The View From Saturday

Noah is the first member of Mrs. Olinski’s academic team to be chosen, and he is the “brunette” of the team. Noah’s family is Jewish, his father is a dentist, and his mother is a realtor. Noah is smart and likes to quote facts to the point of being pedantic, which leads to heated, but civil, conversations with other members of The Souls. Noah’s journey to becoming a member of The Souls begins in Florida at his grandparents’ retirement community, Century Village, where he works hard to problem solve and help with the wedding of Izzy Diamondstein and Margaret Draper. Noah is resourceful, creative—he finds a way to turn invitations with accidental pawprints into a meaningful kindness at the wedding—hardworking, and thoughtful. During his time at Century Village, Noah realizes that kindness is met with kindness, and he sees the positive snowball effect that simple acts of generosity can trigger. Noah continues to grow as a member of The Souls, but his path toward Respecting and Understanding Differences begins with his B&B letter to his grandparents.

Nadia Diamondstein is a new sixth grader at the middle school, having moved to Epiphany following her parents’ divorce the previous year. She has red hair and freckles and is the second member of Mrs. Olinski’s academic team. Nadia is quiet and observant and “plump as a perfectly ripened peach” (23), “incandescently beautiful” (24). Nadia seems to prefer the company of her beloved dog, Ginger (whom she refers to as a “genius” multiple times), to that of her peers. When she meets up with her friends from her previous school, she doesn’t have fun and concludes that “many friendships are born and maintained for purely geographical reasons. [She] prefe[rs] Ginger” (29). Nadia struggles to come to terms with her parents’ divorce. Her biggest fear is not knowing what the future holds and being excluded from decisions that affect her.

Nadia is an expert on turtle biology and behaviors, mostly because she is the granddaughter of Izzy Diamondstein, who has helped with turtle monitoring and rescue in Florida for years. Nadia used to love helping Izzy and Bubbe (Izzy’s late wife) with the turtles as a family, but after her parents’ divorce and Izzy’s re-marriage to Margaret Draper, Nadia loses the desire to be involved. Nadia’s personal epiphany moment comes when she compares her life to the life cycle of loggerhead turtles—both involving long commutes without help or clear directions. She begins to understand the importance of Accepting and Embracing Change rather than wasting time resisting it. When Nadia steps back from self-pity, she realizes that her father is also struggling with the change and that they both need to help each other to positively adjust to their new life. Like the sea turtles, she thinks, “the storm in [their] private lives had picked [her father] up and put him out of place. [She], too […] had been picked up from one place and set down in another. [She], too, had been stranded. [They] both need[] help resettling” (55).

Nadia flourishes as a member of The Souls, finding friendship, respect, and a sense of belonging. She is the member who chooses the name The Souls.

Ethan Potter is a quiet, reserved, blond sixth grader at Epiphany middle school. He describes himself as “very good at gazing” and “very good at listening” (64). His family has lived in Epiphany for generations. His father is a farmer, and his mother has a stand at the local market where Ethan helps. Ethan is the grandson of one of Mrs. Olinski’s old friends, Margaret Draper. After seeing Ethan’s quiet intelligence and curiosity, Mrs. Olinski chooses him as the third member of her academic team.

Ethan has lived his life in the shadow of his high-achieving older brother, Luke. Even though Luke is away at college, the teachers still fondly talk about him when they see Ethan. Ethan knows that he is “the son who was scheduled to inherit the farm because Luke was scheduled for greater things” (74). Ethan wants to move to New York and become a costume or theater set designer, but he is unable to tell anyone for fear of ridicule and rejection. Ethan avoids social contact and relationships with other students, fearing further comparisons between himself and Luke. He isolates himself, becoming even more silent and lonely. Julian’s perseverance in cheerfully sitting beside Ethan on the bus every day brings out kindness and a sense of justice in Ethan, allowing him to break out of his self-imposed isolation and embrace the friendships he finds among The Souls, where he can authentically express himself. Ethan receives Julian’s cryptic invitation to Sillington house after he saves Julian from an ambush by Ham. Despite his self-conscious, reserved character, Ethan still (reluctantly) buys the heart-shaped puzzle for Julian, knowing it might seem odd but that a complicated puzzle is the perfect gift for him. At Sillington house, Ethan feels able to “do things [he] had never done before […] [he] [tells] jokes [he] had never told before. [He] [asks] questions [he] had never asked before” (93).

Ethan meets Nadia in Florida while visiting his grandmother, Margaret, who recently married Nadia’s grandfather, Izzy. Ethan develops a crush on Nadia but, because of his shy nature, does not tell her how he feels. Despite Nadia’s fury that Ethan knows so much about her parents’ divorce, the two teenagers enjoy each other’s company, and their initial meeting lays the groundwork for the loyal friendship that develops later at Sillington house.