Bat and the End of Everything Blog Tour

*sigh* Endings. I don't like 'em.

I've always been teary over the last day of school at the end of the year.
I dread having to leave some place at the end of a trip.
I often struggle with goodbyes at the end of  a visit. (I'm getting better...with practice.)
I wish my favorite books would go on and on and on.

I just really don't like endings. Maybe it's the feeling of finality, or the void left by something that grew comfortable, or the uncertainty of what comes next. Maybe you relate?

I can't help but think that all these feelings are true for Bixby Alexander Tam--lovingly referred to as Bat--in Bat and the End of Everything. (I mean, consider that: the end of EVERYTHING?) The uncertainty of summer and all the change it brings are overwhelming to think about. As third grade ends, Bat will say goodbye to his teacher and Babycakes (the class pet) and wish Israel (his best and closest friend) a happy summer spent in Canada. And, perhaps the biggest anticipation of all is that Bat is quickly nearing the day when he'll have to return his temporary pet skunk Thor to the wild.

How will Bat part with Thor?

How will we part with Bat?

Bat and the End of Everything wraps up this chapter book trilogy in a way that assures the end can turn out to be ok. Elana K. Arnold continues to craft Bat's story in a way that illustrates the complexities of processing natural, big, mixed up emotions that come with change and transitions--both those that are anticipated and some that come by surprise--while still maintaining humor and sincerity in her portrayal of Bat's reality. Bat builds trust that even through uncertainty, the presence and support of loved ones can steady those feelings and help Bat (and our readers...and us) bravely face what's next.

Bat and the End of Everything is a satisfying end to readers' journey with Bat. What a gift Elana K. Arnold has given readers with Bat's story and friendship.


Summary, from Walden Pond Press:

Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat) has been the caretaker for Thor, the best skunk kit int he world...but the last day of third grade is quickly approaching, and Thor is almost ready to be released into the wild. The end of school also means that Bat has to say good-bye to his favorite teacher, and he worries about the summer care of Babycakes, their adorable class pet. Not only that, but his best friend is leaving for a long vacation in Candad. Summer promises good things, too, like working with his mom at the vet clinic and hanging out with his sister, Janie, but Bat can’t help but feel that everything is coming to an end. National Book Award finalist Elana K. Arnold returns with the third story starring an unforgettable boy on the autism spectrum.

BAT AND THE END OF EVERYTHING

By Elana K. Arnold

Published by Walden Pond Press, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN: 9780062798442

About the Author:
Elana K. Arnold grew up in Southern California, where she was lucky enough to have her own perfect pet—a gorgeous mare named Rainbow—and a family who let her read as many books as she wanted. She is the author of picture books, middle grade novels, and books for teens, including Damsel a Michael Printz Honor Book, and What Girls are Made of, a finalist for the National Book Award. She lives in Huntington Beach, California, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. You can find her online at www.elanakarnold.com

Visit more stops on the Bat and the End of Everything Blog Tour:

March 26             Nerdy Book Club @nerdybookclub

March 27             Kirsti Call @kirsticall

March 30             Read Now Sleep Later @frootjoos

April 1                   Bluestocking Thinking @bluesockgirl

April 2                   The Book Monsters @thebookmonster

April 3                   Educate*Empower*Inspire…Teach @melissaguerrette

April 4                   Librarian’s Quest @loveofxena

April 5                   Novel Novice  @novelnovice

                               Unleashing Readers @unleashreaders

                               Lit Coach Lou @litcoachlou

Bat and the Waiting Game Blog Tour

I love the idea that readers make friendships with characters they meet in the books they read. Sometimes when I read a book, I meet a character who I think would enrich the lives of all of my students.

I think all of our readers should be friends with Bat.

Bat is Bixby Alexander Tam, a charming, animal-loving, younger brother and friend in Elana K. Arnold's chapter book series with Walden Pond Press. In the first book, A Boy Called Bat, readers meet Bat and learn about his family including an older sister (Janie), his veterinarian mother, and his dad, at whose house he spends Every-Other Weekend. Readers experience Bat's love for all animals as he begs to keep and care for a bitty skunk kit, and his determination to arm himself with research and deep knowledge of this new skunk by seeking out expert advice.

In the newest release, Bat and the Waiting Game, Bat is back (and Thor, too!). Janie gets a part in the school play that involves daily after-school rehearsals which necessitates change in Bat's after-school plans, too. These changes mean spending more time with new people and new places and new situations which can be tricky to figure out.

The things I love most about Bat and the Waiting Game can be summed up in three words:

Character, Perspective, and Heart.

Character. Bat is such a likable character. His adoration of Thor, the skunk kit, is so sweet. What's not to love about his enthusiasm about growing a garden of vegetables for Thor to eat and his desire to involve his classmates in the project, too? Even Bat's blunt and honest take on things (like Janie's obsession with the play) contribute to making him an endearing character. And, as the narrator of his own story, Bat's feelings are transparent to the reader, making him both engaging and relatable.

Perspective. Bat is a character on the autism spectrum, and Arnold beautifully portrays Bat's personality and preferences. Without making autism be the focal point of the book, Bat's point of view provides us this lens through which we read and "see" the world differently: his classroom, the baseball field, someone else's house, a sleepover. Bat's story is fertile ground for building empathy and understanding.

