Autism.

It’s a word that Leeann refuses to even say.  While she still has big hopes and dreams, they have suddenly shifted to something much more immediate.  Each day Clay slips farther into his shell.  This is something that she can not ignore or wait out.  Through immediate and exhaustive treatment, Leeann fights as only a mother can fight.  A fight to reclaim her son before it’s too late.  The title of her moving memoir, A Child’s Journey Out of Autism: One Family’s Story of Living in Hope and Finding a Cure by Leeann Whiffen, is aptly named.  For it is a fight that she wins.  Clays diagnosis is completely removed.

This family’s story however is not as simple as the above description makes it seem.  The research that Leeann conducts is overwhelming.  The intensive, in-home therapy treatments are not covered by insurance and the $40,000 price tag is a financial strain.  Add on top of that the added strain of relationships, friendships and simply on oneself, and the years of treatment are exhausting

In A Child’s Journey Out of Autism, Leeann shares her darkest moments, the lowest of lows, her guilt, worry, sadness, unbelief, and her highest of highs, her determination, strength, energy, and the happiness in reclaiming her son.  She writes with such honesty and beauty.  Such an important book to read regardless if you know somebody with autism or not.  Every child is different and this is just one family’s journey of customized treatment and recovery but it’s a testament to a mother’s love for her child.  It is a testament to empowered parents.  It is a testament to the joy of a child.  To reclaiming that which was once lost.

Watch this short trailer for the book featuring Clay himself and then watch for my author interview with Leeann Whiffen immediately following this post.  Leeann lives locally to me and I’ve been fortunate to meet her on several occasions.  Reading her book is like discovering a friend that you wish you always had and if it’s not to bold of myself to say, I feel fortunate to now call her one myself.

Links of interest:  Leeann Whiffen website, blog and Twitter. More book blogger reviews. Did you know April is National Autism Awareness Month?  Check out all my book reviews that address autism.
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Publisher: Sourcebooks. March 1, 2009
Paperback, 336 pages. ISBN 1402218389
Source copy: Review copy
A Child’s Journey Out of Autism is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

But this is not the only limit of Daniel’s abilities.  He has savant syndrome, which many of us are aware of through Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of Charlie Babbitt in the movie Rain Man.  Not only can Daniel Tammet calculate huge sums of numbers in his head but he also can recite the number of Pi up to 22,500 decimal places, and learn languages in mere weeks (he’s fluent in about nine).  Daniel Tammet also has Asperger’s, a very high functioning form  of autism which unlike Charlie Babbit, allows him to communicate and interact well.  This was a skill that he learned to improve with time and practice.  It’s this capability that he’s able to give us a glimpse into one of the most rare conditions in the world.

This memoir is a fascinating glimpse into such an extraordinary mind.  Our brains are incredible and Daniel has opened himself up to science for study so we may better understand what we, as humans, are capable of.  Daniel takes us on a journey through his childhood, his home, family and school life, to embarking out on his own, finding love and creating his own successful business.  While the book is certainly factual in nature, a testament to how Daniel processes his surroundings, it was incredibly introspective and honest.  I love coming to learn and understand people who are unlike myself, and if you are the same, this is a memoir that you won’t want to miss.

The following video is a 50 minute film, titled The Boy With The Incredible Brain, which is a documentary that he talks about in length in the book.  If you don’t read the book, I’d at least watch the film.  But I’d recommend both!

Links of interest: Daniel Tammet’s website, more book blogger reviews. Did you know April is National Autism Awareness Month?  Check out all my book reviews that address autism.
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Publisher:  Free Press.  October 16, 2007
Paperback, 256 pages. ISBN 1416549013
Source copy: Own
Born on a Blue Day is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

The story is told in alternating viewpoints between the two and their lives collide when Emma-Jean walks into the girls’ bathroom where Colleen is sobbing.  Although, Emma-Jean knows everything about everybody because she observes them so much, she normally wouldn’t involve herself in anybody else’s problem.  But when Colleen asks for her help, Emma-Jean realizes that if she approaches Colleen’s problem logically, then she could easily solve it.  Thus begins a domino effect, as Emma-Jean not only tries to solve Colleen’s problems but others as well.

