Stuart Little - What?! (Spoilers if You've Never Read It)

Been reading a lot of children's lit to our son this summer since the school wants us to try to read to him at least 30 minutes each day. He's able to follow kid's novels and it's easier to read those than to try to do 30 minutes' worth of picture book reading.

At any rate, the most recent book we worked our way through was Stuart Little. Somehow, I never read this as a kid.

But it surely is no Charlotte's Web! The first parts of the book are interesting enough talking about Stuart's life as the adopted mouse kid, and going through the boat race and all that. Even the parts about Margalo are fine, but then a cat plot sees Margalo leaving and Stuart going to chase down Margalo.

Honestly, White should have ended it there, but instead, why on earth did his editor let him add that whole episode about the small town and the 2" tall girl whom he asks on a date? Nothing happens! He goes to all the trouble to have a canoe only for it to be broken up and for him to throw a tantrum. The girl invites him to escort her to a dance and he is so busy pitching his fit over the loss of his perfect canoe trip that he refuses. She leaves, and he rolls out looking for Margalo.

End of book.

I just don't see what the point of that last episode was. It confounds me and sort of ruins the book by making Stuart look petty.

Never read it myself (which is somewhat surprising), but what you just described is a common description of the actions of a kid with autism spectrum disorder.

a reply to: JDeLattre89

This was E.B. White's first book, and he later wrote Charlotte's Web. I doubt he was making a statement on autism since it wasn't exactly recognized. It felt more like he decided to do something with Stuart and this girl in the town and then pulled off at the last second to have Stuart leave and as a result, both narratives feel unfinished, as if there should be some sort of sequel. Stuart neither realizes a relationship with the girl or fails at it, nor finds Margalo.