Superstar

A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year!

“Lester’s first-person narrative is honest and pure.” —Kirkus (starred review)

Perfect for fans of Fish in a Tree and Wonder, this uplifting debut novel from Mandy Davis follows space-obsessed Lester Musselbaum as he experiences the challenges of his first days of public school: making friends, facing bullies, finding his "thing," and accidentally learning of his autism-spectrum diagnosis.

Lester’s first days as a fifth grader at Quarry Elementary School are not even a little bit like he thought they would be—the cafeteria is too loud for Lester's ears, there are too many kids, and then there's the bully.

Lester was always home-schooled, and now he’s shocked to be stuck in a school where everything just seems wrong. That's until he hears about the science fair, which goes really well for Lester! This is it. The moment where I find out for 100 percent sure that I won.

But then things go a bit sideways, and Lester has to find his way back. A touching peek into the life of a sensitive autism-spectrum boy facing the everydayness of elementary school, Superstar testifies that what you can do isn’t nearly as important as who you are.

“A lovely, heartfelt narrative about the things we’ve lost, and the things we’ve found again.” —Gary D. Schmidt, Newbery Honor winner for The Wednesday Wars

“I LOVE LESTER.” —Linda Urban, author of Milo Speck, Accidental Agent and A Crooked Kind of Perfect

“I LOVE LESTER. And I did right from the start. Lester’s story is beautiful, honest, and just the right amount of funny. Mandy Davis is a superstar.” (Linda Urban, author of Milo Speck: Accidental Agent and A Crooked Kind of Perfect)

“Lester’s first-person narrative is honest and pure.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

“Debut author Davis creates genuine, emotionally engaging characters who, over the course of the novel, grow and move toward heartfelt triumphs... Give to sensitive readers who enjoy rooting for the underdog and to fans of realistic stories with scientific themes.”   (School Library Journal)