Emma-Jean looks at the world in such a way that brings unpredictability to the story.  Emma-Jean and Collen both have such strong and different voices.  A fun book to read and I can’t wait to read the follow-up Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love.  These are characters worth following.

What I found really interesting is not once is Emma-Jean labeled as being autistic.  As an adult, it’s something that I identified and thus understand why Emma-Jean acted as she did.  For a younger reader, they will certainly pick up on Emma-Jean’s supposed quirks.  But will they transfer that recognition and empathy to their autistic classmates, friends, family and neighbors?  Especially, as it could likely be the first experience that they have with such an individual.  Another thing, that I found interesting was that the autistic lead character is female!  Autism has a much higher rate of diagnosis in boys than girls.  This is the first book I’ve read  about autism where the main character isn’t male.

NOW.  The tricky part.  I wrote the above portion of the book review and pretty much called it done and didn’t go back to re-edit my thoughts.   But I realized now that there is another talking point to this book.  I came across this book somewhere on a list of books about autism (and of course, I can’t find the original list), which is why I wanted to read it, as April is National Autism Awareness Month.

But looking through other blogger reviews (and although a fair number, I’m sure were a select few of the entire whole), autism wasn’t a topic of discussion.  They all used words such as, and I quote: “quirky, odd, distanced, highly logical, incredibly smart, not socially accepted, abnormal, different, not typical, socially inept, intellectually gifted, strange, master of observation, doesn’t always understand why people act the way they do, unique, rational, prefers to observe, the weird outsider, misjudges, does not comprehend social behaviors.”

I did come across Seven Impossible Things for Breakfast’s fantastic (and much better) review of the book and finally found autism named.  But Jules says “I guess there are arguments goin’ around for her being autistic, but I don’t buy that.”  SO where does that leave me?  Well, of course, now I’m second guessing myself here.

Why did I think this character was on the Autism spectrum when everybody else didn’t identify her as such? The author certainly never gave Emma-Jean any type of diagnosis.  Of the few interviews, I found nothing was mentioned. Nothing in black-and-white.

Have you read this book?  What do you think?  I really want to get others thoughts on this.  Have you ever interpreted a character as one thing and they’re really not that way?  Am I right or am I wrong?  Does it even matter?!  Is it left up to interpretation?  Why do you think the author never gave Emma-Jean a diagnosis?  Is she on the autism spectrum or no?

Links of interest:  Lauren Tarshis website,  more book blogger reviews.  Did you know April is National Autism Awareness Month?  Check out all my book reviews that address autism.
Genre: Middle grade fiction, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Puffin.  May 15, 2008.
Paperback,  208 pages. ISBN 0142411507
Source copy: Library
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

Girl in the Arena comes out today and I’d love to see people picking it up to read because I think it makes for some great discussion.  The more that I think about the book, the more I like it.  It has some fascinating insight into a culture that has gone mad for violence and touches on some deep issues.

Girl in the Arena is a dystopian novel but man, it felt like the culture was not such a far fetched idea.  There are a lot of references to current culture – Skyping, Wikipedia, watching Crouching Tiger and Stranger than Fiction but wrapped up in all of this is the Gladiator sport.  And it’s actually more than a sport, it’s an entire culture that began first underground at about the time of the Vietnam War.  Gladiators now fight in front of large crowds and a TV audience and can fight anything from animals to other Gladiators to the death.  It’s a blood sport more popular than football or soccer.

Lyn was born into the Gladiator lifestyle and living the rules and bylaws of the association is second nature to her family.  Her mother is a high profile Glad wife who has been married and widowed by seven Gladiators.  Lyn is known as the daughter who had seven fathers.  They are celebrities.  Tommy, her current father has been matched up with Uber, a new gifted young fighter and if there’s a bylaw that Lyn knows all to well it’s – Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. Uber wins Lyn’s dowry which means that she must marry him.  But after watching her mother lose seven husbands, the last thing that Lyn wants to do is become a Glad wife.  But the Association is intent on her celebrity wedding.  To win her freedom, she challenges Uber to a fight in the arena.  It’s a  first for the association and they’ll do anything for publicity.  The only problem is – she might actually like the guy.  And while she considers herself a fighter, she actually doesn’t like violence.

