48 pages • 1 hour read
Elana K. Arnold, Illustr. Charles SantosoA Boy Called Bat
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 12-16Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 12 Summary: “Finally”
Bat is thrilled when school is over on Monday, and he can go home and see the baby skunk. He is excited to tell his mother the name he came up with for the kit. Valerie is running late, so Mr. Grayson waits with Bat. Bat tells his teacher a few animal facts because thinking about facts makes him feel better when he is nervous. As they chat, Bat notices that Mr. Grayson is growing a mustache that looks like a caterpillar.
Valerie arrives and honks three times. Bat says goodbye to Mr. Grayson, then climbs in the car and tells his mother that she was late. On the drive to pick up Janie, Bat informs his mother that Dad made chili and watched sports instead of letting him watch shows about animals. He asks about the kit, and Valerie explains that she created a small enclosure for the baby skunk in the living room.
Chapter 13 Summary: “What’s in a Name”
Bat is happy that his mother used some of his shirts in the kit’s enclosure, so the kit can smell him. He checks on the kit; then, the family sits down together to snack on peanut butter, crackers, and tea. Bat nonchalantly mentions “Stripy,” which is what he wants to name the skunk. Janie mocks the name for its obviousness, which hurts Bat’s feelings, but he pretends to be fine.
Janie suggests they name the kit Thor, since he was born on a Thursday (the day associated with the Norse god Thor) and she is studying Norse mythology in school. Bat likes the name, despite Janie’s earlier insensitivity.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Sleeping Arrangements”
Bat wants to sleep with Thor, whether this means sleeping in the living room or bringing Thor into his bed, but Valerie forbids it. He bargains, saying he can take care of Thor overnight, and in return, he will scrape the uneaten food off his own plate. Valerie offers a compromise, that Thor must sleep in his enclosure and that she will take care of the night feedings, but Bat can be in charge of Thor’s care during the day. Bat agrees, but says they will “revisit this conversation” (90). He does not want to give up on the idea of sleeping with Thor.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Dr. Jerry Dragoo”
That night, instead of going to bed when he is supposed to, Bat breaks out his animal encyclopedia and reads the section on skunks. One of the subsections is about whether or not skunks make good pets, and the entry notes a Dr. Jerry Dragoo, who is a “world skunk expert” and the “head of the Dragoo Institute for the Betterment of Skunks and Skunk Reputations” (93). Bat likes the man’s name and wants to meet him.
Chapter 16 Summary: “A Correspondence”
In school the next day, Israel asks Bat if he wants to play, but Bat declines the offer. He wants to stay inside during recess, so he can talk to Mr. Grayson. Israel does not leave, so Bat tries to remember kind things he can say to people. He says, “Thank you,” and Israel, confused, leaves.
Once Bat is alone with Mr. Grayson, he approaches the teacher’s desk and asks for help. He tells Mr. Grayson about Thor and says he needs to get in contact with Dr. Jerry Dragoo, so the skunk expert can confirm Thor as a potential pet.
Mr. Grayson finds Dr. Jerry Dragoo online and says that Bat can email him. He passes over his laptop and watches as Bat types out the email. He suggests that Bat leave out the doctor’s first name, but Bat insists on using it because the name is “cool.”
Bat asks for feedback on his letter, which explains how the skunk came into his family and asks for permission to keep Thor as a pet. Mr. Grayson looks “like he was trying not to laugh, or maybe like he was going to cry” (102), but tells Bat that it is a good email and that he looks forward to the response.
Chapters 12-16 Analysis
Bat is determined to keep Thor as a pet. He is obsessed with the idea, which has become his fixation, and he cannot drop it. At the same time, he knows he must proceed with caution, so his intense desire does not backfire. Instead of demanding to get his way, he bargains with his mother, and they work out a compromise regarding Thor’s care. In earlier chapters, Bat struggled to contain his enthusiasm, and alternated between aggression and whining. Over the weekend, he has had time to think, and enters the conversation with his mother with a different attitude. He accepts his mother’s answer, but also ends the conversation by saying they will return to it—a trick he picked up from his mother. While in Chapter 7 (“Every-Other Fridays”) Bat accepts the ultimatum set forth by his mother—to behave or else the skunk will stay elsewhere—Bat can now partake in the process of forming a compromise.
Bat craves close relationships, but social skills do not come naturally to him. He uses his bond with Thor to fulfill his desire for human connection. Skunks and taking care of Thor become Bat’s special interests, and Bat looks for ways to increase Thor’s presence in his life, such as spending nights with the skunk. As Bat focuses on Thor and Thor’s needs, he learns critical social skills, such as considering the needs of others.
While he is developing stronger social skills in certain areas, Bat still misses some important social cues. He does not understand that Israel asking him to play is him trying to form a friendship. Bat does not want to be rude to Israel, but does not want to play. It does not cross his mind to explain why he does not want to play with Israel. The situation is confusing for Bat, and he uses one of his many coping strategies—saying something kind when he does not know what else to say. Bat brings the conversation to a polite, albeit abrupt, end. As a result of Bat’s politeness, Israel is undeterred and makes future attempts to build a friendship with him.
Bat feels comfortable enough with Mr. Grayson to ask him for help and explain what is going on in his life. Mr. Grayson has made himself approachable by offering his students respect and compassion, so Bat is not worried that Mr. Grayson will refuse to help or mock him. Arnold uses dramatic irony in Mr. Grayson’s response to reading Bat’s email to show the reader that he is amused. However, Mr. Grayson contains himself, so Bat does not feel insecure or ashamed. Arnold also uses this instance to demonstrate the importance of using compassion in the classroom. Students who are treated with compassion and respect will feel safe and secure in their learning environment.
It should also be noted that Dr. Jerry Dragoo is an actual person, which Arnold addresses in the Author’s Note. While he did not write any content for the book, he did provide information to Arnold, so Thor’s portrayal would be as accurate as possible.
