child with special needs; that, however, was addressed later in the book as Lester himself experienced the resources his school could bring to bear. Another small quibble was that the characters seemed to show more growth than was credible in a 7 week span of time; however, compressing this timeline made the pace of the book better. This will be a read-alike to Chester and Gus by McGovern, Out of My Mind by Draper, Wonder by Palacio, and Fish in a Tree by Hunt.
April 23, 2018
I came across this book at the library and was immediately drawn to it, as I homeschooled our boys and we always used to lie out in the backyard to watch the Perseid meteor showers, just as Lester and his mom did in the book. This is a wonderful story of a boy with so many challenges who is, at first, clueless about school and human interaction, in general. However, through the support of his mom, his school, and new friends, he grows and learns how to live with others and even to be a Superstar in an unexpected way. I highly recommend this book--to those with autism in the family, as they will relate to it, and to those with little knowledge of autism, because it will help you see what the world looks like through such a child's eyes. The voice seems very authentic, and the kids act like real kids--in both good and bad ways.
September 18, 2019
AMAZING. A more relatable Wonder-type story. I loved learning about Lester and his dad. As an adult I can understand his Mom’s grief. As a teacher I can’t stand his own teacher and principal. I definitely hated Abby for a while too. I understood WHY she needed more friends, but she was very rude about it all. I also loved seeing his mom’s character growth as she started to accept her husbands death. I had SO MANY emotions towards Ricky. Hate him, I understand him, hate him, understand. A lot of hate though. Because every teacher did their best to scold him, but it was still Lester getting hurt. And that made me think about how I handle the “small” encounters in my room and how they can still really hurt someone’s feelings.
Also loved the ending. Absolutely perfect with Ricky and the superstar and his mom making friends etc....
LOVED
Also loved the ending. Absolutely perfect with Ricky and the superstar and his mom making friends etc....
LOVED
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2019
This was very hard to read at first. My heart ached for Lester as he was trying to fit in at school. It was clear he had some sort of neurodiversity, but none of the adults were helping him. When he finally had his diagnosis and new rules, I was so relieved for him.
I really liked how the art teacher explained her rationale and came to the understanding that she was making things too hard for Lester in her desire to find a solution for Ricky. I also liked Ricky and Lester’s resolution. It seemed to fit and be fairly realistic.
The only thing I didn’t really like was Mona being a snot. It would have been okay for Abbie to have other friends apart from Lester, and I didn’t like that she had to drop Mona completely.
I really liked how the art teacher explained her rationale and came to the understanding that she was making things too hard for Lester in her desire to find a solution for Ricky. I also liked Ricky and Lester’s resolution. It seemed to fit and be fairly realistic.
The only thing I didn’t really like was Mona being a snot. It would have been okay for Abbie to have other friends apart from Lester, and I didn’t like that she had to drop Mona completely.
July 12, 2019
Lester, who learns he has autism spectrum disorder after he is enrolled in public school (grade 5) after being homeschooled his whole life, must learn to deal with the outside world.
The teachers and school staff are absolutely horrible in the beginning, and then learn how to deal with him once he is diagnosed. His father, an astronaut, was killed during a reentry.
The mother doesn't want to talk about the father at all, which also leads to conflicted feelings for Lester.
The school bully, Ricky, is just abhorrent, yet the author shows what drives his behavior and how Lester overcomes the struggle.
An amazing look at life from someone who is autistic, a great read for all teachers. Students will find it enjoyable too - a bit like Wonder.
The teachers and school staff are absolutely horrible in the beginning, and then learn how to deal with him once he is diagnosed. His father, an astronaut, was killed during a reentry.
The mother doesn't want to talk about the father at all, which also leads to conflicted feelings for Lester.
The school bully, Ricky, is just abhorrent, yet the author shows what drives his behavior and how Lester overcomes the struggle.
An amazing look at life from someone who is autistic, a great read for all teachers. Students will find it enjoyable too - a bit like Wonder.
August 18, 2017
Full of heart and a great read for kids who liked Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, a popular read in my middle school. Every middle school library needs this book! It's perfectly written #mglit about a kid with #autism who is struggling with relationships and other aspects of school. //
Lester is attending school for the first time as a 5th grader. He loves science and especially space, but his mom has never taught it to him in homeschool because his astronaut father died on one of his space missions five years ago. Lester is doing fine academically in school, but he is struggling with the loud sounds, changes in his schedule and mean kids who pick on him for being weird.