I loved Lyn’s little brother Thad.  Although, it’s not stated specifically, I imagine that he is Autistic.  Everything that Lyn does, she does for Thad.  I loved their relationship.  Lyn’s relationship with her mother was odd in the sense that she seemed to be taking care of her instead of the other way around.  Plus, I always find it odd when children call their parents by their first name.

Stylistically, I found that the choice to not include quotation marks in dialogue to be very interesting.  It took me more than half of the book to be able to see past it.  It was really hard to read this way at first and took me out of the story.  I honestly don’t know why the dialogue was this way.  I was okay with it the second half of the book after I got in the rhythm of the book.  You can get a slight idea of what I’m talking about in the following passage where Lyn recounts the first time she went to her first Glad fight at the age of five.

– Kitten, we’re going to see some funny things today.  Men being a . . . . little silly.

She rubbed my knuckles with her thumbs as she spoke.

– If we see anything that makes us a little sad or upset, we just have to make a game of it.

I said I wanted to play a game.  And she started over.

– The men are going to look like they’re having a big fight.  Your father is a famous fighter, so this is something to be proud of.

– He’s a gladiator, I said.

– Yes, exactly, and we know that gladiators hav weapons.  Like . . . axes and knives and . . .

– And clubs.

[. . . . ]

– Yes, clubs too.  Good girl.  So nothing to be concerned about.  And I brought your coloring book and crayons.  And look, she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out my favorite stuffed animal.  — I brought your dog and her pajamas if she gets tired.

This is also one of those covers that isn’t truly representative of the book’s character.  I personally like the cover but Lyn is actually bald for the entirety of the book.  She’s got a nice set of hair in that cover.

Girl in the Arena explores a world of violence and how the lines between reality and games are blurred.  It’s a story that I won’t forget simply because it is SO disturbing.  How does a culture move from being normal to one where killing each other for sport is celebrated?  I don’t think this book will be for everybody.  It is bloody.  So be warned.  But it’s worth picking up.  A fascinating premise and story line.

And although I think it stands completely on it’s own, yes, its true, for fans of The Hunger Games . . . .

Links of interest:  Lise Haines website and on twitter.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Bloomsbury. October 13, 2009.
Hardcover, 336 pages. ISBN 1599903725
Girl in the Arena is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.
Other bloggers on the Kidz Book Buzz tour: Abby the Librarian, A Patchwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Book Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, Maw Books Blog, My Own Little Corner of the World, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

Twelve-year-old Jason Blake has been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum disorder and in this story Jason shares with us what his life is like.  Incredibly intelligent and talented, Jason has a difficult time communicating with others.  Having a conversation with somebody takes all of his concentration.   He’d rather not say anything at all.

But the thing people see the most is his silence, because some kinds of silence are actually visible.

Anything can go go wrong at school.  It’s difficult for him to remain in control.  But there is one place where he can always control his environment and that’s at an online writing message board.  He writes stories and posts them online.  He can interact with others in this space called the internet without having to deal with all the extras.  He has a voice:

When I write, I can be heard.  And known.

But nobody has to look at me.  Nobody has to see me at all.

And he can listen to others more easily:

Neurotypicals like it when you look them in the eye.  It is supposed to mean you are listening, as if the reserve were true, which it is not; Just because you are not looking at someone does not mean you are not listening.  I caan listen better when I am not distracted by a person’s face:

What are their eyes saying?

Is that a frown or a smile?

Why are they wrinkling their forehead or lifting their cheeks like that?  What does that mean?

How can you listen to all of those words when you have to think about all of that stuff?

He develops a connection with a girl on the writing site who calls herself PhoenixBird.  He likes to think of her as his girlfriend and they exchange a few messages back and forth and critique each other’s writing.  For Jason’s birthday his Dad registers him for a large writing conference, one that he’s excited for but also very apprehensive about.  So when PhoenixBird writes to say that she’ll be at the conference at well, he reaches a crisis.  That means that she wants to meet him and while he’s curious about her, that’s the last thing he wants to do.  Will he be able to show her his true self?

I remember reading Nicola’s review at Back to Books after I finished reading Anything But Typical.  Nicola’s son has also been diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum and she herself has Asperger’s.  I appreciated her review because it made me realize that Nora Raleigh Baskin got it right.  I’d highly recommend checking out her review but I’ll quote two points here.

