Boy Called Bat

Elana K. Arnold is the award-winning author of many books for children and teens, including the Sydney Taylor and National Jewish Book Award winner The Blood Years, the Printz Honor winner Damsel, the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of, and the Global Read Aloud selection A Boy Called Bat. She lives in Long Beach, California, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. You can find her online at elanakarnold.com.Charles Santoso loves drawing little things in his little journal and dreams about funny, wondrous stories. He moves around between different countries to live and work. Charles is always on the lookout for bookstores and cats whenever he explores a new place. He is the illustrator of several picture books, including Ida, Always, I Will Read to You, and Dear Unicorn. You can visit him at charlessantoso.com.

★ “This engaging and insightful story makes readers intimately aware of what Bat is thinking and how he perceives the events and people in his life. With empathy and humor, Arnold delves into Bat’s relationships with his divorced parents, older sister, teachers, and classmates.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Brimming with quietly tender moments, subtle humor, and authentically rendered family dynamics, Arnold’s story, the first in a new series, offers a nonprescriptive and deeply heartfelt glimpse into the life of a boy on the autism spectrum.” — ALA Booklist“Comfortably familiar and quietly groundbreaking, this introduction to Bat should charm readers, who will likely look forward to more opportunities to explore life from Bat’s particular point of view.” — Kirkus Reviews“Delightful, endearing, and utterly relatable, Bat Tam is destined to be a dear and necessary friend for young readers. I adore him and his story.” — Anne Ursu, author of The Real Boy“A Boy Called Bat will help children understand autism and that everybody loves animals.” — Temple Grandin, author of Animals In Translation“A Boy Called Bat is sensitive, sweet, and super fun. I read this book with the biggest smile on my face.” — Corinne Duyvis, author of Otherbound"How I love this beguiling and big-hearted book! Every child will root for Bat as he navigates the challenges that come with friendship and change, not to mention skunk parenting. A tender and important tale that belongs on every bookshelf." — Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan