Navigating Early

Hey, let's just give Clare Vanderpool an automatic Newbery award for each book she writes!!! She has definitely got a "gift" when it comes to story telling.I was skeptical about whether or not she could find another tale as great as Moon Over Manifest in her arsenal of words...not to worry, she did! Navigating Early is compelling, mysterious, and completely endearing.

Navigating Early was read by my 12 year old grandson and he told me I would like it too. He loved the book and because I read a lot, he thought I might enjoy it also. He was so right. It is such a warm and touching story about growing up and learning about life and how we all view life differently but also so much alike. It is a great read for any age. It was required reading for him at school and I can see why. It is full of such good moral lessons. Loved it!

What an amazing, very unique, yet poignant story. It revolves around Jack Baker and Early Auden, two boys at a boarding school in Maine at the end of World War II. Jack is a transplant from Kansas, having moved to the school after the death of his mother, while his dad serves in the Navy. Early is classified as strange, although in today's world he would probably be diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. The boys are hooked together through a variety of circumstances and go on a quest along the Appalachian Trail. Their journey involves Early's story of the number pi and finding what is lost. Pirates, lost souls, a great black bear and star navigating are among what they encounter and discover.

This truly is a story of forgiveness and finding those who are lost while trying to find yourself in the process. It is also a story of true friendship. What it means to be a friend and also accept the friendship of someone else. And finally it is a story of the connection we all have to each other, connecting the dots - just as navigators do when using the stars as their guide.

I would like to thank Random House for the arc I received from them.

Navigating Early was read by my 12 year old grandson and he told me I would like it too. He loved the book and because I read a lot, he thought I might enjoy it also. He was so right. It is such a warm and touching story about growing up and learning about life and how we all view life differently but also so much alike. It is a great read for any age. It was required reading for him at school and I can see why. It is full of such good moral lessons. Loved it!

What an amazing, very unique, yet poignant story. It revolves around Jack Baker and Early Auden, two boys at a boarding school in Maine at the end of World War II. Jack is a transplant from Kansas, having moved to the school after the death of his mother, while his dad serves in the Navy. Early is classified as strange, although in today's world he would probably be diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. The boys are hooked together through a variety of circumstances and go on a quest along the Appalachian Trail. Their journey involves Early's story of the number pi and finding what is lost. Pirates, lost souls, a great black bear and star navigating are among what they encounter and discover.

This truly is a story of forgiveness and finding those who are lost while trying to find yourself in the process. It is also a story of true friendship. What it means to be a friend and also accept the friendship of someone else. And finally it is a story of the connection we all have to each other, connecting the dots - just as navigators do when using the stars as their guide.

I would like to thank Random House for the arc I received from them.

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was first brought to my attention by some Waiting on Wednesday posts and I was captured by the description of young Jack forced to move from Kansas to Maine after the death of his mother and enrolled in a boy's boarding school. There he meets the strange Early Auden and as events transpire, they end up in the forest for some time searching for something. It doesn't seem like a Stephanie book (where are the girls for one thing) but it struck me. I am very pleased to have read this!

I liked so many elements of this book. First I loved the main character Jack, struggling in this new world without his mother and with his distant military father at a distance even when they're in the same room. I also loved Early, who would probably be diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in our world but not in his. His interests are varied including knowing the number pi to many digits, music beyond the typical kid's interest, and the zoology of Maine, for example. He is also suffering from the death of his idolized older brother who he believes is still alive. It is this quest to find Early's older brother that sends the boys into the woods.

Once there, multiple plot threads are opened and then skillfully brought back together at the end. It reminded me of Liesl and Po and thus feels like a characteristic of my favorite middle-grade titles. I felt so satisfied seeing how x fit with y in the context of the larger story. I also loved the themes about family and healing as both Jack and Early end in better places in regards to their family. Just tremendously satisfying!

Meanwhile I had mixed feelings about the historical setting. It takes place just at the end of World War II with the threat of war still hanging over everyone. The world had not moved on. However it doesn't feel very historical to me. I think this is partly because much of the book takes place in the woods as well as referencing other even older time periods.

