I was hesitant about the first half of this book. I think the writing style will turn a lot of people off: it’s often simplistic(sometimes overly so), and has a ton of run-on sentences, especially when talking about Noa’s aiSenses. At least with the latter thing, I could excuse it because it very much sounded like autistic ramblings, which is in character for Noa. (Her special interest is clearly AI tech/toys.) But other than that, a couple of character introductions were really awkward to read, and some of the messaging was ramble-y or preachy.

But once I got past that, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would? The Roaring Pebbles group showcased a lot of different kinds of autism, while also managing to highlight the different kinds of intersectional identities autistic kids might have, and keeping distinctive voices for all the group members. One of these methods of doing so was through showcased essays made by the members, some of which remaining anonymous and others not. That’s a lot more interesting than it sounds, I promise!: each essay followed a different (but still related) topic, they were never very long, and it was pretty obvious from the kinds of writing that each kid had a different grasp on their emotions, different upbringings, etc.

Of course, the novel still stays focused on our protagonist, Noa. I liked how her different cultures and intersections were talked about in relation to her autism! Also, because some of the quirks of the writing style actually worked in favor of showing the mindset of an autistic character(see: the rambling, but also some of it was pretty direct?), it felt like you were inside her thoughts for a lot of the book. That counts for both her passions and her most stressful moments. (And sidenote: I really liked how when she heard something ableist, even if it was from another neurodivergent person, she didn’t even attempt to laugh at it and stayed straight-faced lol.) And overall I found her to be a lovable protagonist. Her letters to B when he was in the depression trenches made me tear up.

But seriously though, I loved the group: The different parts of the autism spectrum on full display, how there was just enough time shown for each meeting to make the group’s different goals obvious and their development as a friend group a little more real, and also, there was room for typical teenage shenanigans! There was a kind of stupid love triangle with one of the side characters! Some of the kids are working through their own issues of if they want to stay in their own city or figure out a way to get outside it! I love that for neurodivergent, specifically autistic, protagonists, because of how frequently autistic people can be infantilized.

(It’s also worth noting that there were a couple of awkward moments or conflicts with the Roaring Pebbles. Not anything that wasn’t resolved, though.)

Closing thoughts: 1) I can’t quite grasp the aiSenses. I have tried to. I think the picture book subplot helped me understand them better but I am still confused? 2) While Noa’s Sierra Leonean culture was referenced in her essay that she did on autism assessments being limited in cultural understanding(which was very interesting, by the way! I loved that there were actual citations with actual links provided), other than a few other times in the story, it wasn’t included much? I would’ve liked to see a little more of it. Or maybe I’m forgetting something? 3) Yes, the ending was wish-fulfillment. And yes, it happened pretty quickly. I care a bit about that, especially because Noa could be a liiittle cringe, but overall, this was an optimistic book I was glad to read.

God I would’ve loved to have a group like the Pebbles at my highschool lol

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pre-review:
Noa I love love your ambition but u cannot cure racism even in just two concentrated populations of people lol