The author has the inside feelings of an autistic person down to a “T”. She has either researched very well or lived with someone on the spectrum herself”

and

It would be a great read for teens on the Autism Spectrum so they can relate to what the main character has gone through and for other teens interested in the subject matter. I also recommend the book to adults with any interest in the field of autism as I can personally vouch for the validity of the feelings and inner turmoil portrayed by one with ASD. A rather bittersweet ending but then such is life.

I particularly liked getting inside Jason’s head.  I loved how his little brother loved him so much that he also picked up some of Jason’s behavior so he could be just like him.

So glad that I picked this book up on a whim.  It’s a winner!  And one definitely worth adding to any book list for those who want further reading that feature characters with Autism.

Links of interest:  Nora Raleigh Baskin website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre:  Juvenile Fiction, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster.  March 24, 2009
Hardcover, 208 pages.  ISBN: 1416963782
Anything but Typical is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s and Amazon.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

Maw Books:  Welcome Cynthia!  It’s my pleasure to have you!  I know that Rules was inspired by your own son who has autism.  I know  that most authors write about what they know, and obviously, you were  no exception.  How was the family in Rules like your own, and how were they not?

Cynthia Lord:  The major elements in RULES are all made up (the characters, the story, etc.), but a lot of the little things are true. I have two children: an 18-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son. My son is in the middle of the autism spectrum, just as David is in RULES.  When my son was little, he did some of the things David does in the book. He liked to drop toys in our fish tank, he repeated lines from books and videos (including Arnold Lobel’s “Frog and Toad” books), and he was very bothered by certain sounds. I wanted David to feel real as a character, so I gave him some of my son’s characteristics.

Catherine is more “me” than my daughter. However, my daughter was a big help when I was writing. She talked to me about her feelings about her brother, and she read my drafts.  She would point out to me whenever she thought I was thinking “like a mom,” and not “like a sister.” Her help was invaluable.

Maw Books:  Emotionally, what was it like to write about something that meant so  much to you and hit so close to home?

Cynthia Lord:  It was easy to write RULES because I knew the world I was writing about so well. But it was hard to bring up all that emotion, over and over. RULES took a long time to be published, and that meant I had to hold onto those feelings for years. Sometimes what’s best for the novel isn’t what’s best for the writer. Having the book take so long was hard on me and on my whole family.

Maw Books:  Because Rules is so realistic for those who do live or work with  autistic children, have you received any touching stories from  children or adults sharing how much Rules impacted them?  Any one that  particularly stands out?

Cynthia Lord:  I receive amazing mail. I could spend weeks telling you about the people who’ve written to me, but a few that stand out:

A retired principal (a man in his 80s) wrote to me. He grew up with a brother with Down’s Syndrome. Though his brother died more than 20 years ago, he said reading RULES brought back to him what it felt like growing up. He told me that he’d never written to an author before, but he wanted to tell me about his brother.

Another was from a mom who has six children, five of whom have autism. There is much I could say about that email, but what stood out first to me was that she didn’t write to me about the five. . . she wrote about the one.  She told me about her child who doesn’t have autism. You can take it from me that a mother with five children with autism has NO free time.  And yet, she took the time to write to me and tell me how much her child had loved RULES.

One mother told me her daughter slept with the book. Another told me her son brought it home and asked her to read it so she’d know how he felt.

Finally, I remember a child who wrote simply “I was so scared I was the only person who felt this way.”

Of course it’s not a book that speaks to everyone–no book can do that.. But the outpouring of love that’s come back to me has been beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined.

Maw Books:  Amazing to have such great feedback!  What were you doing when you found out that Rules was a Newbery Honor?  And how did you celebrate?

Cynthia Lord:  When the phone rang, I was on the computer, trying to access the American Library Association’s live webcast of the award announcements. I already knew RULES had won the Schneider Family Book Award, and I was hoping to see that award announced.  The phone rang, and to be honest, I was a little mad!  Because I was afraid if I left the computer, I’d miss my chance to watch the webcast!

