Sweet middle grade book about how looking at things from a different perspective not only helps others but yourself as well. I really enjoyed this story and I think it teaches a beautiful lesson. Keep looking for those rare birds! ( )

April volunteers to help be a bench buddy at lunch time to avoid the social problems of 6th grade. What she's not counting on though, is becoming so intrigued by a 4th grade boy named Joey Byrd. Joey is always by himself, and usually dragging his feet in the sand on the playground. April tries to engage Joey in conversation, and stands up for him when bullies tease him. But patience and persistence win out and eventually, April finds out there's a lot more than meets the eye to this boy who sees things so much differently than anyone else. grades 4-6 ( )

What a wonderful story! A great book for tweens about accepting others as they are, reminding us all to see things from a new perspective, to look up, to be kind, and to pay attention to the "rare birds." Pair this with "Wonder" by Palacio. Excellent middle grade read. Also would lend itself to so many art extension activities. Just a sweet sweet story. ( )

Lauren B recommended

Sixth-grader April volunteers in the Buddy Bench program during fourth-grade recess - partly so she can avoid having lunch with her class, since her former friend Julie is hanging out with other girls now. Fifth-grade Veena, originally from India, is also a Buddy, and together, April and Veena observe fourth-grader Joey Byrd, whose strange behavior is either ridiculed or ignored. April thinks he might have autism, a theory she shares with the guidance counselor, but it's the janitor, Mr. Ulysses, who helps April and Veena figure out what Joey is doing on the playground at recess - by giving them access to the roof. From above, they see Joey's spirals and other designs, and though they try to keep their discovery secret, it gets out. Joey is briefly famous, and agrees to make an artwork in chalk at the high school homecoming game, but April is afraid for him: Will the pressure and the crowds and the lights be overwhelming for him (as they would be for her)? Will he draw a tiger, like he's supposed to, or will he draw his favorite bird, an eagle...which happens to be the rivals' mascot? The final section is related by April years later, as a high school senior.

See also: Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy, Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, Rules by Cynthia Lord

Quotes

Sometimes I wished I was better at seeing the drawbacks of my own ideas before I tried them. (10)

Speaking up could be dangerous....To speak or not to speak? (17)

Did friends like that even exist? (44)

Joey had learned that hiding his problem was better than pointing it out. (50)

"Sometimes one question leads to another, doesn't it?" (Mr. Ulysses, 92)

"...people often see only what they expect to see. If they don't expect much, they don't see much." (Mr. Ulysses, 99)

I wanted to be somewhere else. And older. (131)

Why had I gotten so upset with Joey? Was it because he couldn't see things the way everyone else did?
Or was it because I couldn't see things the way he did? (181)

...it felt like we were all changing. It wasn't just Julie and her friends. It was me too. Our outlines kept moving and changing every day - and there was no telling who we would eventually become. (191)

"...you're the kind of person who isn't afraid of the mysteries and questions in life. You seek out what is unfamiliar and different. And you don't quit until you find the answers." (Mr. Ulysses, 235) ( )