Module 7 - Realistic Fiction Novel

 

Baskin, N. (2009). Anything but typical.
New York, NY: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers.


 

Summary:
Jason is an autistic boy who struggles to fit in with his peers.  He sees the world through different eyes and the author gives us some of that insight in the struggles that Jason faces at school and in life in general.  Jason begins to see his struggles differently after he meets girl who has struggles of her own.

My Impression:
This story was well written to expose the reader to the struggles this autistic boy dealt with.  Jason, the autistic boy, tells the story and shares many different situations he deals with at home and at school.  This is a great read for anyone who has dealings with autistic individuals.  It should give you a real perspective of what goes on in their minds.

Review:
Anything but Typical
Booklist
Gr. 4-7 *Starred Review* Baskin tells this luminous story entirely from the point of view of Jason, an autistic boy who is a creative-writing whiz and deft explainer of literary devices, but markedly at a loss in social interactions with “neurotypicals” both at school and at home. He is most comfortable in an online writing forum called Storyboard, where his stories kindle an e-mail-based friendship with a girl. His excitement over having a real friend (and maybe even girlfriend) turns to terror when he learns that his parents want to take him on a trip to the Storyboard conference, where he’ll no doubt have to meet her in person. With stunning economy, Baskin describes Jason’s attempts to interpret body language and social expectations, revealing the extreme disconnect created by his internalization of the world around him. Despite his handicap, Jason moves through his failures and triumphs with the same depth of courage and confusion of any boy his age. His story, while neither particularly heartbreaking nor heartwarming, shows that the distinction between “normal” and “not normal” is whisper-thin but easily amplified to create the chasm between “different” and “defective.” This is an enormously difficult subject, but Baskin, without dramatics or sentimentality, makes it universal. As Jason explains, there’s really only one kind of plot: “Stuff happens. That’s it.”
Chipman, I. (2009). Anything but typical. Booklist, 105(11), 40.

Suggested Library Use:
Before reading this book use a KWL chart to see what students know about autism, questions they have and adding what they learn once they have finished reading this novel.  This would be a great book to use to teach students about this particular disability.  There are several vocabulary words students may be unfamiliar with that will provide opportunity to use a dictionary to find the meaning of the words.