Wednesday, January 7, 2015

What is Typical Anyway?


"When I write, I can be heard. And known. But nobody has to look at me. Nobody has to see me at all."  
~Anything But Typical


Jason Blake is a twelve year old who struggles to communicate with others around him. He's autistic and sometimes misreads a situation or sees things his own way. In Jason’s world it seems that everyone wants him to be someone else or to feel things differently. Kids at school make fun of him, his teachers get frustrated with him, and even his mom wants him to fit in a little better by changing the way he wears his clothes. The only time Jason feels he can truly be himself is when he writes. Jason has a talent for storytelling, and it makes him feel comfortable because no one looks at him while he writes. He loves the online writing site he belongs to and even makes his first friend, who goes by the name of PhoenixBird. Being friends online is great, but there is a writing conference coming up and PhoenixBird, whose real name is Rebecca, will be there too. Jason doesn't want to go because he's worried about meeting her in person and isn't sure what she'll think of him. Should Jason attend the writing conference? If he does will PhoenixBird still be his friend or will she only see his autism? If he doesn't go will his only friend desert him? We can all learn a lot from the phoenixes in our lives, and Jason will too. You will have to read this book to find out what kind of lesson he learns!

I picked up Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin because I enjoy reading books that help me get into the mind of someone else. I was pulled into Jason’s story and could easily relate to him. I think many of us are insecure about ourselves and afraid to reveal who we really are to others. Jason loves to write and can be himself when he's putting his writing out there on the internet. I also find writing to be very freeing, so right away I connected to him. I was happy that Jason made a friend online, but I worried about what she would think of him in person. Seeing the world from a different perspective helps us to be more compassionate. I would recommend this book to readers in grades four and up who want to learn to understand others and see what it's like to walk in their shoes. I think we all feel misunderstood sometimes, and because of that you will relate to Jason and the struggles he's going through. I look forward to reading more books by this author!

Has anyone else read Anything But Typical? Or have you read another book by Nora Raleigh Baskin? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
~ L
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

52 comments:

  1. Not read this but it sounds good. And there's so many kids who suffer from autism who this book would probably appeal to. Thanks for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Natalie- With so many people diagnosed with autism it is a great book for kids who have been diagnosed, their siblings, parents, or friends. :) ~L

      Delete
  2. Oh this sounds like a great read and I love that it has an autistic boy in it. So many live with it and it's encouraging to read stories like this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TBM- It is a great read! I liked getting into Jason's head and seeing things from his point of view. :) ~L

      Delete
  3. This sure sounds like a good one, as every one has felt misunderstood at a time or two in life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pat- It is! We can all relate to feeling misunderstood for sure! :)
      ~L

      Delete
  4. This sounds great! Definitely an interesting perspective on the world, and it's always good to see things from another person's pov!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a sweet story! This sounds like one I'd definitely enjoy. I used to teach and autistic boy who could only communicate in single and sporadic words. He was so loving though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crystal- I bet you would love this book. It is a fast read and definitely made me think. Wonderful to learn that you worked with an autistic boy. I am sure you learned a lot from each other. :) ~L

      Delete
  6. I haven't heard of this book, but it sounds like the kind of story I would like to read. I will be looking for it in the library next trip.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alex- I hope you find it at the library! Or you can enter to win a copy on the author interview. :) ~L

      Delete
  7. Sounds like a wonderful book! Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  8. It sounds excellent. And an expression of fears that so many of us feel. 'The only normal people are those you don't know very well' - which I need to remember more often. Much more often.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elephant's Child- I think we all need to remember that quote you shared. So true! This is a book we can all relate to on some level (or levels). :) ~L

      Delete
  9. What an awesome plot! Congrats to Nora.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. M Pax- Thanks for visiting! It is a wonderful book! :) ~L

      Delete
  10. This sounds like it touches on so many important topics facing youngsters these days. I am sure it was an impactful read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi- It definitely does! A great read for adults and kids because it is so relevant today. Thanks for stopping in. :) ~L

