4th-7th grade
Twelve-year-old Catherine loves her little brother dearly but there’s a complication: David has autism. Catherine has learned to tolerate his screaming outbursts, precise habits, and inability to observe the norms of society, but she’s afraid that others may not understand him and relay their judgmental feelings on her where she may “become invisible, too.” She soon befriends Jason, a mute paraplegic, but her feelings of self-consciousness do not dissipate until the end. Even though the story holds a theme of acceptance, it is not obviously didactic in the final pages. Rather, Catherine’s gradual realization is supported throughout by the other strongly developed and diverse characters.
The integration of autism does not include scientific observations but has a personal perspective taken from the author’s experience as a mother of two children, one of whom has autism. Yet, this story is not about David, but his sister’s experience with her autistic brother. A low reading level with typical teenage qualms and some humor, it may apply to low level readers, but the unique theme may be too unfamiliar to the reader. This should be a first purchase for libraries due to its highly relevant topic and unique perspective.