The View from the Very Best House in Town
Age 9+
Personal & Social Issues: Bullying, Violence & Abuse Family & Home Stories General Fiction
A witty, suspenseful and inventive debut that asks what makes a person a friend and a house a home.
Sam and Asha. Asha and Sam. Their friendship is so long established, they take it for granted. Just as Asha takes for granted that Donnybrooke, the mansion that sits on the highest hill in Coreville, is the best house in town. But when Sam is accepted into snobbish Castleton Academy as an autistic “Miracle Boy”, he leaves Asha, who is also autistic, to navigate middle school alone.
He also leaves her wondering if she can take anything for granted any more. Because soon Sam is spending time with Prestyn, Asha’s nemesis, whose family owns Donnybrooke and have forbidden Asha to set foot inside. But when it becomes clear that Prestyn's interest in Sam is less than friendly, will Asha be able to find it in herself to help her former friend?
Told from the points of view of Asha, Sam and Donnybrooke itself, this is a highly original debut about friendship, peer pressure and bullying.
"A sharply insightful, gripping read, with a painfully accurate portrait of childhood friendships, and a sentient house like no other." Louie Stowell, author of Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good
Creators
Meera Trehan grew up in Virginia, just outside Washington, DC. After attending the University of Virginia and Stanford Law School, she practised law for over a decade before turning to creative writing. She lives in Maryland, USA with her family.
Reviews
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 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