Ultimately though it was what I didn't like that dragged down my rating and slowed my enjoyment of this book. See, every few chapters Early tells more of the story of pi. We switch perspectives, including using a new font, to follow his narration of Pi as a person. The themes here coincide and reinforce the themes of the book. However as I was so enchanted with the novel proper, I found it intrusive and annoying. I dreaded flipping the page and seeing more of that story. Each chapter is pretty short but still.

Overall: I am so glad I took a chance on this book outside my typical read as I was well-rewarded. It was a delightful experience and further solidified my desire to read more middle-grade titles this year as the quality is just so high.

Navigating Early
(c) 2013
by Clare Vanderpool

My rating: 4.5 stars

SUMMARY: Jack and Early, two middle-school boys at a boarding school in Maine, struggle with the realities of life during World War II. Jack recently lost his mother and his father is in the military. Early is autistic savant who sees stories in numbers—particularly a never-ending story in the never-ending number, pi. During a school holiday, they leave school and set out on a quest on the Appalachian Trail. But this quest will become personal in more ways than they could imagine. They’ll meet a lot of people—some friendly, some not—and learn that all are lost in some way, that each struggle with their own personal issues, and that all are part of the story of Pi. And, along the way, they just might find themselves and their place in this world.

MY THOUGHTS: Navigating Early is a story (Jack & Early) within a story (pi). Or is it the other way ‘round? I enjoyed the mysteries within mysteries and the almost fantasy-feeling of some parts of the story. Was it coincidence or was more going on here than meets the eye? We may never know. And, along the way, I learned about gifted autistic children and some history on the number pi. Definitely not your average middle-grade novel!

I enjoyed Navigating Early more than I expected. It’s one of those novels that can speak to older as well as young adults. I do think it would be better understood by high school students than middle-grade students. The novel contains some deep thoughts.

Navigating Early contains some great quotes that will give older students and adults food for thought. Here’s an example of one. Jack recalls an incident earlier in his childhood. Before the day of a big soapbox derby, Jack left his car out in the rain and it is ruined. His father told him, “...you made your bed, now you’ll have to lie in it.” His mother, however, tells him, “Yes, you made your bed, but for heaven's sake, don't just lie in it! Jackie, if you don't like the bed you're in, take it apart and make it right.” Younger students might just fly by that statement, but adults and older students might sit and think what great advice his mother gave.

I definitely recommend this award-winning novel! Homeschooling families and teachers desiring to use it in an educational setting should note that the author has a free guide for educators on her website.

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This review reflects my honest thoughts and opinions on the book, and I received no compensation for this review.

If you read and loved Vanderpool's heartwarming debut and Newberry Medal Winning Moon Over Manifest and are hoping to find the same depth of humanity in her sophomore novel, Navigating Early, you are in luck. In fact, my greatest criticism about Navigating Early is that it's too thematically similar to Moon Over Manifest, so let me get that gripe out of the way before I can dive into why Navigating Early is such a wonderful read.

Both books involve children who are displaced-they have left what homes they knew to take up residence in a new and strange local. Both must learn to navigate their new environments as the new kid. Both have essentially lost their mothers, and both have a strong and wounding disconnect with their fathers. Both stories rely heavily on the power of coincidence or, as Jack's mother would say, "There are no coincidences. Just miracles by the boatload." Both books utilize the technique of stories within stories in order to tell their tale. In fact, Moon Over Manifest and Navigating Early were arranged so similarly that it made it impossible for me to be swept away and fall in love with this new book the way that I was when listening to Moon. I sincerely wonder if there had been more time in between my reading of the two, or if I had read Navigating Early first, which I would prefer. Perhaps Clare Vanderpool will fall into my list of authors who write the same sort of book over and over, but do it so well I love them regardless (this list being headed by John Green, of course).

My only final complaint is that those double meaning titles (you know the ones, like Saving Grace, Shattered Glass, that sort of thing) make me gag instinctively-it's like something I would have named a book for a writing contest in 7th grade knowing the judges would all think `Oh! She's so clever.' And then tear up and promptly award me a blue ribbon. Yuck. But regardless, Navigating Early boasts one of my absolute favorite covers of 2013 thus far-I mean look at that water and fog!-so I'd still hang a giant poster of it on my wall.

