Gifted kids finally get their due. These characters are not nerds--they combine their intelligence with passion and depth to tell their stories in ways that are both clever and moving. This is one of those books where you find yourself counting the remaining pages, wishing there were more, and covering up the last few lines to put off the ending for as long as possible.

Nadia, Noah, Ethan, and Julian, so closely linked in friendship that they call themselves "the Souls," each narrates a part of the book. One twelve-year-old reader finishing the book for the second time commented, "The way the characters all relate to each other is dudical." (For those unfamiliar with millennial kidspeak, this is praise.) Part of the pleasure comes from watching the foursome's varied life experiences help them succeed as an Academic Bowl Team, and part comes from the suspense generated at the story's beginning: How does Mrs. Olinski select the children for her team?

The story's themes--that life is a journey, that no part of our experience is lost--appear in touches as varied as Nadia's talented dog, Julian's shipboard apprenticeship with a magician, and sea-turtle lore. Master storyteller Konigsburg weaves these elements together into a satisfying and thought-provoking whole, though one so intricately constructed that it will be confusing to inexperienced readers.

From the Book:
[Julian] learned to be a passenger. He learned to read the ocean by the cupful. He also learned to regard each port of call as part of the journey and not as destination. Every voyage begins when you do.