Navigating Early

By the time I finished this book I realized it reminded me so much of Holes by Louis Sachar. Two boys, hardships, parallel stories, and reunions are some of the features they have in common. However, there is no playfulness in this story.

Jack Baker comes to the Morton Hill Academy for Boys after

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his mother dies. Since his father, a Navy captain, has to return to sea, so Jackie is brought here instead of other family. He meets Early Auden, a strange boy who doesn't attend many classes and lives in custodian rooms in the basement.

During a break from school the two boys back up a few supplies and steal a scull from the boathouse to explore up the Kennebec River. Along the way, Early relates stories about a boy named Pi and shows an unusual way of understanding the irrational number, pi. Oddly enough, some of the events in the stories parallel what they encounter on their trip and Jackie and the reader are curious how this can be.

This story started off a little slow but gathered momentum with the rowing. The reader becomes invested in their story and safety along the way.

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We are all on a quest. It is 1945, Early Auden is searching for his brother, thought to have been killed in France in World War II. John (Jackie) Baker III, uprooted from his land-locked Kansas home and relocated to coastal Maine soon after his mother died of cancer, is searching for redemption

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because he wasn't at home when she died and he was supposed to take care of her in his father's absence.

Early and Jackie meet at the Morton Hill Academy boarding school. Jackie's first sight of Early is on the beach as Early is filling sandbags and piling them up. Early being a loner and Jackie being new to the school, it is an interesting fit.

When Jackie's Naval father can't make it to school to pick him up for Fall break, Jackie decides to accompany Early on a real quest, rather than be alone at school for a week. Interspersed with the journey is Early's fascination with Pi and the thought that numbers in this equation might disappear, thus introducing the possibility that it is a finite vs. infinite number. Early sees Pi as more than merely numbers. It has color and shape and texture and he has created a story based on his vision, much of which plays out on their journey.

Although I'm not a fan of the phrase 'coming of age', Clare Vanderpool has written a fascinating story about two boys and many other characters that learn the truth about themselves and their worlds. There's the ancient Mrs. Johannsen, waiting 50 years for her son to come home from the woods and the pirate MacScott carrying around his own burden. There is Gunnar, the woodsman, who has lost his way and his love because of one act. There is Jackie's father who has divorced himself from memories of his wife. And there is Early and Jackie, two of the most likeable characters you're likely to meet in a very long time.

Ms. Vanderpool's Ackowledgement explains the 'story behind the story' and is worth reading.

The words. The story. The characters. I wouldn't change a word of Clare Vanderpool's Navigating Early. It is certainly in contention for one of the 10 Best Books of 2013..and it's still 'early' in the year...pun intended.

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Ages 10 and up. A modern day fairy tale set in Maine on the Appalachian TRail Jack Backer is transplanted from his home in Kansas to a boarding school in Maine. He develops a friendship with Early Auden a strange boy who unders Pi.

I'm so glad that I read this book. It is a sweet and lovely story of Early Auden (that strangest of boys) and Jack Baker (the son of a WWII naval captain), as they go on a quest right after the end of World War II. They are each searching for different things. In our time, Early would be called an

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autistic savant. He was obsessed with the number pi - the numbers told him a story of a boy named Pi. The story of Pi is interwoven with the story of the boys. It sounds confusing, but it is woven together seamlessly. The boys have many adventures that mirror the adventures of Pi. This book is moving and uplifting. I didn't quite want to hug the book when I was done, but it was close.

Areas of concern: No language, no sexual situations. Wilderness adventures that talk of a man who lost an eye in a fight with a bear, and another man who was burned and scarred. A boy gets shot and killed.

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Navigating Early is an amazing tale of self awareness. This is the second book I've read by Clare Vanderpool and she hasn't disappointed me yet. The story takes place at a boarding school in Maine where Jack Baker has been sent after his mother's death. Jack who is from Kansas has trouble fitting

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in with his more nautical classmates and is quite lonely at school. He meets Early Auden in one of his classes and the two strike up a friendship. Early is a mathematical genius who can compute difficult math problems in his head and who views the number pi as a story. If this book took place in 2013 rather than 1944 Early would have probably have been diagnosed as having some form of autism. Jack and Early embark on a journey along the Appalachian Trail which helps them learn more about themselves and each other. The writing is beautiful and the story well researched. This is one of my favorite books of 2013. I highly recommend this book to others!