The first 1/3-1/2 of Navigating Early slogs by at a fairly slow pace, but in a way that is necessary to set up for the remaining journey of the book. As a child of a landlocked state, I felt Jack's complete nausea upon seeing the ocean, and as someone who for inexplicable reasons joined the crew team at University, I really pitied Jack's first experiences in a boat attempting to navigate a language and motions that seemed ingrained in others, but to him were completely foreign. Jack is only 13, but he's already learned some of the harsher lessons in life. He knows that nothing lasts forever, and envies those who have yet to see this. When his mother dies, his father returns from years at war to sweep her memory aside and drop his son at a boarding school hundreds of miles away from everything and everyone he knows, without even his remaining parent to comfort him.

Early has what we today would identify as Asperger's syndrome, a high functioning form of Autism, though in 1945 he is identified only as strange. In addition, he is a savant with an instinctual understanding and interpretation of math that blurs into synesthesia. Early sees Pi as more than a number-he sees a story, and Jack is the one boy willing to ask Early the all-important question: "Who is Pi?"

As Early reveals the story of Pi to Jack, the boys begin to mirror Pi's journey in their search for the Great Appalachian Bear and Early's brother. Jack begins to anticipate where the lines between reality and story will blur, questioning his own sanity as Early's tale seems less and less crazy.

Navigating Early is a wonderful story of friendship and finding one's bearings. Throughout so much of this story Jack feels lost, almost stymied by the possibilities before him. Early, on the other hand, maintains his direction. He knows who he is and where he is going, and he helps Jack to do the same-at least enough so that when he himself feels lost, Jack will be there to put Early back on track. In some ways, Vanderpool's sophomore novel is stronger than her debut. She is more sure of herself as she constructs her adventures, more subtle in her connections, and more powerful in developing her characters. This is the nuance I love to see in Middle Grade. Vanderpool doesn't write down to kids, she writes with introspection as one of them, imparting lessons with actions that could do all of us readers some good.

Midway Review/Book Update: I have withheld so far of doing a Book Update for Navigating Early solely because this story is too deep and complicated to take it all in from the start. You have to let the beauty soak in and just sit, touched by the meaningfulness. I'm halfway through and I've decided it's a good time to do an update, now that Gunnar's character has been introduced. I love how the author uses characters (such as Gunnar and Early) to put in powerful messages and am intrigued to see how Pi's story will follow Early's.... and how Early's will follow Jack's. I love everything about this book and the beautiful messages and, without a doubt, would recommend to everyone, even though I haven't even finished it yet. :)

Update (after finished the whole book):
Thoughts: This is truly an incredible story. I don't even know where to begin. I literally spent my entire time to read at school writing about this amazing feat of writing. Not to say that it's entirely perfect, but it's imperfections help build this story to what it is.
The writing - THE WRITING! This, along with the characters, was the best aspect of this book. It was written so poetically, so eloquently, so metaphorically that my head was swimming with Vanderpool's mesmerizing language. And her ability to do it so flawlessly is incredible, so. The author just eases these unbelievable messages and metaphors into the story, and then it just hits you how perfect it was for that moment, and how it just shows the characters so deeply. I also loved how Vanderpool used characters to help portray these messages to the main character, Jack, such as with Gunnar (another incredible feat of writing :). Gunnar is a woodsmen in the woods of Maine, alone, when Jack and Early stumble upon him, and in their short time together, each character learns so much about themselves... and each other. For example, Gunnar tells Jack and Early that: "I once hear a poem about angling. It says that when you angle, it is like casting your worries down the river. I keep casting." I don't think I have to explain the beauty behind those simple lines for you to understand my meaning.
And even in the flawlessness of the poetic writing, Vanderpool still adds in interesting quirks, such as Early and his theory about Pi, the number and also a character in Early's imagination. At first, I didn't think much of it, but Vanderpool just delves into Jack, Early, and even Pi's journey and then everything pieces together. I just loved how the characters seemed to follow Pi's unbelievable journey, which really helped make this story for me.
Let's see... writing - check. Characters- check. Story - check. There is so much more amazingness to this story (I'm running out of good adjectives!) that I couldn't possibly contain it all within one review, but I did my best. Now you just have have to read this incredible book to experience Jack, Early, and Pi's mesmerizing story. :)

The author writes about the adventure of two boys across Maine, each one carrying their own stories and personal traumas.
There is a lot of information that is put into the story that is simply forgotten and ignored after some pages, and the author leaver too many dots disconnected.
The story seems nonsense, the characters are shallow, and I couldn't relate to any of them.
I found the story a little pretentious, most of the time boring, and I had to put an extra effort to finish it, hoping that at the end there I would change my mind about it- I didn't.