      Delete
  11. I have been wanting to read this one for a while. I also like reading stories from different point of views or perspectives. I hope the conference works out well for Jason or I will be crushed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adriana- I hope you get to read this one soon. I won't tell you what happens, but I was definitely nervous (like you). Reading books from different points of views is so eye opening! :) ~L

      Delete
  12. I haven't read it, but I'll add it on Goodreads.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sounds like something I would love to read:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gloria- I hope you get to read it in 2015! :) ~L

      Delete
  14. "I enjoy reading books that help me get into the mind of someone else." I love that because those are my favorite kinds of books. This one sounds fantastic! A great review! I knew very little about Autism until I met our neighbor's young son who has it. He is a remarkable sweet child and I will recommend this book to his Mother who has made it her vocation to work with Autistic children. .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anna- How wonderful that you are getting to know your neighbor and her son. I bet this book would be a great one for his mom and for you. I also recommend Rules and Mockingbird, as both have autistic characters (we reviewed them both on the blog if you want to read more about them). Thanks so much for stopping by. Wishing you a Happy New Year! :) ~L

      Delete
  15. I love that this tackles autism. Such an important topic considering so many children are facing it. I will add this to my kids' TBR.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi- It is a great book and an excellent one for your kids' TBR list. I love that you make that list for them! :) ~L

      Delete
  16. It's nice to see a story with an autistic protagonist!

    ReplyDelete
  17. This sounds wonderful! I love the idea of an autistic protagonist, and the premise sounds very compelling. Hard to ignore that beautiful cover, too. Thanks for the recommendation!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Caryn- It is a great book with a character that we can all relate to in some way. I think the cover is just beautiful! Thanks for visiting. :) ~L

      Delete
  18. I think this speaks out to so many of us who spend a lot of time mingling online. We are insecure about meeting our cyber friends. A recommendation I can't miss. I'll check it out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Claudine- Definitely a book that bloggers and online minglers can relate to! We feel like we know our cyber friends so well, but definitely intimidating to meet them in real life! :) ~L

      Delete
  19. Sounds like a great book--going on my list... Thanks for the spotlight!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FT Bradley- It is! Glad you added it to your list. :) ~L

      Delete
  20. This sounds like a great book! I agree, a lot of us are insecure about ourselves and won't easily admit it to anyone. I think this is a book a lot of teenagers can relate to as well. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Olivia- Savannah- I loved that Anything But Typical had so many aspects to it that people can relate to for different reasons. :) ~L

      Delete
  21. Anything but Typical was on our MS reading list for last summer -- many students enjoyed it. Thanks for posting the interview.
    Maggie Knapp
    Middle School/Upper School Library
    Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maggie- Thanks so much for visiting. How wonderful that Anything But Typical was on the summer reading list and so many students enjoyed it. :) ~L

      Delete
  22. I love that quote! I can so relate. That's really sad that he can tell his teacher is frustrated by him. I'd have thought they'd have had an autistic kid before. This sounds like a good book. I'd be so nervous for him to go to the conference though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Molly- The quote jumped out at me too! I was sad that he could sense his teacher was frustrated by him too. I was definitely nervous the whole time he was making his decision about the conference!!! :) ~L

      Delete
  23. This sounds like a wonderful story. Autistic children are so precious. We need to try to view the world from their eyes. A teacher definitely needs to understand them..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beverly- I love what you said. We do need to view the world from their eyes and teachers who understand them certainly help make the world a better place (and the people in their classes better people). :) ~L

      Delete
  24. Great review sweetie. <3 I haven't heard of this book before, but it looks awesome :D And I love the cover. <3 I'm glad you enjoyed it. I haven't read anything from this author, but maybe someday :) I hope you'll read more from her and love them. <3 thank you for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carina- Isn't the cover beautiful? I look forward to reading more by Nora because her books are so real. They have a lot of heart to them! Thanks for stopping in. :) ~L

      Delete
  25. Sounds like a fantastic book. Love the positivity!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by and commenting. We love to hear your thoughts! We had to turn on comment moderation due to a high volume of spam. Fairday's Blog is no longer accepting awards. We appreciate all the nominations that we have received and are honored to have been mentioned! Happy Reading!

Twitter Bird Gadget Twitter Bird Gadget