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Seriously good but a very sophisticated read, contemplating adding this to Middle School library. This would be wonderful read aloud to year 6s later in the year.

Captivating story of two young boys on an adventure to find the great Appalachian Bear, timber snakes and one of the boys long lost brother. Had to put it down once you start.

Shortly after the end of World War II, Jack Baker meets Early Auden, a very strange boy. Transplanted from Kansas to a camp in Maine, together they go on a quest but are each searching for different things. Early is an autistic savant who is obsessed with the number pi and becomes more involved

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when he learns a story about a boy named Pi. The adventures of Jack and Auden are interwoven into the Story about Pi. Those familiar with Vanderpool's Newbery award winning title, Moon Over Manifest will enjoy the complexity of the relationship between boys and the intertwined stories. The author may be reflecting the need to tell a story about an increasing number of children who are considered "not typical" and how they fit in to our society. Vanderpool writes a complex, character driven story that will likely appeal to reader's of her earlier novel. This may be a bit slow going for some middle grade readers, but it may also challenge others.

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Jack's a little lost at the moment. After his mother died, Jack's father relocates them from Kansas to Maine and plunks Jack down in boarding school. Still reeling from his losses, Jack has trouble making friends until he gets to know a strange boy named Early Auden who believes that the number pi

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tells a story that will guide him to find his older brother (who was killed in the war). When a leading mathematician predicts that the number pi will eventually end, Early and Jack set out on a quest to "find Pi". Along the way they get caught up with pirates, meet a lovesick Norseman, hang out with a hundred-year-old lady, and chase down a bear.

It's hard for me to know what to think about this story, actually, because it was pretty odd. I enjoyed the audiobook, which is nicely voiced by narrator Robbie Daymond. The bits with Pi's story are narrated by Mark Bramhall in a fittingly austere manner, like grandpa's sitting down and telling you a story.

I guess I liked it? It's hard for me to think about who's the best audience for this book. It's definitely slower paced, a book you can sit down and sink into, but it is also an adventure story and a survival story.

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This book was fantastic and I have a hard time believing it's meant for junior readers. Thematically, it's compelling and complex and interweaves stories within stories.

Jack is uprooted from Kansas to a boarding school in Maine when his mother dies. While there he befriends another eighth grader

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the bewilderingly weird, Early, who convinces Jack that they need to go on a quest in the wilderness to find the great Appalachian Grizzly Bear and find Early's lost (ie dead in the war) brother. Jack and Early embark on an amazing quest that neither of them could have ever anticipated. Set during the end of World War II this book will move you. A truly fantastic journey of two young boys facing inner demons and harsh realities of a cruel world. An uplifting and inspiring read.

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After Jack Baker's mother dies, his military father uproots him from the Kansas town where he's lived all his life and places him in a boarding school in Maine. There, Jack almost unintentionally befriends Early Auden, a quirky outsider kid with a fixation on the number pi. When a visit with his

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father during a school holiday falls through, Jack sets off with Early on an epic quest to find a savage grizzly bear, Early's dead brother, and some missing digits from the calculation of pi (it's complicated).

I actually liked this book better than I thought I would. It has a lot going on -- it starts out as a historical fiction/boarding school story and morphs into a survival/adventure tale, and there's a mythic element scattered throughout as Early tells the story that he alone can read in the digits of pi. Perhaps because of the multiplicity of elements, the pacing is slow but steady. Mathematicians are not going to like the cavalier treatment pi gets in the story, though that element did not bother me all that much. Early is one of several kids in this year's crop of juvenile fiction who would probably fall on the autism spectrum if he were around today, and Jack over-uses the phrase "that strangest of boys" when describing him, which did get on my nerves a bit. I could also entertain arguments about how the pieces all fall together way too conveniently in the ending, though I bought it at the time -- only after reading did I start to think about some of the book's potential flaws. I think it's a book that's going to appeal to a particular sort of reader, one who enjoys a chewy sort of book that gives them a lot to think about, and takes a while to read.