I loved, loved , loved this book! It was so reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn. It's a sweet story about two boys trying to find their way through loss and back to living. They have just the right adventures and meet just the right people to help them through their journey. My favorite quote comes at the end of the story where the Jackie remembers his mom saying, "You have to look for the things that connect us all. Find the ways our paths cross, our lives intersect and our hearts collide." EVERTHING in life and EVERYONE in life happen so we can learn something from them. We are all learning and teachers simulataneously.

"Navigating Early," by Clare Vanderpool is similar to Ms. Vanderpool’s "Moon over Manifest," in that there's a story within a story. In "Navigating Early", there are several stories woven together. There’s the story that Early tells of the number “Pi’s” life and adventures—told like a fable. Then there’s the story of Early’s brother and what happened to him during and after the war. There’s also the story of a missing boy that Early and Jack find out about on their adventures. Then there are the stories of Jack’s life before he meets Early at their boarding school and Early’s life before Jack came, and their life together. All of these stories are narrated alternately by Jack, the main point of view in the story, and Early, when he tells “Pi’s” story.

"Navigating Early" is every bit as complex as "Moon over Manifest," and every bit as satisfying. It shows us again that Ms. Vanderpool is indeed a master storyteller, who can tell a story from a boy’s perspective, a girl’s perspective, and from older men and women’s points of view. This book is a story of loss, grief, abandonment, friendship, love and hope. The story carries you along on a practically unbelievable adventure, and yet when the author ties all the stories together, you sigh and say, well, of course. It couldn’t have been any other way.

If you haven’t read" Moon over Manifest" and "Navigating Early," you are missing great adventure, some mysteries, and several personal stories tied into our shared American history. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing about how great or perfect I think some authors are, but Ms. Vanderpool is clearly one of them and deserving of the Newbery honors and awards she’s received. Recommended for Middle Grade, Young Adults, as well as adults who want to read a well-crafted story.

Navigating Early is based on two boys dealing with a sense of loss and loneliness and trying to find their way. Written by Clare Vanderpool, this story takes place at the end of World War II. Jackie and Early, two outsiders at their boarding school in Maine form a friendship that sets them on a quest. Early, having an odd way of thinking, sees the story of a young explorer through the number pi. Although the story has continuous action to hook you in, I feel like there isn’t much of a climax to leave you with a satisfying ending.

The story starts with Jackie(the main character)in front of the boarding school, Mortin Hill Academy, and his dad is beside him. After Jackie’s mother’s death, his dad,a captain returns to Kansas after World War II for her funeral. After the funeral, Jackie’s dad sends him to a boarding school. There at the boarding school, he meets Early. Jackie and Early, being the outsiders, make a friendship that will go through many hardships.

Early is searching for his brother who is believed to be dead after an armoured vehicle attacked his platoon. Early, having an odd way of thinking of the number pi sees a story of a young explorer that got lost through all those numbers. He believes that like Pi, his brother is lost and goes on a “quest” to find him. Jackie then meats Early and they happen to build an unusual friendship. Jackie joins Early on his quest as they go through many ups and downs. After the long thrilling adventure, Early finds his brother…….and his way.

The protagonists in the story are Jackie Baker and Early Auden. Both the protagonists are dealing with a heart break and a loss and work together to resolve their problems. Early Auden is dealing with his loss because of his missing brother, Fisher. His brother, a legend at his school for his athletics, was the reason for Early’s feelings. Early, not wanting to believe that Fisher was dead, thought that he was just lost like the explorer that Early sees through. Jackie, being able to feel empathetic towards Early, wanted to help him.

