Thursday, April 2, 2009

Book Review- Anything But Typical


I just sat down and finished Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin, all in one sitting!

From the back cover:

By acclaimed writer Nora Raleigh Baskin, this is the eye-opening depiction of an autistic boy's daily lifelong struggles to exist in a "neurotypical" world. The only place sixth grader Jason Blake can be himself is online, where he posts the short stories he writes. It's there that Jason finds Rebecca. Though the two have common ground, Jason can't face the consequences that meeting Rebecca might bring-- but if he doesn't meet her, there's no chance to have a real relationship. This is a pitch-perfect portrait of autism, but more than that, a story for anyone who has ever worried about fitting in.

Jason Blake is a twelve-year-old boy with autism. This story takes place in the present, but he also goes back to show us the struggles that he has endured growing up. He knows that he is "different" but seems to accept this. The one place where he is comfortable is online, on a site called "Storyboard". There he posts stories that he writes. He also gives us many tips on writing fiction. On his favorite site, he meets a girl named Rebecca whom he feels a connection with. When he has a chance to meet her at a Storyboard convention, he suddenly panics. What happens in at the convention and at the end of the story leaves the reader feeling warm and happy for Jason.

I really enjoyed this story. As a teacher, I have had a student who had autism. This story really showed me what that student might have been thinking everyday in his life. It will definitely help me relate to a student with autism. As a reader, this story really drew me in. I felt a connection with Jason and wanted the ending to be happy and I wasn't dissapointed!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

Thank you to Melyssa from Book Divas for sending me a copy of this book to review!

1 comment:

  1. I'm seeing a lot of books covering autism lately. It's great that it is getting so much awareness. I read A Child's Journey out of Autism earlier this month and it was such an interesting and heartfelt read.

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