Lisa and the Lacemaker: An Asperger Adventure

by Kathy Hoopmann

'This book is the third in the series to feature Ben and Andy but this book focuses on a young girl called Lisa who has Asperger syndrome. As with the other Asperger adventures, the book explores features of Asperger syndrome.This book is aimed at the 9 - 12 age group and is suitable for both girls and boys, although girls might find it particularly good reading. This is my favourite of the three books in the series.'

- Communication

When Lisa discovers a derelict hut in her friend Ben's backyard, she delights in exploring the remnants of an era long gone. Imagine her surprise when Great Aunt Hannah moves into a nursing home nearby, and reveals that once she was a servant in those very rooms. The old lady draws Lisa into the art of lace making and through the criss-crossing of threads, Lisa is helped to understand her own Asperger Syndrome. But Great Aunt Hannah also has a secret and now it is up to Lisa to confront the mysterious Lacemaker and put the past to rest.

Genres: Fiction, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Childrens, Middle Grade

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa lives largely in a world of her own, tolerating a select few friends and family members but otherwise extremely sensitive to sensory over-stimulation. But that doesn't mean she doesn't have a strong imagination or a rich mental landscapes; and it doesn't mean she is unable to focus on things that matter to her, or to say things as she sees them. For Lisa, as is immediately made clear, has Asperger's Syndrome.

One day, in the backyard of her only friend Ben---who also has Asperger's---she unexpectedly comes across a door obscured by undergrowth. This turns out to be the lost and forgotten servants' quarters of the Victorian house in which Ben's family now live. In exploring it she starts to uncover its secrets, leading to family histories involving long lost loves, the ancient art of lacemaking, and the ghost of one of the dwelling's former residents.

Lisa and the Lacemaker is an engaging short read aimed, I would guess, at pre-teens. The author, based in Australia's Queensland, has crafted a charming ghost story that is likely to appeal to all bookish youngsters but most especially those with Asberger's Syndrome. The publishers are best known for their works on autism spectrum, social work and other therapies, for example, with fiction and non-fiction lists covering mental health, counselling and palliative care. As a result, it's hard to avoid the educational emphasis of this children's novel, highlighting as it does the kind of emotions, behaviours and mental processes that many on the spectrum (and not just Lisa) may be associated with. As someone on the spectrum, I can vouch for many of the symptoms that Lisa displays as being typical of the condition.

But does that make the entertaining aspect of this fiction poorer? I don't think so: as a narrative of discovery and of twists and turns it's for children of all ages and abilities, whether on the spectrum or not. Lisa finds a new friend in a great aunt, an adult who truly understands her; she has a new interest---uncovering the dwelling's backstory---which she can obsess about; and she comes across and then develops a new skill with a hobby that relies on care and precision, namely lacemaking.

That this interlace, and especially the crucial thread known as the gimp, becomes a metaphor for Lisa to engage more with society is just one, maybe the most important, aspect that adds to the mini-tapestry of the narrative. And one can argue---as Lisa and the Lacemaker itself illustrates---that much fiction includes an implicit moral in its telling, teaching us lessons about life and giving guidance on how to think and behave.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa and the Lacemaker: An Asperger Adventure by Kathy Hoopmann is an engaging mystery which both entertains and also highlights the challenges and positives for ASD kids.

When Lisa discovers a hidden cottage in her friend's Ben's big garden, she becomes intrigued by her grandmother's tales of the old lacemaker and in the craft of making lace. In the process of discovery, she not only learns about secrets from the past, but also about herself - like the gimp in lacework.

Lisa and the Lacemaker: An Asperger Adventure is an easy read, well-paced and has a satisfying ending. The books as delightful illustrations. Lisa and Ben are great characters, both on the ASD spectrum, both likeable and believable, Granny is adorable - and, while Lisa's mum initially seemed inpatient and not really understanding her daughter, this changed as the story progressed and both she and Ben's mum were sympathetic characters, while exasperated at times, clearly loving and wanting the best for their children. There is a suggestion of a ghost throughout the adventure, or a spirit of the past, but the real magic I think is in Lisa and Granny's relationship, both of whom are the gimp in their own unique ways, that different thread that gives the pattern it's character.

Lisa and the Lacemaker: An Asperger Adventure also comes as a graphic novel, which is a great idea -but the original story is well worth reading.

[Saph · Rating 1 out of 5]

There’s a scene in the late part of this graphic novel where two parents - Lisa’s mother and (iirc) a mother of her friend - bemoan the fact that the childrens’ hyperfixations change over time, and that they could be the “next Bill Gates” if they just had a “little more focus.” This sort of scene is (unfortunately) common in youth lit focused on autism - a quiet warning to young readers that if their autism doesn’t profit society in some way, then they will be perceived as a burden even by their closest loved ones.

I cannot recommend this graphic novel to young autistic readers at my library, not if it’s going to reinforce that kind of message and fail to criticise it in any way.

[Dirk Bannion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this series on recommendation for my son who is autistic. He really enjoyed them and was able to relate well to the main characters awkwardness and inward feelings. Recommended for anyone with an autistic child to read together with them.

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lisa and the Lacemaker has only an echo of fantasy in it – I wonder if it qualifies as part of the genre at all. An old wrong, an old craft, perhaps an old ghost. The focus of the novel is on the inner thoughts of a child with Aspergers, as is Of Mice and Aliens, a title with several layers of fun and pun.

[Tweedledum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathy Hoopman's gentle stories are ideal for introducing a child to Asperger Syndrome through a hero or heroine. Lisa is intelligent and quirky. We are encouraged to embrace her difference not condemn it.

[Justin Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this series on recommendation for my son who is autistic. He really enjoyed them and was able to relate well to the main characters awkwardness and inward feelings. Recommended for anyone with an autistic child to read together with them.

[Jesse Freedom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, except for the occasional head-hopping, and the scene in which the mothers talk about their autistic children in a negative way.