Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Baskin, N.R. (2009). Anything But Typical.  New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Anything But Typical was written by Nora Raleigh Baskin.  It won the Schneider Family Award for middle school, which is given to authors or illustrators who discuss the life experiences of a child with a disability. In Anything But Typical, Jason Blake, a 12 year old autistic boy struggles to fit in. During the story, you start  to understand how he feels in typical, everyday situations.

According to several online book reviews, the story paints a very realistic picture of what it’s like to live with autism.  This book would be a good read aloud for the classroom to prompt discussion among students in an effort to create an inclusive, compassionate classroom environment. Additionally, this book could be used in literature circles because it lends itself well to small group discussion. Outside of the classroom, I think this would be a valuable book for teachers of students with disabilities to read to gain an understanding of what it is like to live with a disability.

The author’s writing style lacks flow in some portions of the book, but overall it was easy and interesting to read. Anything But Typical is told from Jason’s perspective which offers incredible insight into the mind of an autistic child. I really enjoyed reading this story and believe it would be a nice addition to a middle school classroom or library.

(Image retrieved from amazon.com)