Lester is attending school for the first time as a 5th grader. He loves science and especially space, but his mom has never taught it to him in homeschool because his astronaut father died on one of his space missions five years ago. Lester is doing fine academically in school, but he is struggling with the loud sounds, changes in his schedule and mean kids who pick on him for being weird.
Read
May 28, 2018Superstar je výjimečná knížka o výjimečném tématu. Autismus je docela v kurzu, knih o něm a o lidech, kterých se týká, teď vyšla celá spousta a všechno je to asi zajímavé čtení. Superstar je middlegrade, takže cílí na mladší čtenáře než třeba knížky od Paseky, ale i tak podle mě stojí za pozornost. Hlavní hrdina vás bude určitě hrozně vytáčet, ale to byl asi autorčin záměr, jak jinak :) Pokud vás bavil (Ne)obyčejný kluk nebo Marcelo ve skutečném světě, určitě byste po Superstar měli sáhnout.
November 15, 2020
Better than I expected.
February 18, 2022
4.5 stars.
Full disclosure: I went into this absolutely not in the mood for (1) a children’s book, (2) realistic fiction, (3) anything that was blurbed as a Wonder read-alike (how dare you!).
And then . . . dude . . . I heart Lester so much. This was such a sweet, heart-warming read. I did have a couple issues with it:
It took me quite some time to realize when exactly this story was taking place. I mistakenly thought that Lester’s dad was in the Challenger explosion (hey, that’s on me . . . the author was clear that Lester’s dad was returning from a mission). As more and more inflexible, uncomprehending adults and educators(!) interacted with Lester, I thought, What! Things in the 1980s were truly awful! How could people be so obtuse? And then at 40% Abby talks about her mom’s smartphone and I’m like . . . what just happened . . .
I didn’t like the solution was that everyone find a way to accommodate Ricky. Who made him Caesar of the playground? Yes, he had some inner conflict and sadness at the root of his bullying (don’t they all). But the solution was to make sure that nothing shook poor Ricky’s worldview? Because how dare anyone else be good at what Ricky was good at? What kind of lesson is that? Anyway, it was very gracious of Lester to set Ricky up for the winning run, but it was totally unearned by Ricky. I don’t think that if someone is being a jerk to you, you need to find a way to ingratiate yourself with them. (Throw Ricky to the wolves! You can do that in children’s literature!)
Anyway. This book was captivating and charming and deserved more buzz.
Full disclosure: I went into this absolutely not in the mood for (1) a children’s book, (2) realistic fiction, (3) anything that was blurbed as a Wonder read-alike (how dare you!).
And then . . . dude . . . I heart Lester so much. This was such a sweet, heart-warming read. I did have a couple issues with it:
It took me quite some time to realize when exactly this story was taking place. I mistakenly thought that Lester’s dad was in the Challenger explosion (hey, that’s on me . . . the author was clear that Lester’s dad was returning from a mission). As more and more inflexible, uncomprehending adults and educators(!) interacted with Lester, I thought, What! Things in the 1980s were truly awful! How could people be so obtuse? And then at 40% Abby talks about her mom’s smartphone and I’m like . . . what just happened . . .
I didn’t like the solution was that everyone find a way to accommodate Ricky. Who made him Caesar of the playground? Yes, he had some inner conflict and sadness at the root of his bullying (don’t they all). But the solution was to make sure that nothing shook poor Ricky’s worldview? Because how dare anyone else be good at what Ricky was good at? What kind of lesson is that? Anyway, it was very gracious of Lester to set Ricky up for the winning run, but it was totally unearned by Ricky. I don’t think that if someone is being a jerk to you, you need to find a way to ingratiate yourself with them. (Throw Ricky to the wolves! You can do that in children’s literature!)
Anyway. This book was captivating and charming and deserved more buzz.
Read
June 2, 2023Lester lives for science, especially stars and space. His father was an astronaut. He died when his NASA mission ship exploded upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Lester thinks about him often, but his mother is upset when anything reminds her of him.
Ever since his father's death, Lester has been homeschooled. Now his mother is getting a job, and Lester will be attending public school for the first time. He is nervous and worried because he isn't used to being around people except for his mother. She tells him that if he follows the rules everything will be fine. The only thing is Lester isn't sure what the rules are.
After some unpleasant ups and downs and some run-ins with a kid named Ricky, Lester is evaluated and diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder. With the help of the school staff, the rules are made clear for Lester and learning how to deal with school becomes easier, that is except when it comes to Ricky.
