Everyday Hero

January 15, 2016
Following a move to a new town, Alice's Asperger's syndrome is making middle school very challenging, but Megan, a classmate with her own serious issues, may just prove to be a friend. Alice's dad has chosen not to mention her Asperger's to her teachers. She's doing her best to be normal, as described in her matter-of-fact voice, but her highly literal interpretation of everything makes that hard, and frequent meltdowns result. Megan, who's being abused by her stepfather, needs a friend just as badly as Alice does, but it generally seems that she's providing much more support to Alice than she's getting back. That finally changes when Megan runs away to Vancouver and Alice goes after her, following advice she read about Internet safety: "Be a good friend. Help keep your friends safe." She has memorized all the words in the dictionary up to "mineralize," and these definitions provide a poignant guide to navigating a confusing world. Her difficulties, along with her steadfast courage, are effectively depicted, but sometimes the severity of her disability makes her developing friendship with Megan seem improbable. Still, the happy outcome of their connection, as Alice describes a "tingling, bubbling feeling" in her body when their friendship is cemented, makes the journey worthwhile. Insightful and sometimes moving, Alice's evolving coming-of-age provides a perceptive exploration of unexpected friendship in the face of disability. (Fiction. 10-14)

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February 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-Thirteen-year-old Alice is attending a new middle school where her teachers and classmates are not aware of her Asperger's diagnosis. She is living with her father while her mother has stayed behind in Vancouver to help her aging parents. Alice doesn't like noises, smells, or strangers, and she follows rules very closely. She has a very detailed memory and often recites dictionary definitions to figure out the meaning of a word. When she meets Megan in detention, they slowly becomes friends because Megan doesn't smell, isn't noisy, and she "doesn't do things for gold stars." When Megan decides to run away, Alice breaks the rules to help save her friend from an online predator and her abusive stepfather. The author does a good job of presenting daily life from the perspective of a young person with Asperger's-Alice relies on previous experiences and rules when faced with new situations, and both her parents and Megan help her deal with challenges of sensory overstimulation and verbal communication. VERDICT While the book features a fairly straightforward plot, mature themes of abuse and social media behavior will resonate more clearly with slightly older tween readers.-Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga Public Library System, OH

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