Everyday Hero

by Kathleen Cherry

Alice doesn’t like noise, smells or strangers. She does like rules. Lots of rules. Nobody at her new school knows she is autistic, and soon Alice finds herself in trouble because the rules here are different. When she meets Megan in detention, she doesn’t know what to make of her. Megan doesn’t smell, she’s not terribly noisy, and she’s not exactly a stranger. But is she a friend? Megan seems fearless to Alice; but also angry or maybe sad. Alice isn’t sure which. When Megan decides to run away, Alice decides that Megan is her friend and that she needs to help her, no matter how many rules she has to break or how bad it makes her feel.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Canada, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Disability, Autistic Spectrum Disorder

168 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2016

About the author

Kathleen works as a school psychologist in northern British Columbia where she lives with her husband and younger daughter.

Her elder daughter is now enjoying university.

Kathleen is thrilled to the success of her second book, Everyday Hero, through Orca Publishing in March, 2016.

Everyday Hero is a B.C. Book Prize Society Honour Book. It was also a nominee for the Silver Birch Award in Ontario's Forest of Reading Festival and won the Sault Ste Marie Regional Silver Birch Award.

Everyday Hero has also been nominated for B.C.'s Red Cedar Award and in the Hackmatack Award.

Kathleen's first book was released in Fall, 2012.

Kathleen’s writing has been featured in Northword, Highlights for Children, Woman, and Island Parent.

Her post-secondary education was completed through the University of Victoria and she has a B.A. in Creative Writing and history and a Masters of Education in counselling. As well as writing, Kathleen loves to run, hike, travel and read.

Reviews

[Karen Upper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a touching story told completely from Alice's perspective, whose voice is straightforward, unpretentious and frank about life around her. Author Kathleen Cherry has written the character of Alice with a clarity and understanding of Asperger's, that allows us, the reader to capture a glimpse into of this often misunderstood disorder.
The journey of self awareness and discovery that Alice embarks upon, is like peeling away the layers of an onion and at the end we are witness to what a genuine, uniquely and insightful young lady Alice really is!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
FIVE STARS

[Britt N · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet and a little sad story. Alice has Asperger Syndrome and is having troubles fitting in at her new school in Kitamat. But then one day she meets a girl named Megan who stands up to Alice's bullies and becomes Alice's friend. What follows next is a sweet story of true friendship, loyalty and bravery, as Alice tries to help Megan navigate the physical abuse that she suffers at home. Alice then becomes both a hero and a friend, things that she never thought she would be.

[Wunderdrugged · Rating 4 out of 5]

This title is nominated for the 2018 Hackmatack award in the fiction category.
Writing about difficult or sensitive topics for a juvenile audience can be a challenge - one that our author certainly didn't shy away from! Autism, abuse, and drug addiction are all topics that are covered in just over 150 pages. At no point in the story did it get preachy or go into extraneous detail, and I think she struck just the right balance with the intended audience in mind. Alice, our protagonist, is struggling a bit after a move to a new school and recent changes at home. She meets Megan in detention and the two form a tentative friendship. Megan's home life is extremely turbulent and even by times dangerous, and is so farm removed from Alice's reality that she has difficulty understanding. Once Alice makes up her mind about something it's pretty difficult for her to be dissuaded, so when she decided that she has a responsibility to help her new friend there's no stopping her.
I would definitely recommend this book to kids grade 5 and up.

[Kamil L · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good book that shows that different is not bad.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for teachers. Great way to get into the head of a student with ASD!

[Vicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

shout out to all who was also forced to read this
also the two main girls are gay 🤷🏻‍♀️

[bea · Rating 1 out of 5]

i was forced to read this for school.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meet Alice, who has Asperger’s and has just moved to Kitimak and is trying to cope with all the new sights and smells. In detention, she meets Megan, a leather and skulls wearing goth girl and they strike up an unexpected friendship. The story is very well written; Alice's character is very strong and defined, her repetition of facts and definitions clearly illustrates the struggles she has in daily life. The plot is believable, the drama builds gradually and realistically with the characters acting the way you might expect. The length of the story was just right for a tween audience, making this novel a great one to promote discussion and awareness about autism.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, easily understood story of two teens with very different problems, each of whom finds strength in the other.
This book gives an insight into Asperger's from the inside point of view, giving a clearer idea of what a child's world is like. It was well-written and gave an idea of the limitations and also of the possibilities that are sometimes denied in protecting that child. It makes it easier to understand a bit about Asperger's.

[Jaspreet Grewal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good book it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. This book is kinda boring because it's a sad story of a 13 year old girl named Alice with a disorder called Asperger Syndrome. Even though this book is kinda Birmingham it still has a lot learn about Asperger Syndrome including some of the side affects that affect the body (Meaning as in what the person does when they have Asperger Syndrome).There's more to this book so start reading to find out!

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyday Hero by Kathleen Cherry was excellent. I found it insightful and touching. The two main characters were well portrayed and the plot drew me in. I also hope that it will provide additional insight about autism and other disabilities. It is wonderfully written and I encourage everyone to read it.

[naomi casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

i was forced to read this bc it’s my summer reading. that’s all. decent book. would read again, but only if you paid me to do it.