Author Mandy Davis captures what it's like as a neurodiverse individual. Readers will relate to Lester as he deals with new experiences, learning about friendship, and adjusting to life's changes. SUPERSTAR is perfect for upper elementary and middle school collections.
Ever since his father's death, Lester has been homeschooled. Now his mother is getting a job, and Lester will be attending public school for the first time. He is nervous and worried because he isn't used to being around people except for his mother. She tells him that if he follows the rules everything will be fine. The only thing is Lester isn't sure what the rules are.
After some unpleasant ups and downs and some run-ins with a kid named Ricky, Lester is evaluated and diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder. With the help of the school staff, the rules are made clear for Lester and learning how to deal with school becomes easier, that is except when it comes to Ricky.
Author Mandy Davis captures what it's like as a neurodiverse individual. Readers will relate to Lester as he deals with new experiences, learning about friendship, and adjusting to life's changes. SUPERSTAR is perfect for upper elementary and middle school collections.
May 8, 2018
Lester is not a stereotype of autism. He dislikes loud noises and always wants to abide by the rules, but he isn’t a savant and is an excellent communicator. He makes friends and is capable of adapting, even if t takes him awhile.
Lester isn’t the only character in the story who seems true to life. His teachers, principal, and mother are neither heroes or villains. The conversation his teacher has with the school secretary about adding another child to her roster (one who has been home schooled, no less) is completely accurate and heartbreaking, considering Lester hears the whole thing. It’s possible that adult readers-specifically school staff members—might learn more from reading this book than middle grade readers, though I absolutely want to share this book with them too.
Tags:
Autism spectrum disorders
Misfits
Bullies
IEPs
Teachers
Fifth grade
Friendships
Single moms
Libraries
Librarians
Space
STEM
New kid
Lester isn’t the only character in the story who seems true to life. His teachers, principal, and mother are neither heroes or villains. The conversation his teacher has with the school secretary about adding another child to her roster (one who has been home schooled, no less) is completely accurate and heartbreaking, considering Lester hears the whole thing. It’s possible that adult readers-specifically school staff members—might learn more from reading this book than middle grade readers, though I absolutely want to share this book with them too.
Tags:
Autism spectrum disorders
Misfits
Bullies
IEPs
Teachers
Fifth grade
Friendships
Single moms
Libraries
Librarians
Space
STEM
New kid
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2018
Once I had read the first third I was won over by this story and the portrayal of Lester, his persistance, his problem solving and love of space and science and his form of autism.
I didnt give it 5 stars as the situations and meltdowns seemed to get resolved too easily and the ending was too quick and too neat. However, the realism of the children in the grade 5 classroom is convincing; the tolerance by some kids of difference, the support they gave each other, balanced by the betrayal of friendship and the bullying
If you were reading 'Wonder' to year 6/7 students I'd say this is great for Year 5 and 6 , and good for year 6 and intermediate age to read for themselves. There is a fair amount of humour to enjoy as well. From an adult point of view I liked how the mother was able to move from grieving and home schooling to having a job and more of her own choices in life - and letting Lester have some independence too.
I didnt give it 5 stars as the situations and meltdowns seemed to get resolved too easily and the ending was too quick and too neat. However, the realism of the children in the grade 5 classroom is convincing; the tolerance by some kids of difference, the support they gave each other, balanced by the betrayal of friendship and the bullying
If you were reading 'Wonder' to year 6/7 students I'd say this is great for Year 5 and 6 , and good for year 6 and intermediate age to read for themselves. There is a fair amount of humour to enjoy as well. From an adult point of view I liked how the mother was able to move from grieving and home schooling to having a job and more of her own choices in life - and letting Lester have some independence too.
September 10, 2018
Superstar by Mandy Davis is a book about a kid named Lester Musselbaum whose dad had died in a spacecraft accident when he was young. His mom had no job and homeschooled Lester. They didn’t have enough money to be financially stable, so his mom got a job and Lester had to go to a real school. Lester was going into fifth grade so everyone in his class already knew each other. On the first day of school a girl named Abby introduced herself and they soon became close friends. Most of the time in school Lester was happy, but Abby and Lester were both bullied. This book explains the struggles of Lester and takes you deep into his life and his adventures through fifth grade. Superstar shows that you don’t have to be perfect and that teamwork helps you complete anything that gets in your way. You will love this book if you enjoyed wonder. They both talk about imperfections and friendships, and overcoming issues in their path of happiness
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews