Book Review - Navigating Early

Navigating Early

Navigating Early, a Printz Honor, is set right after World War II.  Jack Baker’s mother has just passed away and his military father sells the house and removes all of his mother’s possessions and moves him from his home in Kansas to a boarding school in Maine.  When he arrives at school, he meets a boy named Early.  Early is extremely different and has experienced many tragedies in his life.  Early is a genius, singularly focused, a lover of music, obsessed with Pi and does things his own way.  During one of the breaks, Jack is left at school and ends up on an adventure with Early.  They set out in a boat following the Appalachian Trail looking for a great black bear.  Along the way they meet several interesting characters including a lonely mother, a pirate and a lost brother.  Each of the people they meet along the way all share a part of an intricately woven story.  Along this dangerous trek, Early continues his elaborate story of Pi, his quest for the great black bear and his faith that his brother, Fisher, is still alive.  With the help of Early’s brother, the boys make it back to school into the waiting arms of Jack’s dad.  The story ends with Jack and his father beginning to repair their relationship and Jack’s dad helping Fisher find his way back from the war in his mind.  Jack and Early’s adventure forged a true friendship.

Claire Vanderpool does a great job of creating two very different characters within Navigating Early.  I believe that every reader can choose one of the boys to identify with.  I tended to identify with Jack Baker, the youthful protagonist, who finds a friend in a strange young man.  However, Early for me symbolizes several students that I have had throughout the years.  Despite, the boys’ differences they do share so much including looking for a sense of belonging.  The adolescents develop an odd, but beneficial relationship.  It is almost as if Jack is drawn to Early and this can be very true of relationships that readers have within their own lives.  The two different characters help provide readers with a vicarious reading experience.  The reader experiences the trials of life that the boys have dealt with and it mirrors issues for some readers. Navigating Early is a great book that can be enjoyed at any age beginning at the higher end of the middle grade age groups.  The story is flips between the boys’ adventure and the story of Pi, the great black bear.  Readers will need to read carefully to fully understand this layer book, but it is a fun read and provides a lot of symbolism for readers. 

Vanderpool, C. (2013). Navigating early. New York: Delacorte Press.