I really liked this book. I visited the library Saturday with my mom and my sister, and I didn’t even glance at the blurb before adding it to my growing pile of books. I’ve wanted to read it for quite some time, but never got it around to it when I went to the Barnes & Noble as it kept getting pushed further and further down my list. I can’t believe I ever let it get out of my mind for so long, either. I was very impressed, and I plan on getting another book by E.L. Konigsburg as soon as I can!

This story is about four souls: Noah (fact: he loves facts), Nadia (swears up and down her dog, Ginger, is a genius), Ethan (hates sharing a seat on the bus with someone), and Julian (who has an English accent even though technically he’s American.) Each of them has a story to be told, and a friend to share it with. One afternoon, Julian, who is the… oddest out of all of them, invites each soul to a tea party, which starts it all. Soon, their paraplegic teacher, Mrs. Olinski, invites them all to participate in the school’s academic fair, and before they know it, they’re practicing and studying daily for an adventure they’ll never forget.

It was sort of hard to to write this review, because I felt like the book was short and choppy. I would have liked for the author to have spent more time on each character’s individual thoughts and feelings; however, I loved reading about the teacher’s point of view and how she felt about her students. It was really sweet and the characters were very unique.

I do recommend this book, but more to younger readers. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have maybe a year or two ago, but I appreciated the classically-told tale a lot; it’s definitely a timeless read! 🙂