Anything But Typical

By Nora Raleigh Baskin

Rating: 4 1/4 stars

Jason is a 12 year old autistic boy who loves to write stories on Storyboard, an online site. But life for Jason is difficult. He cannot always control his hands, his actions, his behavior. He has no real friends in school, well, maybe one, Aaron. Girls just think he's weird, so Josh knows he'll never have a girlfriend. His mother is constantly working on making Josh as normal as possible and he hates disappointing her over and over again. But he makes a connection with PhoenixGirl, a fellow Storyboard member, who is enthusiastic about his stories and their story talk turns more personal. Could Josh finally have a friend? Then his parents tell Josh that he can go to the Storyboard conference this year and Josh is thrilled...until he learns PhoenixGirl is also going to go. Can their new friendship survive once she actually sees Josh as he is? In turns heartbreaking, honest, and emotional, readers get a clear glimpse into the autistic, not "neurotypical" mind of Josh and may well be surprised at what they may find. A very interesting read.