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Anything But Typical by Nora Baskin

Page history last edited by Lynell Butler-Williams 13 years, 6 months ago

 

 

 

Autism, or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD),

is a complex and unique way of decoding

the world. On the following website you can

find out more about the disorder and how it affects people: 

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/asd.cfm  

 

Jason Blake is an autistic 12-year-old living in a neurotypical world. Most days it's just a matter of time before something goes wrong. But Jason finds a glimmer of understanding when he comes across PhoenixBird, who posts stories to the same online site as he does.

 

Jason can be himself when he writes and he thinks that PhoneixBird-her name is Rebecca-could be his first real friend. But as desperate as Jason is to met her, he's terrified that if they do meet, Rebecca wil only see his autism and not who Jason really is.

 

Anything But Typical is a realistic depiction of an autistic boy's struggles-and a story for anyone who has ever worried about fitting in.

 

Description retrieved from:

http://books.simonandschuster.ca/Anything-But-Typical/Nora-Raleigh-Baskin/9781416963783

Questions to think about: 

Put your answers to the questions and any comments about the book below in the comments section.

 

How do we know, right from the beginning of the book, that Jason is not a typical twelve-year-old? Name some of the characteristics he exhibits. Are these behaviors things you have seen before? 

 

What does Jason do well? What is he particularly knowledgeable about?

 

When Jason and Rebecca begin to correspond on the writing website, how does it affect Jason's life? Is he successful in sharing this relationship with others? How does it change how he feels about himself?

 

What happens to Jason after he meets Rebecca? Is Jason's reaction to Rebecca understandable? If you were Rebecca and had just met Jason, how do you think you would react? What questions would you ask yourself? What happens in the writing workshop that turns Jason around? How is he able to communicate with Rebecca the last time they see each other?

 

Through Jason's voice, we can experience the thoughts and perceptions of an autistic child. Do you think readers of this story will have a better understanding of autism?

 

Discussion questions retrieved from:

http://books.simonandschuster.ca/Anything-But-Typical/Nora-Raleigh-Baskin/9781416963783/reading_group_guide

 

Comments (4)

Jordan B said

at 9:02 pm on Nov 11, 2010

So far this book is very good and i cant wait 2 finish it!! if any body has finished it please write a review 4 it i would appreciate that

Lynell Butler-Williams said

at 8:52 am on Nov 15, 2010

Jordan, I really liked this book. It gave me insight about what it is like to be autistic and hopefully, I'll use that insight to better work with students and others with autism.

Jordan B said

at 5:33 pm on Nov 22, 2010

This book is amazing i loved it soooo much. I would recommend this book to anyone!!!! Just like ms.brown it gave me an insight about what it's like autistic.

Mario StoD said

at 10:38 pm on Nov 27, 2010

I loved the book also. It was interesting how the author chose the character to be autistic and how he has to deal with the problems. I also thought that "accepting yourself" is something a reader can learn through reading the book.

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