Jackie Baker can easily relate to Early’s feelings and sense of loss. Jackie’s mother, who died shortly after World War II, made him feel a sense of loss like Early. Jackie who then felt displaced because of his dad who left him at a boarding school after his mother had just died, felt like he had a home again when his dad came back to take him home. The same things happened with Early’s brother when Early found him and brought him home.

This book and its background is very similar to Moon Over Manifest. Both books have rich historical reference to them. For instance, Navigating Early is centered around the end of World War II and Moon Over Manifest is centered around Frontenac, Kansas. Not only were both books written by the same author, Clare Vanderpool, but both characters were dealing with a sense of loss.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed how it kept me hooked in and wanting to read on. It had plenty of adventure and exciting moments, but it also had emotional moments behind all the adventure. The part of the book I did not enjoy was the very beginning and the lack of action. A portion of the book is just Jackie in school really not doing much before he meets Early.

If I were the Author I would have improved this book by shortening the moments in between the adventure and added onto the action. This book isn’t like other books in a way that one of the main characters used one of his fictional stories to guide his adventure and the story overall. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend because of the action and emotions involved in the book. This book is also good for people who like books that have adventure and emotion.

I bought this book for the elementary school where I volunteer. I was mesmerized by the story of a boy (set during WWII) whose mom dies while his dad is overseas. The father returns, closes up the house in the mid-west and moves his son to a boarding school in the north-east close to the Army base where the father is now stationed.

The boy does not fit in. He feels alone and isolated. He discovers another boy, Early Fisher, who lives in a room in the basement. Early is a savant, strange, and he doesn't fit either. However, the two boys ended up together and Jackie joins Early on his quest to discover the fate of Pi (the equation which Early sees in colors and form--it has a story to tell). Pi's story and Early's intertwine. The boys learn much about life and have some difficult physical challenges to overcome during their quest.

The author asks the reader to consider questions such as: Is there mystery in life or just questions for which we have not discovered the answers; and, Do we only have responsibility for ourselves or do we have responsibility for others as well?

Values such as honesty and loyalty and true friendship are explored. The reconciliation between father and son at the end of the story is very touching. A good read with a lot of important lessons.

Wonderful coming of age tale about a young boy, Jack Baker, who has just lost his Mom. It's also a tale about the bonds of boyhood friendships. Jack comes from a military family. When his Mom dies, his Dad places him in Morton Hill Academy for boys. The academy is in Maine and Jack is from Kansas. Talk about a fish out of water; Jack is. Bereft and lonely, Jack makes few friends at first, but then he meets Early Auden. Early is a different sort of boy and stays to himself, attending only the classes he's interested in. The author writes as though she has the inside track on a boy's mind, and it's lovely. The narrative is simple and precise. During a school break both boys take off on the adventure of a lifetime. I love how Vanderpool introduces the story of Pi. Pi is a story that Early's tells, and through Pi, all the elements of magical realism come into play. This is an adventure story and a travelogue of two boys traveling up a river in Maine. Some of what happens stretches the imagination, but I think it's the perfect mix of reality and magic realism.

Skip this one. Read the book instead. I love audio books but nothing will spoil a story faster than having to listen to a bad reader. And the narrator, Robbie Daymond, is terrible. Listening to him read is like listening to a machine gun that can talk. I couldn't finish it.

In 1945, Jack Baker moves from Kansas to Maine following the death of his mother to be closer to the port out of which his father captains a ship. He attends a boarding school where he meets Early Auden..., "the strangest of boys". In math class, Jack hears of a new theory about Pi not being an infinite number. In particular, the theory states that the number 1 will stop appearing, and the other numbers will eventually also stop appearing. Early, who can see colors and shapes in numbers, relates a story to Jack about Pi and his adament belief that Pi (who is the number 1 in the 3.14) is only lost. During a week's break when Jack is disappointed by his father's inability to visit due to bad weather, Jack joins Early on a quest to find the black bear about which Early has been collecting newspaper articles. As the boys travel, by water and land, encountering some dangerous people and situations, it seems that their adventure parallels the story of Pi. This book, currently available in e-book and audiobook formats at Wright Library, is cleverly written and will appeal to those readers in grades 4-8 who enjoy adventure stories. The A.R level is 5.2, but more unskilled readers will enjoy listening to the captivating narration of this exciting tale. Performed by dual narrators, the story of the boys is narrated by a younger voice than the one who tells Pi's story, differentiating between the two tales. An authors' note at the end explains that Early most likely would be called autistic today, but that back in 1945 this was not a term used to describe someone with his unique skills. Consequently, the narrator successfully differentiates between Early and Jack by providing an altered cadence to Early's speech. Ending on a happy and hopeful ending, this book is highly recommended.