I was not expecting it to be the Newbery Committee at all.  For one thing, I didn’t think RULES had any chance of winning, and for another it was 9:45 in the morning!  I would’ve assumed those calls were made at the crack of dawn.

That day, I went out to supper with my husband, I took lots of congratulations phone calls, etc.  But honestly, it is so overwhelming to get that news that it took a long time to feel like truly celebrating. It feels more like when someone surprises you with a gift, something you can’t believe is yours, more than an accomplishment.

One of the most powerful moments came between “the call” and the official announcement.  I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone yet, and I went to the library with my son to use up some time.  While he was looking at books, I listened to the librarian doing preschool story-time in another room.

Standing there, with the sound of someone reading aloud around me, I suddenly realized RULES would have a seal on its cover.  As a child, I remember vividly taking my index finger and running it around Newbery and Newbery Honor seals on books.  To realize that a child might now do that to a book I wrote–well, I had to sit down. If I hadn’t been in public, I probably would’ve burst into tears.

Maw Books:  The publication of Rules was a long and bumpy road.  If you could go  back and change anything about the way in which you wrote your debut  novel, what would it be?  Or not be?

Cynthia Lord:  RULES took about a year to write and then another year of revision with my editor.  But the whole process took six years, because it was bumped two years for scheduling reasons (and then the publication process takes about a year).  When you’re a first-time author, you have a book that can be moved if a list needs to shift.  If I had it to do it over, I would try hard not to tie how I felt about myself as a writer to my place in the publishing world.

Maw Books:  What’s on your nightstand now?  Any great recommendations of books that you’ve read this year?

Cynthia Lord:  At the moment, I’m reading an adult memoir: HERE IF YOU NEED ME by Kate Braestrup. It’s a powerful story about a woman who became a chaplain to the Maine Warden Service (they set up search and rescue missions) after her husband died. I’m speaking at a library conference in October where Kate is the keynote speaker.

Maw Books:  I have begun to ask authors in my interviews to share a recipe.  It’s one of the favorite features on my blog (well, at least it’s one of MY  favorite features).  I do not have my copy of Rules on hand at the moment, and cannot remember if there were any dishes mentioned in the  book.  If so, would you share the recipe.  If not, what’s a yummy favorite of yours?

Cynthia Lord:  The only special food I remember in RULES is grape soda (which my family uses to toast special moments for RULES).

However, my mom makes great whoopie pies. When I was growing up, it was always a special treat when she made them.  They are a New England specialty–a bit like a moon pie in other parts of the US, but different, too.

Here’s her recipe:

Mix the following in a large bowl.

 6 tablespoons shortening                       l-l/2 teaspoon of baking soda
l cup sugar                                           2 cups flour
l cup milk                                              5 tablespoons of cocoa
l teaspoon of vanilla                                l teaspoon salt

 Drop by teaspoonsful (or more if you want bigger ones) on a cookie
sheet.  Bake 8 to 10 mins in 350 oven..

 Filling:

l/2 cup shortening                                  6 tablespoons marshmallow fluff
l teaspoon of vanilla                                scant l/4 cup milk
3/4 cup confectioners sugar

 Beat all together.  When cookies are cool, spread filling on one cookie
and cover with another one.

Maw Books:  Oh man, I’ll seriously be making a trip to the grocery store to pick up what I need to make that!  Tell us about the book that you are currently working on and when can we expect to see it in bookstores.

Cynthia Lord:  I sold three books after RULES: two novels and a picture book.  The next novel is called TOUCH BLUE and that title comes from a superstition: “Touch blue and your wish will come true.”  I was a school teacher before I had children and one of my teaching jobs was on an island off the coast of Maine.  So that is the setting for TOUCH BLUE. It’s another middle-grade novel, and I think readers who liked RULES will like this one, as well.  It doesn’t have a release date at the moment, though it’s likely to be 2010.

My picture book is called HOT ROD HAMSTER! and is being illustrated (right now!) by the talented Derek Anderson.  Derek is a writer/illustrator of his own work and he is also the illustrator for the “Little Quack” books, written by Lauren Thompson.  At the moment, HOT ROD HAMSTER is on the Spring 2010 list at Scholastic. My editor tells me she will let me peek at his sketches sometime soon, and I’m excited to see them.