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After his mother's death near the end of World War II, Jack's naval officer father sends him from the family home in Kansas to boarding school in Maine. There, Jack faces meeting new people and new situations, finding it difficult to fit in. Then he meets an unusual boy named Early, who has some

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very unusual and definite opinions. Jack joins Early on a quest in the Maine woods to locate Early's older brother, who was declared dead in the war.

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This is a 2014 Long Star selection. If you like Life of Pi, you’ll like this book although I would say the book is essentially realistic fiction.

Jack Baker is excited that WWII is winding down and his dad will be home soon. Before the happy homecoming can occur, Jack’s mom suddenly dies. When

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dad returns, he doesn’t really remember how to be a dad after being a soldier. He enrolls him in Morton Hill Academy in Cape Fealty, Maine. Moving from Kansas where all his friends are so soon after his mom dies makes life uncertain for Jack. One of the first people he sees is Early on the beach.

As Jack adjusts to his new life, he makes attempts to make friends but notices that Early is an anomaly. Early may be in class or he may not. He may leave in the middle of class if he disagrees with the teacher. No one says anything to him. Early is obsessed with Pi and has an entire story to go with the numbers. He decides that during holiday, he will go on an adventure to find Pi who is lost. Jack goes with him because he has nowhere else to go. It’s on their adventure that Jack learns to navigate Early to keep him safe and to find the truth about Early.

Once again, if you like Life of Pi type of stuff, you’ll like this novel. It’s clever, inventive, and well-written.

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This is a historical fiction/adventure story about a lonely boy and another boy who is seen as an outcast. It also involves the number "pi"!

Great chapter book for the older grades, and is great for kids with learning to be a good friend.

Everyone that reads my blog/reviews regularly knows that this is not the type of book I usually read. But I've been wanting to read more award winners, and though this book has not won an award yet, the author has won a Newbery for her other book. This was her second novel, and I found the blurb

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fascinating, so I went ahead and requested it for review. I'm always trying to review more middle-grade books too because most of the ones I have read I have adored.

This book was wonderful. It is written in a completely simple style with a voice that feels exactly like a pre-teen boy. It is fresh and new and original and everything I am always looking for in a book. If you have sons and daughters (but especially sons because I think this book will particularly resonate with them), PLEASE give them this book.

Early Auden was just such a special, special character. I can't tell you much about his quirks or his personality, not because it is a spoiler, but really because I think it is something best discovered by the reader. He is unusual, hilarious, and endearing. I completely fell for who he is and the person he grew to be. You want to believe with him and you want to trust that what he says will happen, but it is hard to have faith in a child that doesn't seem like he has any sense of direction. But sometimes, those are the best people to follow because they will make you see life in a new way that you had not noticed before.

I don't think that this is a book for everyone, and I think some readers are going to come out wondering what the point of it all was. But I think the main point is to never lose hope. Sometimes miracles can happen. And sometimes, when we are not strong enough, it is okay to let yourself be rescued by someone that loves you and still believes in your strength. Even when you fail. Relationships are important. Deep connections with people are important. The journey is more important than the end result sometimes.

Navigating Early is a historical novel that never really feels all that historical. So if you generally shy away from that genre, don't worry about that here. There are a couple of mentions of WWII, but this book is about the adventure, about the journey, and the two boys that are on it.

If I can complain about one thing, it's that I felt the ending was a little anti-climactic for me. What happened was a complete shocker for me. I totally didn't see it coming--in hindsight, I should have, but I didn't--and yet it left me feeling flat and not as emotional as I feel I should have felt. Like most books lately, it just failed to connect with me in the end. All the way through the novel I was totally there in the moment with the characters and flipping those pages like mad. But then I was let down a little. I totally would have given this 5 stars if I had felt differently. I really loved this book. I still do, I was just a little bummed.

