****(4) out of 5 Stars!
SYNOPSIS:
Heidi’s brother, Donald, is 16 and Autistic. She has always loved playing with him, but now she's 11 and her life is changing. She’s embarrassed to have her brother around and tries not to tell anyone about him. High school boys bully him. When the kids at her school find out about him, she gets bullied too.
It’s not fair. No one seems to understand what she's going through.
But Heidi needs to understand too. She can't change her brother, but she can change how she feels about him, and she can get people to see why her brother is special.
It’s not fair. No one seems to understand what she's going through.
But Heidi needs to understand too. She can't change her brother, but she can change how she feels about him, and she can get people to see why her brother is special.
REVIEW:
I found this book painful to read. I was hurt for Heidi and all the bad things she had to deal with, especially when her so-called friends started bullying her. And why did they pick on her? Because she had a special needs brother. Of all the stupid reasons! I just wanted to smack the people who were mean to her and Donald. Of course, at some points, that included Heidi. It upset me how mean she often was to her brother, just for being himself.
As the mother of a son with Autism (mine a couple of years younger than his sister), I really felt for Donald. I remember how my kids, now 19 and almost 17, used to play and have so much fun together. But, much like Heidi in the story, my daughter eventually got to where she felt herself too old to do so. I still vividly remember the day my son told her, "I sure miss when you were nice and would play with me." That about broke my heart! And those were the same type of feelings that I had reading this book.
I was glad when Heidi finally had a name to put to Donald's problems. Some people fear labels because they are afraid they will pidgeon-hold people, especially those with special needs. But for those of us to live with them, it is often just easier to deal with and understand if you can put a name to the behaviors they exhibit.
I was also glad when Heidi finally started pushing back against her bullies. I felt that having them help out in the special needs classroom was a brilliant idea. Something that all kids should do sometime, regardless of their attitude toward differently-abled kids, but especially for those who pick on them. I did think that Heidi could have handled things a little better in regards to the apologies from her classmates, but she was still dealing with her own issues as well.
I really enjoyed it when Heidi met Russell, and Alex. To have someone in her life who dealt with many of the same issues with his own sibling, would certainly make her life easier to deal with and understand. Not to mention that he had a great attitude about his brother and the other disabled kids he went to school with, including Donald.
The last chapter was absolutely my favorite of the entire book! I loved it! Even though I found it very bittersweet in regards to my own kids.
This is definitely a book that I recommend for kids with a sibling on the Autism Spectrum, or with any other disability, or who just want to broaden their horizons and learn a bit more about some of the many diverse personalities out there that make up our kalidescope world. A great read especially in April for Autism Awarenesss Month!
As the mother of a son with Autism (mine a couple of years younger than his sister), I really felt for Donald. I remember how my kids, now 19 and almost 17, used to play and have so much fun together. But, much like Heidi in the story, my daughter eventually got to where she felt herself too old to do so. I still vividly remember the day my son told her, "I sure miss when you were nice and would play with me." That about broke my heart! And those were the same type of feelings that I had reading this book.
I was glad when Heidi finally had a name to put to Donald's problems. Some people fear labels because they are afraid they will pidgeon-hold people, especially those with special needs. But for those of us to live with them, it is often just easier to deal with and understand if you can put a name to the behaviors they exhibit.
I was also glad when Heidi finally started pushing back against her bullies. I felt that having them help out in the special needs classroom was a brilliant idea. Something that all kids should do sometime, regardless of their attitude toward differently-abled kids, but especially for those who pick on them. I did think that Heidi could have handled things a little better in regards to the apologies from her classmates, but she was still dealing with her own issues as well.
I really enjoyed it when Heidi met Russell, and Alex. To have someone in her life who dealt with many of the same issues with his own sibling, would certainly make her life easier to deal with and understand. Not to mention that he had a great attitude about his brother and the other disabled kids he went to school with, including Donald.
The last chapter was absolutely my favorite of the entire book! I loved it! Even though I found it very bittersweet in regards to my own kids.
This is definitely a book that I recommend for kids with a sibling on the Autism Spectrum, or with any other disability, or who just want to broaden their horizons and learn a bit more about some of the many diverse personalities out there that make up our kalidescope world. A great read especially in April for Autism Awarenesss Month!
No comments:
Post a Comment