{ "item_title" : "Superstar", "item_author" : [" Mandy Davis "], "item_description" : "A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the YearLester'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 school: 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 WarsI LOVE LESTER. --Linda Urban, author of Milo Speck, Accidental Agent and A Crooked Kind of Perfect", "item_img_path" : "https://covers2.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/0/06/237/777/0062377779_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "16.99", "online_price" : "16.99", "our_price" : "16.99", "club_price" : "16.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

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Prepare for liftoff

An autistic student discovers his hidden abilities in Mandy Davis’ powerful debut.

Ten-year-old Lester Musselbaum is not happy about attending public school after his mom gets a library job and can no longer home-school him. School is filled with plenty of unnerving situations, including Ricky the classroom bully. To his advantage, Lester is good at science, especially aerodynamics, but Lester’s interest in this field makes his mom uncomfortable, having lost her husband to a rocket explosion five years before. She worries that Lester will follow in his father’s footsteps.

When Lester enters the school’s science fair and wins, the achievement only exacerbates Ricky’s bullying. And when a classmate offers Lester a piece of advice to remedy the intimidation, it turns out that following through with his friend’s counsel is easier said than done.

Lester’s narration provides a view into the world of an intelligent boy with qualities of autism spectrum disorder. He’s an underdog determined to find a way, even when it doesn’t seem possible. With a constantly moving plot that unfolds in short chapters, engaging dialogue and a well-defined cast, Superstar is an inimitable story bound to become an award-winning favorite.

This article was originally published in the July 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.