12/01/2021
Gr 4–6—Middle school friendships, discrimination, bullying, and the pressures of meeting parental expectations are all examined through the triple perspectives of middle-schoolers Sam and Asha, and the mansion that looms large over their neighborhood. Sam and Asha have always been friends, drawn together by their unique personalities, and possibly because they are both on the autism spectrum. Asha adores architecture, especially the quirky and imposing features of Donnybrooke, the mansion that borders her yard, but from which she was barred after just one visit. Sam is obsessed with space and with the Househaunt game on his phone, which combines Asha's love of buildings with his own fondness for killing monsters. Their easy friendship is tested when Sam is admitted to the prestigious Castleton Academy, where he becomes known as the "Miracle Boy" and is constantly bullied. Asha has to start middle school alone, and when she sees Sam going to Donnybrooke with Prestyn, her enemy (whose family also owns the mansion), she feels angry and abandoned. She doesn't realize that Prestyn torments Sam and only pretends to be his friend, both as a source of amusement and to annoy her mother. Sam goes along because it makes others at Castleton Academy bully him less, but Prestyn's evil games get out of control. Short chapters and easy vocabulary give readers multiple perspectives of how bullying starts, its devastating effects, and how adults can unknowingly pressure young people into behavior that causes pain. Asha is Hindu and South Asian, and secondary characters represent a range of ethnicities. VERDICT A thought-provoking look at bullying and social pressures through the eyes of its victims and of an inanimate, yet opinionated, mansion that will ring true with many readers.—MaryAnn Karre, Binghamton, NY
2021-11-16
Two friends and a unique house weather difficult changes in Trehan’s debut.
Asha and Sam, both autistic, are inseparable. Even while playing Househaunt, a delightfully detailed game combining home design, monster slaying, and plot symbolism, they complement each other; architecture-obsessed Asha builds, while Sam squashes Screech-Leeches. But when Sam is accepted to prestigious Castleton Academy, everything crumbles. Bullied by his new classmates, Sam rejects Asha, fearing that her quirks will jeopardize his chances of being accepted by popular kids—like Asha’s neighborhood bully, a girl named Prestyn. Prestyn lives in Donnybrooke, Coreville’s fanciest mansion, which Asha was banned from entering after an incident at a childhood party. In alternating third-person perspectives, Sam, Asha, and Donnybrooke offer multifaceted views as Asha and Sam’s bond unravels, Prestyn’s befriending of Sam appears increasingly suspicious, and Asha’s banishment is gradually explained. Arrogant but surprisingly compassionate, the sentient mansion provides a poignant window into loneliness, classism, and the fallibility of adults as it observes its troubled inhabitants. The growing pains of middle school friendships, peer pressure, and bullying are palpable; readers will ache for Sam and Asha as they grow distant and cheer their tentative steps toward new relationships. Though Asha sees therapists and takes an unspecified medication, Sam’s and Asha’s autism is firmly portrayed as part of their personalities. Asha is cued as Indian American; Sam appears to be White.
An unusual, insightful exploration of what makes strong foundations in houses, families, and friendships. (Fiction. 8-12)
A story both delightfully unreal and gratifyingly true to life.
—Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medalist and New York Times best-selling author
Asha and Sam are among the most memorable characters I’ve ever encountered. In meeting them, young readers will find their worlds expanded and their hearts enlarged.
—Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and New York Times best-selling author
Best friends Sam and Asha confront a secret from their past whose echoes can be felt inside Donnybrooke, the strangest and most beautiful house in town. Part mystery, part friendship story, Meera Trehan’s engaging debut shows us how a good friend is like a good home: comforting and protective.
—Sheela Chari, author of the Edgar Award nominee Vanished
I fell in love with the characters in The View from the Very Best House in Town, including the house of Donnybrooke itself. Meera Trehan captures middle-school friendship in all of its wonders and difficulties. Readers can’t help but identify with (and root for) Asha and Sam. By the time you finish the book, the characters feel like dear friends.
—Sarah Kapit, author of Schneider Family Book Award Honor recipient Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!
This debut novel from Trehan presents intriguing, achingly real characters in the persons of Asha, Sam, and Prestyn. . . the original presentation and complex young characters carry this compelling exploration of friendship and home.
—Booklist
The growing pains of middle school friendships, peer pressure, and bullying are palpable; readers will ache for Sam and Asha as they grow distant and cheer their tentative steps toward new relationships. . . . An unusual, insightful exploration of what makes strong foundations in houses, families, and friendships.
—Kirkus Reviews
This is a book about friendship, and what it means to be a true friend. In the end, friendship wins out. Readers who struggle with the social scene in middle school will relate to the characters and the desire to be accepted for who they are.
—School Library Connection
A thought-provoking look at bullying and social pressures through the eyes of its victims and of an inanimate, yet opinionated, mansion that will ring true with many readers.
—School Library Journal
A clever and emotional read.
—Book Riot
Inventive.
—Book Riot
Middle school changes rock two friends in this curious story. Kind Asha, voiced in a solemn tone by Subhadra Newton, feels adrift when her best friend, Sam, switches to an elite private school. Their friendship developed early when they easily made space for each other's autistic traits. But Sam, portrayed by Gary Tiedemann with heavy doses of the bewilderment adolescence requires, is supposed to be putting all of his "issues" behind him if he’s to succeed at Castleton Academy. When he befriends the cruel girl who lives in Donnybrooke, the mansion that is Asha's obsession, he finds himself quickly losing control and putting Asha at risk. The mansion also has a point of view in this story, and Daniel Henning brings its perspective alive with a haughty lilt and catty commentary, making it a warm presence in a sometimes chilling story. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Middle school changes rock two friends in this curious story. Kind Asha, voiced in a solemn tone by Subhadra Newton, feels adrift when her best friend, Sam, switches to an elite private school. Their friendship developed early when they easily made space for each other's autistic traits. But Sam, portrayed by Gary Tiedemann with heavy doses of the bewilderment adolescence requires, is supposed to be putting all of his "issues" behind him if he’s to succeed at Castleton Academy. When he befriends the cruel girl who lives in Donnybrooke, the mansion that is Asha's obsession, he finds himself quickly losing control and putting Asha at risk. The mansion also has a point of view in this story, and Daniel Henning brings its perspective alive with a haughty lilt and catty commentary, making it a warm presence in a sometimes chilling story. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