The other novel is “to be determined” after TOUCH BLUE.

Maw Books:  2010 is to far away!!  I can’t wait.  Congrats on your success and I wish you all the best. Thanks Cynthia!

Cynthia Lord:  My pleasure!

Visit Cynthia Lord’s website.

Would you like to win a copy of Rules?  Cynthia Lord has graciously donated two copies to be given away in conjunction with my Darfur awareness campaign.  Click here for details on how to get involved and entered to win. It’s really easy! Check back (you are subscribed to this blog, aren’t you?!) at the end of the month to put your name in the hat for this one.  Prizes will build up throughout the month.  Thanks Cynthia!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon believably takes us into the mind of 15 year old Christopher Boone. Christopher is autistic. For autistic children (and adults) most stimuli registers with equal impact. Because these pieces of information are not processed effectively, life can become a very confusing with consistently competing signals. Christopher has to figure out how to deal with all these competing signals and how to function in a society where he doesn’t understand other people, environments, or situations.

In Christopher’s world he knows every country and their capital, every prime number up to 7,057, hates the color yellow and brown, loves the color red, 5 red cars in a row is a Super Good Day while 4 yellow cars in a row is a Black Day, won’t eat food that touches on his plate, does not talk to strangers, does not like to be touched, cannot understand human emotions, is unable to lie, is a math genius, and has a photographic memory in which he says, “My memory is like a film . . . And when people ask me to remember something I can simply press Rewind and Fast Forward and Pause like on a video recorder.”

Christopher who loves animals finds his next door neighbor’s dog has been murdered and he’s determined to find the culprit. Christopher begins writing a book to tell his story (thus this book). To solve the mystery, Christopher is taken well out of his comfort zone, has to make difficult decisions, take risks, venture out into unfamiliar environments, and talk to strangers. Along the way he finds out more than he bargained for and has to assimilate new information and circumstances into a world that already doesn’t make any sense for him.

Cons: Just a warning. This book has a lot of foul language. Why? Why do authors always do this? I liked the story enough to buy this book but the language is holding me back. Sigh.

This was a great book. I’d recommend it. I enjoyed the story, the quirks, the character. To be taken into the mind of an autistic child was interesting and well worth the read to try to understand the world in which an autistic child lives. I enjoy books which leave me with empathy and understanding. And a little fun along the way certainly helps.

Group reading guide and discussion questions from the publisher.

Have you read this book?  What did you think?  Any other book recommendations for me?

Rules by Cynthia Lord, is one of these books, and is a Newbery Honor book for 2007. It’s also an ALA Notable Children’s Book. Catherine, a twelve year old girl, loves her autistic little brother, David, but also resents that he comes in the way of her desire for acceptance and normalcy. Catherine has created a list of rules for David in an attempt to head off any embarrassing behaviors. These rules include:

• No toys in the fish tank
• If the bathroom door is closed, knock (especially if Catherine has a friend over)!
• At someone else’s house, you have to follow their rules
• A boy can take his shirt off to swim, but not his shorts.
• Sometimes people laugh when they like you. But sometimes they laugh to hurt you.
• You can yell on a playground, but not during dinner.
• Flush!
• Sometimes people don’t answer because they didn’t hear you. Other times it’s because they don’t want to hear you.

Catherine has a set of unwritten rules that she follows herself. Some of these include:

• Leaving out isn’t the same as lying.
• Not everything worth keeping has to be useful.
• If you don’t want to do something, say, “Hmm. I’ll think about it” and maybe the asker will forget the whole bad idea.
• If you want to get away from someone, check your watch and say, “Sorry, gotta go!”
• Sometimes you’ve gotta work with what you’ve got.
• If you want to change the subject, confuse the other person by going off on a wild, chatty detour.
• When someone is upset, it’s not a good time to bring up your own problems.
• When you say something stupid, gloss over it with superfast talking and maybe no one’ll notice.

Through the simple plot, Catherine learns how to let go, be herself, and not worry about what others think. This book is perfect for those families or young siblings whose lives are impacted by a special needs child. It’s also perfect for families or children who would like to learn empathy, see the world through someone else’s eyes and learn what it’s like to be different.

Cynthia Lord’s website here.