Heart: The relationships between the characters in Arnold's writing emanate love. The care Bat's parents have for him pulses off the page in scenes where his closest adults help him process hard feelings. The portrayal of love between Bat and Janie, even in the most trying of times (What happens when a skunk shows up to a school play?) is big and honest. It is heartwarming to be privy to the development of Bat's friendship with Israel as he works out kinks and misunderstandings. Heaping examples of love and compassion radiate in this book, and can't we all stand to grow more loving and compassionate?

Bat and the Waiting Game publishes from Walden Pond Press on March 27, 2018. Gift your readers a friendship with Bat.

Walden Pond Press has generously offered to giveaway a copy of Bat and the Waiting Game to one lucky blog reader.  Use this form to enter! 

(Giveaway will end at midnight EST on March 27, 2018.)

Congratulations, Susan Dee!

About Elana K. Arnold:

Elana K. Arnold grew up in California, where she, like Bat, was lucky enough to have her own perfect pet — a gorgeous mare named Rainbow — and a family who let her read as many books as she wanted. She is the author of picture books, middle grade novels, and books for teens, including the National Book Award finalist title What Girls Are Made Of. Elana lives in Huntington Beach, California, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. She calls the “Bat” series for Walden Pond Press “books of her heart.” You can find her online at www.elanakarnold.com.

And, for more good stuff about Bat and the Waiting Game, be sure to download the Educator's Resource for Bat and the Waiting Game from Walden Pond Press. You can also visit these other stops on the blog tour for more reviews and chances to win:

3/12 For Those About to Mock, @abouttomock Sam Eddington

3/15 Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook @knott_michele Michele Knott

3/15 @iowaamber Amber Kuehler

3/16 The Hiding Spot @thehidingspot Sara Grochowski

3/18 Educate*Empower*Inspire…Teach @guerrette79 Melissa Guerrette

3/19 Maria’s Melange @mariaselke Maria Selke

3/20 Nerdy Book Club post by Elana

3/20 Writers Rumpus @kirsticall Kirsti Call

3/22 Bluestocking Thinking @bluesockgirl Nicole Levesque

3/28 Unleashing Readers @unleashreaders Kellee Moye

If you haven't already, get caught up on the first
Bat book, now available in paperback!

What Happens at the Campground...

...becomes rich story material for Maine author Tamra Wight's Cooper and Packrat series. 

Today marks the release of Mystery of the Bear Cub, Book 4 in the series.

The ecological mystery-adventure series, published by Islandport Press and illustrated by Carl DiRocco, features Cooper Wilder and his family who own Wilder Family Campground. In each book, Cooper's campground responsibilities or his love for exploration and geocaching lead him to a moral conflict wrapped up in a mystery to be solved. In Mystery at Pine Lake (Book 1), the friends are on a mission to identify the person responsible for harming the loons' nest on the lake. Cooper and his friends find evidence of poaching in Mystery of the Eagle's Nest (Book 2). Mystery of the Missing Fox (Book 3) has the growing group--alert to trapping--coming to the rescue of the stolen fox kit.

In writing the Cooper and Packrat series, Tamra draws on the experiences of her family-owned campground, Poland Spring Campground. Her own wonders and curiosities about the wildlife in her backyard and the campers who visit the campground provide her with plenty of realistic inspiration to write her fictional stories.

Life at the Wilder Family Campground becomes a real mess in Book 4 when the town makes a shift towards recycling more waste at Cooper's recommendation. Cooper's inspired and eco-friendly idea comes with unanticipated challenges for the campground and other small businesses in the area. Before long, someone is dumping trash illegally in the area around the campground and trouble arises with foraging bears. Cooper's sense of responsibility to solve this problem kicks into high-gear, and he and his friends resolve to make things right: for the town, for the campground, and for the bears.

For my readers and me, "Wilder Family Campground" is a particularly familiar setting. Last year, when our summer program featured academic programming to support the part of the curriculum about state history, we read Mystery of the Eagle's Nest. In a truly special and unique arrangement, Tamra hosted our group for an author visit at Poland Spring Campground down the road (literally) from where we read and grow and learn every day. Tamra took time away from writing and serving campers to treat our readers to a tour of the campground, and in an instant, the Cooper and Packrat books came to life. We hiked the trails of the campground, looked out at the campground's own eagle's nest (and strained to try to see evidence of eaglets), and heard Tamra present about writing, wildlife photography, and the research involved in writing the series. The students settled in for lunch in the fire ring and a read aloud with the author herself. The experience of stepping inside the setting of a series the students love is one they still talk about and has made them eager to continue reading.

There is a spot in our classroom library ready and waiting for my copy of Mystery of the Bear Cub, but I know it will likely be empty a while longer because my readers will be anxious to get their hands on this next adventure. And with big ideas and tough questions for them to grapple with alongside Cooper and Packrat, I'm anxious for them to read on, too.

I'm anxious for you to meet Cooper and Packrat and read Mystery of the Bear Cub, also, so I'm giving away a signed copy of one of Tamra Wight's Cooper and Packrat books. To win, comment on this post and include the title of the book you would most like to have and an email/Twitter handle where I can contact you. I will randomly select a winner the day before Tamra's book launch event on October 18 and will have your book signed to whomever you choose. Happy Reading!