Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Anything But Typical Response

I fell in love with this book. Being inside Jasons's thoughts and reading the way he sees the world was so interesting to me. I don't think a lot of people have had the chance to get inside the head of an autistic child unless you are related to someone that is able to tell you about your feelings. I think this would be such a special book to use in a classroom of students that do not understand anything about autism. Middle grade students have a hard time relating to other students that are different then themselves. I think this book would be such a great opportunity for students to learn more about some of their classmates. It also helps that as a teacher I was able to see what life is like for an autistic child because chances are I might have one in my classroom. Jason was so intelligent and most likely if I were to talk to him in person I might not be able to tell that. I think this is a beautiful book because it shows the depth of his personality and feelings that someone might not be able to see in person. I also just think this book is perfect for this age because almost everyone is worried about fitting in. This was Jason's biggest fear and is also the biggest fear of almost all the students that might be in class with him. I just think learning to be confident in yourself is such a great lesson for any student this age needs to learn and experience. I feel in love with Jason and felt his emotions along with him as I read. I would definitely use this novel in my classroom. I thought it was beautiful.


 

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing so many of the important points from this lovely book. I do think that books like this can help pull us out of the self-focus that we are all so prone to (but perhaps especially in middle school). Helping to develop empathy and understanding is a critical function of literature.

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