I absolutely adored this book, which was both a bit of a delightful surprise and the first step in laying a foundation of affection for everything that comes after this!

I cannot see this working in my library. While it may turn out to be a touching, unconventional love story starring an autistic boy obsessed with an old novel, it was super hard to get into.

There seems to be this new up and coming trend of using obscure or just plain really old literature as a point of reference for our contemporary heroes. I think this is fine as the few times I've seen it done the authors do a seamless and fluid explanation and summation of what is being referenced. I enjoyed the setting of this book, I enjoyed the fact that this book read like a summer in the French countryside (beautiful, warm, slow, and easy with great food). What I enjoyed most about this book was the relationship between brother and sister, I get so tired of bad sibling relationships but this one was nicely portrayed.

This is a wonderful coming of age book about a 16 year old boy with autism. He is the book's narrator, and the writing is wonderful. Though fiction, it is still a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a person who has autism. It explores areas of his autism, but also areas of life we all face - school, friends, family, romance. I highly recommend it to teens and adults alike.

Read Alike for "Anything but Typical" Narrator is a young man with autism living in France for a short time. He continues his friendships and school via computer but also works to make new friends in his new town and school where his challenges aren't understood.