Bridge to Bat City

Ages 8 And Up, Grades 3 to 17

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ernest Cline comes a story of an unexpected friendship between a girl and a colony of bats– perfect for fans of The One and Only Ivan and The Wild Robot!

Described as a “mostly true tall tale,” Bridge to Bat City tells the story of a recently orphaned young girl named Opal B Flats, who forms an unexpected friendship with a music-loving colony of bats and embarks on an mission to find them a new home despite powerful forces determined to stop her.    After losing her mother, thirteen-year-old outsider Opal moves in with her uncle Roscoe on the family farm. There, Opal befriends a group of orphaned bats. But just as the farm is starting to feel like home, the bats’ cave is destroyed by a big mining company with its sights set on bulldozing the farmland next. If Opal and the bats can fit in anywhere, it’s the nearby city of Austin, with its wonderfully eccentric characters and rich music scene. But with people afraid of the bats and determined to get rid of them, it’ll take a whole lot of courage to prove that this is where the bats—and Opal—belong.

About the Author

Ernest Cline is the bestselling author of Ready Player One, Ready Player Two, and Armada and co-screenwriter of the film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg. This is his debut middle-grade novel. He lives in Austin, Texas.