But you know what? It is what it is. It's still an awesome read. My ratings have been really low this year, and I've been disappointed with a lot of the new releases that have come out. But this book was completely worth my time. The characters really opened my heart and the story made me see middle-grade in a new way. I think I need to read more books like this. And if the blurb interests you, definitely pick this one up.

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Navigating Early is a story about friendship and how sometimes you find friends in strange places. Jack has just lost his mom and his military father is sending him to a military boarding school in Maine. Jack is doing his best to fit into the school but he is adrift until a small unusual boy helps

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him with his rowing and sets him straight. Early Auden is presented as a mathematical savant who keeps to himself and decides to help Jack learn to crew. Jack is strangely attracted to Early and his story about Pi (the mathematical equation) who to Early is a person who exists and is lost. A bit like the Rain Man the two set out on an adventure in a canoe to find Pi and the Great Appalachian bear and themselves along the way. They meet some scary characters and the adventure has the potential several times to be very dangerous. The characters are wonderful and I fell in love with them just as quickly as I did in Clare Vanderpool's other book , Moon Over Manifest. They are quirky, they are human and they will win your heart!

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I loved this just as much as I loved her first one. Authors note at the end was great too. The characters were interesting and I loved watching their relationships grow and develop and how everything worked out.

I loved this just as much as I loved her first one. Authors note at the end was great too. The characters were interesting and I loved watching their relationships grow and develop and how everything worked out.

A boy named John moves to Main after his mother dies, he believes it is his fault when he meets another boy named Early. He becomes friends with the autistic boy. Early helps him when it comes to rowing, and the go on an adventure together. John remembers his sayings from his Mom, and Early tells

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him the story of Pi. They end up in the same position Pi was in during his expirences. Early believes if Pi is alive than his Brother is.

I believe this was a very good book, in fact the best book i've ever read. It was very interesting. I love the story of Pi inside the book. It is like two stories at once. I would highly reccomend someone else read this book. Again, I loved it.

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Ms. Vanderpool is one of my new favorite YA authors, managing to snag my loyalty despite the fact that the two books I have read by her are both historical fiction - not one of my favorite genres. But the history in this novel isn't the texture and feel but rather the setting for the real story

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which is that of grieving and friendship - two themes that are always timely. The relationship between Jack and Early is by turns funny and poignant. The adventure that they embark on seems fairly fantastical in 2015 but more likely in 1945.

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Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool is the story of the friendship that develops between the new boy from Kansas, Jack, and Early, the strange, outcast boy, at a Maine boy’s boarding school. Both boys are dealing with life’s darker side as Jack has recently lost his mother and Early; his

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brother who was lost at war. Today it would be known that Early is located on autism spectrum but this book is set in 1945, and Early is simply classed as “weird”. This YA story captures both the joy and magic of childhood along with the harder life lessons that are part of growing up.

The author explores the themes of friendship, loss and learning about oneself in this mythical adventure story. As Early isn’t convinced that his brother really died, he and Jack set out to the Appalachian Trail on a quest to find him and the Great Appalachian Bear. Thus the two boys embark upon an adventure that helps both of them come to terms with life and loss. I had a couple of small quibbles with the book, I didn’t find the lifestyle of Early entirely believable. I do not think any boy at a boarding school would be allowed to live such a separate life, coming and going as he pleased and attending classes when it suited him. Secondly, I thought the plot was little contrived and simple which kept me from totally buying into the story.

This is however a beautifully written story about children that are dealing with grief and loss. Each boy has dark issues but the support and care they get from each other helps them back on the path toward acceptance and maturity. The relationship between these two boys makes Navigating Early a rewarding read and I need to remember that this is a book targeted at children not grumpy old ladies.

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I enjoyed the book, but I don't think that it is one that I can successfully "sell" to my students.

I loved this just as much as I loved her first one. Authors note at the end was great too. The characters were interesting and I loved watching their relationships grow and develop and how everything worked out.