In the seventh grade, we discuss the universal "journey" novel, so I'm always hyper aware when one of these novels shows up on my reading list. One of this year's Printz Honor winners, Navigating Early, definitely fits this pattern.
The novel is set during World War II as the protagonist Jack, who previously had lived in landlocked Kansas, is transplanted to a boarding school on the coast of Maine. He feels like an outsider until he meets Early, an unforgettable character willing to drag Jack along on the adventure of a lifetime. The intrepid explorers encounter pirates and a bear while solving the mystery of pi and healing some of the emotional wounds in the people that they encounter.
The book never mentions the word autism or savant, but Early certainly fits that mold. He is a beautifully drawn character who sees stories and colors in numbers. It is characters like him that always make me wonder what I am missing not having a brain that sees the world so differently.