A Boy Called Bat audiobook

Really well done story about an autistic boy. We've got supportive family and teachers, a main character who isn't punished or mocked by the narrative for doing things differently, an acknowledgement that it can be difficult for people to communicate with someone who's mind works differently, and it isn't ABOUT autism. It's just a story about discovering what you want and proving you can go after it, about working things out with family and making friends. On a personal note, it was pretty painful to read the first probably third of the book, as I kept cringing at how oblivious the main character was to social cues. He isn't botching cues, he's missing them entirely. And then I remembered how aware I was of subtext at that age, and realized "oh man that's pretty close to me". I've really worked hard to be aware of subtext and the things that are hinted at, and that can sometimes translate into me screaming at myself internally about all the things that are going wrong, sure that everyone will be mad at me if I mess it up. But that didn't happen in this book. He "messed things up" under my metric, and things worked out. That was remarkably soothing. PLUS THE EYE CONTACT THING. So a classic victory condition of books about autistic characters is that they learn to make eye contact. They learn to make real human connection through eye contact. And in this book, not only is Bat not punished for not being into eye contact, he tries it out with a new friend and decides it isn't for him. His friend's eyes are nice to look at, but he's not reading anything special from them, in terms of learning who the person is or making "real human connection". Instead he looks at his friend's hands and how he uses them, and learns from that. That is a.) far more accurate to how I read people's character and moods than their eyes, b.) something I have never seen in a book before. The acknowledgement that the magic eye contact "read a person's soul in their eyes" doesn't work for you, BUT that doesn't mean that you can't read a person's soul through other means. That was pretty awesome.

This was so cute and sweet. Bat is really precious, and the representation of him as an autistic character just felt tremendously thoughtful to me. I don't know if I feel comfortable calling myself an own-voice reviewer for this story because I don't know if I am or not. I was a kid in a time and an area where autism diagnoses weren't handed out except for in certain very specific situations, and then I just never thought about it much until I reached adulthood. Now, at 27, I talk to autistic friends and I read articles and tweet threads about life as an autistic person and I'm amazed by how strongly I relate to them... but I don't have a diagnosis, and I don't know how to ask for one at this age, honestly. So take this with however large a grain of salt you deem necessary when I say that I saw a lot of myself in Bat, and it made me realize we really, really need more autistic main characters painted in a loving and positive light like this, because I would've felt much less alone as a child if I'd had this story. Rambling aside, A Boy Called Bat is also a really humorous, light, sweet story about a little boy and his baby skunk, and I had so much fun reading it. I know I'll be recommending it to anyone and everyone who will listen.

My 10 year old daughter had to read this book in school. She had to read a chapter to me and I had to read a chapter to her. Its was time well spent reading a book with my girl.

We LOVED!

A must read! A great read aloud! Uplifting!

Our students have been eagerly reading A Boy Called Bat, drawn in by the adorable cover. Many students relate to the bond that Bat feels for the baby skunk, but it is about much more.I love how this quiet book shows how a pet can help children form relationships, take responsibility and feel a sense of empathy. Even more so, I love how it shares the story of an autistic boy whose neurodiversity is just part of who he is.

From the moment I started listening to the audiobook, to the moment it finished…I loved Bat. This middle-grade book will make you smile, laugh and feel pangs of joy all the way through. It’s a lovely book.

so innocent and full of character for the young ones. now i get it why my 10 y/o brother loved this book.

Short review, I am still unsure how to write one for this book. It was good, and I could relate to quite a few things that our MC with autism had. It is quite a first, generally I don't relate so much when I read a book about autism, but Bat was truly written well. However I didn't like how he kept pushing for the skunk. I get that he wants to keep the critter, but it is a wild animal, it should go out in the wild. Not stay in some crammed house. He was obsessed. And that is just not healthy.I was sad for his sister though, it isn't easy to have a brother with autism, and you can see that at times she has a tough time.

I loved this book! As a teacher, I would love to share this one with my students to discuss how autism might look/sound/feel, and to talk about the challenges Bat faced to make friendships and navigate his family life. Very, very cute!

What a cute book. Seriously. This was a great refresher after reading some morbid style books, haha. Bat was such a great, relatable character. The author did a fantastic job at an accurate portrayal of autism..A Boy Called Bat is a lighthearted, sweet story about a young boy with autism and his pet skunk. How fun is that? A pet skunk.. I'm jealous. I literally found myself smiling at this book as I read it, and that's no easy feat. I can't wait for my son to read this next.

This book would be an excellent read aloud in elementary classrooms. The character Bat could teach so many children what autism looks/feels like and would be a great way for our autistic students to see themselves in the literature that we share. As a mom of an animal loving 3rd grader this also hits the sweet spot for those kids. For my middle school students, this is another book to teach us about our diverse learning community. ❤️