Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion

As a teacher, I know that my students need to learn about those who are different than them so that they are not ignorant. One of the best ways to do this is through reading. There are many books out there now that deal with autism and aspergers to help our young adults learn about these differences.

Yesterday I read Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine whose narrator is a 5th grade girl with aspergers and she has such a beautiful voice. The book does a great job of helping the reader understand and here Caitlin's mind and learning that differences aren't always bad.

I've also read:
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
and The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

What other powerful books have you read that would help our students understand autism and aspergers?

Kellee wrote: "As a teacher, I know that my students need to learn about those who are different than them so that they are not ignorant. One of the best ways to do this is through reading. There are many books ..."

For high schoolers, I'd say Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork.

AngelaSunshine wrote: "For high schoolers, I'd say Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork. ..."

I actually have that book in my classroom library, but I have not read it yet. I hope to in the next 3 months.

The Summer of the Swans has an autistic character. It is less about the autistic brother, and more about the sister, but it's definitely a sweet story. I've read the books you mentioned, other than The London Eye Mystery, and I loved them. I strongly second your recommendation. I will have to look into TLEM.

I actually just barely finished Mockingbird the other day and I was amazed at the strength of character in Caitlin. My heart broke for her, and I was so impressed with the way Erskine was able to portray such a strong and vibrant character. I have a cousin with Aspergers, and I feel like Caitlin is a very realistic character.

Depending on their maturity & level of interest, Temple Grandin's books and Paul Collins'Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism are excellent, with nothing to disturb parents (unlike Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's which is too adult imo).

I too loved Marcelo, Mockingbird, London Eye, and Dog in the Nighttime.

One I haven't read is Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph over Autism but it might be good for a classroom.

A good fiction treatment for upper levels is The Speed of Dark the author's son is autistic. I don't remember however how 'adult' it gets. And some people say the ending is not quite plausible.

Ashley wrote: "The Summer of the Swans has an autistic character. It is less about the autistic brother, and more about the sister, but it's definitely a sweet story. I've read the books you mentioned, other than..."

I listened to the audio version of Mockingbird and (again!) didn't like the voice they gave her. She sounded too... demanding or belligerent or something, IMO. My son has Asperger's, and while many characteristics rang true with Caitlin, I didn't "see" him in her.

But to be fair, he wasn't 100% Marcelo either. I guess that's why they call it an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The "spectrum" is huge.

I don't like audio books Angela. I really struggle with them. So, I can't comment on the audio, but I loved the reading experience. And Caitlin isn't exactly like my cousin, but they share certain traits, or attributes.

I do like that they now refer to it as a spectrum, because there are no two autistic children alike. They are all so very different. My brother in law works a lot with autistic kids, so I always try to pass along this type of book to him also.

Have you read House Rules by Jodi Picoult? I haven't but he has, and he really liked it.

Ashley wrote: "I don't like audio books Angela. I really struggle with them. So, I can't comment on the audio, but I loved the reading experience. And Caitlin isn't exactly like my cousin, but they share certain ..."

It's on my shelf waiting to be read. It sounds good, but is so long! I'm shying away from long books these days. Not sure why, but if it's over 400 pages, I don't even want to pick it up.

Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant is the true story of an autistic savant. I really liked this book.

Yes Julie that was very good, too, thanks for reminding me of it. Again, ok for most teens (he is gay but it's not a major point) but not aimed at them. Memoir.

AngelaSunshine wrote: "Ashley wrote: "I don't like audio books Angela. I really struggle with them. So, I can't comment on the audio, but I loved the reading experience. And Caitlin isn't exactly like my cousin, but they..."

Ya, sometimes that can be off putting. I've only read two Picoult books, but her books do seem to read rather quickly. That might help. :)

Ashley wrote: "AngelaSunshine wrote: "Ashley wrote: "I don't like audio books Angela. I really struggle with them. So, I can't comment on the audio, but I loved the reading experience. And Caitlin isn't exactly ..."

I've actually read a ton of her books and really like them! I'm in one of those reading funks I guess :)

I definitely know how that goes! I'll be interested to see what you think when you get to it! I know my b-i-l really liked it!

There was another thread on this topic. Rather than paste my comment, I'll link to the thread:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...

I just read Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork, and thought it was fabulous and inspiring. All I thought about the whole time I was reading it was how my friend, who has an autistic son, should read this book. That said, I think it would be a great choice as an "awareness" book.

A book on this topic for middle grades is Anything But Typical. Told from the perspective of a student on the Autism spectrum, who describes his classmates as "neurotypicals." He has trouble relating to the other students at school but does find friendship on a writer's website.

Another great book is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close which is written for adults but has a 9 year old narrator. I read it awhile ago, but it is at least appropriate for high school, if not younger. I don't know if it is spelled out, but the narrator speaks like someone on the spectrum.

On a similar vein, Out of My Mind is narrated by a 5th grade girl with cerebral palsy. She struggles with a severely limited body, she cannot talk or walk. She is however very intelligent and struggles to communicate that. The struggles she faces are relevant to other disorders, and the nonverbal aspect may be especially pertinent to those working with children on the autistic spectrum.