Every once in a while, Alli stumbles her way back to a book that tells her more than she ever could have expected about the kind of reader and writer she’s grown up to be… and The View from Saturday is one of them! On Episode 116, she and her guest take a close look at this 1996 middle grade novel by E.L. Konigsburg, which won the Newbery Medal in 1997.

Alli and Kate discuss the book’s multiple perspectives and framing device, share which of the four core characters they most relate to, talk about the magic of a story that’s about kindness and being seen, and chat about whether or not The View from Saturday should be adapted for the screen. They also talk about elements of the book that most certainly did not hold up very well — most glaringly, its tendency to other characters of color and the use of a noose as a recurring image in the story.

Kate Stayman-London is a novelist, screenwriter, and political strategist. One to Watch is her first book. Follow her on Instagram (@_ksl) and Twitter (@_ksl).

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