Quandary: I don't want to share anything about the story because I don't want to give anything away. Yet I want the share the story because it is one of those very rare books that I feel compelled to share. This isn't an action packed thriller, and yet it's also not a deep thinker book. It creeps up on you. You think you understand what the writer is doing, but it catches you by surprise and you are glad to witness these poignant relationships. I encourage you to listen (I chose the audio version) and see where friendships and quests can lead. check it out from the library in audio version. I like how it made me look at characters and see poignant truths in their stories. And how at the end everyone is able to see how their own stories made sense. I won't say anymore, just give it a chance and let it sneak up on you.

Jack Baker moves from landlocked Kansas to the state of Maine after his mother's death. As Jack struggles to come to terms with feelings of guilt, he meets Early Auden, a boy who would probably be on the autism scale today. Early helps Jack to come to terms with the events of his life and takes him on a journey he'll never forget.

Ms. Vanderpool is a talented author, and I'm looking forward to more from her in the future. Moon Over Manifest was excellent as well. I'll be adding both books to my personal library.

As a Kansas girl myself, I love her Kansas characters. Vanderpool highlights the unique gifts that autism give a person and how these gifted individuals bless the lives of those who choose to love them. This is a story of working through grief and loss to find hope and it includes all the fun elements of a high action adventure tale. A great read for young adults and grown ups alike!

How I wish I had listened to t recommendation from my daughter a year earlier and realistic book sooner. It isn't even May, but this is currently my favorite read this year. It is an adventure, a quest, a blend of literal and mildly mythological. In ways it reminds me of "Holes" by Sachar. There is a similar blend of convergence and coincidence to the tale along with the characters being driven to understand their life and their purpose.

This book was carefully and thoughtfully written by Clare Vanderpool, a Newbery Medal-Winning Author of Moon Over Manifest. The story is about friendship, unique differences between people and acceptance.
The story focuses on Jake Baker and Early Auden, two boys at a boarding school in Maine at the end of World War II. Jack moves from Kansas after the death of his mother to be near his dad who is in the military. Early is known around school as somewhat strange and has unique interests in the story of pi and a great black bear sited along the Appalachian Trail. The boys come together with their differences and find true friendship as they take a journey to find the bear and along the way engage in Early's story of the number pi. A great black bear and navigating through the mountains are some of the hurdles they face together.

Navigating Early wasn't the easiest book to follow unless you have an interest and a clear understanding of pi. If you do, then Vanderpool wrote this with you in mind so this would be a great book for you to read. The rest of the book is a heartwarming story about friendship and trust.

I just finished this book, and loved it! There were two intertwining stories, both entertaining, but also thought-provoking. The book is for ages 10 & up, about two young boys, so it would be interesting for "tweens" but I found it refreshing at 55:) I will be looking at some of the author's other books.

I actually liked this book better than Clare Vanderpool's Newbery winner, MOON OVER MANIFEST. In the first half of the novel I was reminded of A SEPARATE PEACE. The second half--a 'hero's journey'--was more like the film O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? So many threads, neatly woven into a tight story that ultimately satisfies.

Navigating early was one of the only books one of my school teachers read to my class. Early is one of those kid were kids were he's so different, but you can still easly get along with kids.So, I almost had to cry when my teacher read the part when you learn that 'The Fish' was Early's older brother. Jack is a kid were he can get along with others.
So when Early tells Jack how he sees the Greek number, Pi, to have life in a story, I thought that to be funny. But when you read Early's life story as a orphan, You mite laugh or cry.

I was drawn to this book because of its intriguing story line and the possibility of buying it for my granddaughter - she and I read stories and poems out loud to each other. But along the way, I also discovered a beautiful story for myself and an insight to my young grandson. Thank you, Clare Vanderpool.