Bat and the Waiting Game

Published in 2018, Elana K. Arnold’s Bat and the Waiting Game is the second installment of the middle-grade realistic fiction A Boy Called Bat series. Bixby Alexander Tam (Bat), a third-grader with autism, loves animals and is the caretaker of an orphaned skunk kit named Thor. When his older sister, Janie, takes part in a school play, Bat must adjust to changes in his routine and family dynamics. The novel explores themes of patience, family, and the importance of supportive environments for children with neurodivergence.

Citations in this study guide refer to the eBook edition released by Walden Pond Press in 2018.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of ableism.

Plot Summary

Bixby Alexander Tam (Bat) is a third-grader with autism. The story begins a week after his mother agrees to let him care for an orphaned six-week-old skunk kit named Thor. On a pleasant spring day, Bat feels peaceful and content as he feeds Thor and admires a sculpture of a baby skunk that Israel Zimmerman, a friend from school, made for him.

Bat’s parents are divorced. His mother, Dr. Valerie Tam, is a veterinarian, and his father is a computer engineer. Every other weekend, Bat and his older sister, Janie, stay with their father at his apartment. Bat dislikes these visits because he has to leave Thor at his mother’s home since his father doesn’t like animals. That weekend, the siblings stay with their mother, and Janie’s friend Ezra comes over to help her practice her audition for the school play. Bat finds Ezra’s sense of humor irritating, and he uses techniques like deep breathing to soothe himself. His mother helps him calm down by offering him a hug and inviting him to help her in the garden. Bat decides to conduct a research project by growing vegetables that skunks enjoy, and he hopes that his friend Israel will join him in this endeavor.

Bat attends Saw Whet School. On Monday morning, he decides to wait for Israel in the parking lot to ensure that none of his classmates asks his friend to be their partner first. Bat’s so excited about Israel agreeing to be his partner that he interrupts his friend’s story to tell him about his ideas for their project. That afternoon, Janie announces that she’s been cast as the Queen of Hearts in her school’s production of Alice in Wonderland. She usually takes care of Bat on Tuesdays and Thursdays while their mother is at work, but now she has rehearsal every school day for the next three weeks. Israel’s parents agree to watch Bat on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons while Janie is at rehearsal, but Thor will need to stay at the veterinary clinic with Dr. Tam on those days. Bat strongly opposes the plan and wants Janie to drop out of the play, but his mother encourages him to consider the situation fairly.

On Tuesday, Bat meets Israel’s parents, Tom and Cora. Israel feels offended because Bat seems more interested in talking to Tom about his truck than in spending time with Israel. Bat also negatively compares Israel’s sculptures with pieces made by Cora, who is a professional artist. That evening, Bat feels distressed when he’s unable to assemble a pen for Thor, and his mother helps him regain a sense of safety and calm.

On Friday afternoon, Bat’s father picks him up from school. Bat isn’t looking forward to the weekend with his father because Janie has rehearsal and won’t be joining them. His disappointment and frustration grow when Mr. Tam takes him to a baseball game. Bat hates the crowds, long lines, bright lights, and loud noises at the stadium. Although he loves his father, Mr. Tam’s insistence on bringing him into a situation that makes him uncomfortable causes Bat to wonder whether his father understands him. During the seventh-inning stretch, he asks if they can leave, and Mr. Tam asks him to give others’ interests a chance. Bat retorts that his father doesn’t pay attention to his interests and hasn’t met Thor. Mr. Tam agrees to spend time with the skunk if his son tries to enjoy the game. After his father explains that his favorite thing about baseball is spending time with a loved one, Bat finds himself enjoying the experience.

On Monday, Israel and Bat prepare a survey to gather ideas about which vegetables they should grow for Thor. Bat feels nervous in front of his classmates, so his friend explains their research project and introduces the survey. The class’s favorite vegetables are corn, carrots, and kale, so the boys plant all three in a garden bed in Bat’s backyard.

The following weekend, Bat feels lonely when Janie has three friends over for a sleepover, so Dr. Tam encourages him to invite Israel to spend the night. Later that day, Bat tells Israel that he is his best friend, which surprises Israel. He thought that Bat didn’t like him much because he seemed more interested in talking to Israel’s parents than spending time with him on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Bat clarifies how he feels, and Israel thanks him. A few minutes later, Israel asks how long it will be before Thor is old enough to be released into the wild. Bat becomes angry and yells that this is a stupid question because he doesn’t want to face the fact that he will likely need to release Thor at the end of the summer. Israel tells Bat that he could be nicer sometimes and leaves the room. Bat voices his frustration about his social skills to his mother, and she comforts him. Israel is home sick on Monday, and he rests in his room on Tuesday afternoon while his parents teach Bat how to sculpt bowls out of clay.

On the opening night of Janie’s school play, Bat sneaks Thor into the auditorium by hiding him under his jacket. When other members of the audience see the animal and panic, Thor sprays a foul odor, causing the crowd to rush for the exits. Janie wishes aloud that her mother had never found the skunk, and she ignores Bat the next morning. At school, Bat’s teacher encourages him to spend time with the class pet, an angora rabbit, because the boy feels overwhelmed. Israel joins him in the rabbit enclosure and assures him that they are still best friends.

Israel helps Bat apologize to Janie. The boys build a stage in Israel’s backyard and invite her friends and family to watch her perform her song from the play. Janie accepts her brother’s apology and says that she’s sorry for wishing that Dr. Tam hadn’t rescued the skunk. As Bat sits beside his best friend, listening to his sister sing and holding the skunk sculpture Israel made for him, he feels as if the world is full of beauty and joy.