Lifted from a Tuesday night FB post written not long after I'd finished reading the book. I think "I missed my subway stop because I was reading your book" is one of the highest compliments I can pay an author, and this one did that! I'd intended to share this here then, but then I read that heartbreaking story of that poor woman dying of measles complications and chose to post that instead.
My logging of books I'm reading this year went by the wayside after June for some reason. I think I got a little discouraged by somebody mistaking my list for recommendations - it was a kind comment but sort of embarrassing because I get so many of the books that I read off out of either the giveaway shelf at work, the book swap shelf in the basement, or the local Little Free Library. The result of this is that my reading list is about as well-curated as a squirrel's collection of acorns in the fall.
However, I am going to mention this one, because it was a really good read. It's one from the giveaway shelf at work (I work for Scholastic but this post is purely my personal opinion); it was originally published by Scholastic UK in Spring 2019 and is coming out here in the states in March 2020. It's a middle-grade novel written collaboratively by Libby Scott, a young autistic writer who came to the public eye when her mother shared a short piece she'd written on Twitter and it went viral, and author and teacher Rebecca Westcott.
The main character, Tally, is autistic, and the book begins just as she's getting ready to start 6th grade at a new school and follows her as she tries so very, very hard to fit in. It's so well done, I just found myself really feeling what it felt like to be in Tally's shoes. Interesting thing is that there were descriptions of going into tailspins that just reminded me SO much of things I felt myself as a kid, and even sometimes still as an adult...I read an essay once that really struck me about how children and young adult books can serve as windows or mirrors. This book was a fascinating window into life with a condition I don't really know that much about, but there were mirror moments too as I remembered times when I was just overwhelmed and couldn't keep my feelings in check right when I most wanted to. As far as I know, I'm completely neurotypical, but oh, there was common ground for me here, and I suspect many people would feel the same.
I finished it on the subway ride home tonight and was so engrossed by the end that I missed my stop and had to switch to a train back the other way at King's Highway. That only happens when a book has completely grabbed my attention.
Goodreads page for the book
Window and Mirrors essay
More about the tweet that went viral!
4 comments:
Yes, that IS the best comment, ever! Right after: I stayed up all night to read because I simply couldn't stop!
It sounds like a must-read for sure!
Oh, yeah, that's another really good one, when it's on past midnight and you just can't put it down!
I'm going to hunt this down and read it. I forgot to today (after reading your FB post earlier) when I went to two libraries! Now I have to wait till Monday....
You missed your stop?
Sounds like this book is a winner.
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