This was under the category: A Book With A Character that Has A Disability
This is a story of a girl who has autism. She doesn't know it - only is ever told she is "special". She is in a regular classroom, but spends time daily with a teacher who teachers her the ways of the world. How to look people in the eye, how to start a friendship, how to curb behaviors that others might not like. Caitlyn lives with her father. Her mother had died a few years ago from cancer, and her brother was killed in a school shooting a few months ago. Her father has closed himself off to the world with grief, and Caitlyn doesn't understand what he is going through. Caitlyn befriends a 1st grade boy and with him, learns what it is like to develop a friendship with someone who truly likes her for who she is.
This was a pretty good book. It is written for middle grade, and it is short, so I finished it in a day's time. I think it is a good introduction into the world of Autism for young students. The only part I really didn't like is that they never really told Caitlyn she had Autsim. She would literally say she didn't have it, and the adults would agree with her. Instead of teaching her what was going on with her had a name and that it was okay to have Autism, they swept it under the rug. I think that is the wrong message to send.
Stars: 3
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