[Johanna Hanneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Navigating the world of adolescence and normalcy is hard for any kid but having a condition that differentiates you from other neurotypical individuals, like Aspergers, can make it exceptionally challenging. Through the lens of Alice, our protagonist, she attempts to live each day as “normal” as she can, while being acutely aware of having Aspergers. She is a loner in her new school, misunderstood and mistreated, until she meets another ostracized student, named Megan. While Megan is neurotypical, she deals with traumatic home issues that make her teenage years extremely difficult. They make an unlikely pair.

Alice finds comfort in predictable routines, watching the ballerinas on her musical box, reading the dictionary, counting numbers, rubbing smooth surfaces, and other self-soothing actions. When she faces something unpredictable, her initial reaction is to self-soothe or head bang. The first time that Alice asks if it’s “normal” to do something is found on page 34, when she asks Megan if it is normal to text [while on the phone]. Once she hears that she does something “normal,” she equates the feeling to being the same when she watches her favorite musical box. This indicates how few successes she has had. An undescribed amount of time later, Alice is delighted that she has a successful night hanging out with Megan and her dad. She later recollects that she didn’t need to do any of the typical self-soothing routines because instead she was able to act like kids (Cherry, p 106). She’s abundantly aware of the fact that part of what makes her so different is her extraordinary attention to details that others around her ignore (Cherry, p 111). As the story progresses, Alice starts to embrace her differences. As the story concludes with her saving Megan from making a terrible mistake, she declares,
yes, I would tell them that I have Asperger’s. But I would also tell them that I was a friend
and I was a hero. I would tell them that I was not average in type, appearance,
achievement, function and development. But then, being average is highly overrated,
(Cherry, p 157).

This book helps represent neurodiversity and its increasing prevalence in our society. Reading a book and getting to know the inner thoughts of Alice can help students understand how others can respond to stimuli differently and that is a beautiful thing. The more that students read books that represent a marginalized member of society, the better we all will be for the exposure to different experiences and situations.

Verdict: Check it out, now!

[Kai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with this one, though it did hold my attention all the way through. My biggest issue was that the protagonist didn't have much of a personality. I was confused about what drove her, what she was going for, what she wanted out of her relationships with her new friend, her dad and her mum. The 'intent' part of her character was just not there. Also - and this may be overly cynical of me - it felt like the author had a list of common autistic traits and decided she wanted to include all of them in every chapter. But as I said, this could be overly cynical of me, and perhaps the author decided to put the focus on the protagonist's autistic traits in order to increase the story's educational value? Which isn't a bad thing necessarily, but without adding a strong sense of who the protagonist is, the risk is that she'll just become a Generic Autistic Person, which I think happened here a bit.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not crying you're crying. Okay I'm crying too...many times throughout this book. Zoe recommended it to me and I loved it. Short, sweet, and to the point. Can't wait till Zoe is awake so I can talk to her about all the things she loved and I loved and our different perspectives - me as the parent and her as the peer. <3

[Time to start reading again · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good for first-person POV. Obviously the author knows what she's talking about. The cast of characters is small enough to provide enough development. I really enjoyed this book and it didn't seem stereotypical at all. Also, the setting was really nice, as I lived in Vancouver area for 10 years.

[Tiffani Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good story about autism and Asperger’s and the strength it takes to live and learn new thinks everyday. Alice’s character demonstrates unmeasurable strength when it comes to protecting her friend Megan. This story is a great read for helping people understand how others are different and how we are the same.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed the idea of this book more than the actual book.

Parts were repetitive, parts fairly contrived, and lots fell flat.

But, I rounded up to three stars because it is mostly a decent read dealing with important topics.

I wouldn't avoid other books by this author, but I am not sure that I would seek them out either.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this amazing book in one sitting. Alice's first person narrative quickly involves you in the story. She has Asperger's but no one at her new school knows. She meets Megan in detention and finds an unlikely friend. Alice copes with many of her own fears to help Megan.

[Julie Plummer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the moral of the story: Everyday Hero. The message was perfect that children with Asperger's are fighting a fight every day. I liked how it got into the head of the Aspie girl.

[Sabina · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it comes to writing from an ASD perspective, this was done brilliantly. I think if a Young Adult was reading this book, they would enjoy it. As an adult, it may not feel the same. Enjoyed the relationship between Alice and Megan.

[kiara d-m · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5

[Deepak Shroff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book.

I liked the confidence and determination in Alice. This is an excellent book for kids especially. It also showed friendship which is very important.

[Sarah PM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down. Can't wait to get this in the hands of my middle schoolers.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

And I thought Megan was going to be the hero of this story!

[Ignacio Lucano · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

very very interesting, you get to know the characters very well and it helps you become educated on asperger. overall, great.

[cecy · Rating 1 out of 5]

i was forced to read it for class, i wouldn’t be in agony if i was forced to read it again, if it was a choice i wouldn’t even pick it up

[Dorothea · Rating 5 out of 5]

crying this book is my everything i love it

[Barrette Plett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting. Good portrayal of the protagonist and a few chuckles too.

[Jen (chekherjoy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
My video review can be found here: https://youtu.be/q5Eh29NjbZM

Alice has Asperger's and it doesn't take long for her odd behavior to land her in detention, where she meets Megan. Megan is also sorta weird and the two form an unlikely friendship. When Megan tries to runaway, can Alice be a hero?

I really enjoyed this book. I found Alice's logical, black and white view of the world oddly comforting.