Making It Up

as we go along

2015

M is for autism by The Students Of Limpsfield Grange School and Vicky Martin

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Buy M is for Autism at Amazon.

Buy M is for Autism at JKP books.

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M. That’s what I’d like you to call me please. I’ll tell you why later.

Welcome to M’s world. It’s tipsy-turvy, sweet and sour, and the beast of anxiety lurks outside classrooms ready to pounce. M just wants to be like other teenagers her age who always know what to say and what to do. So why does it feel like she lives on a different plane of existence to everyone else?

Written by the students of Limpsfield Grange, a school for girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder with communication and interaction difficulties, M is for Autism draws on real life experiences to create a heartfelt and humorous novel that captures the highs and lows of being different in a world of normal.

A collaborative novel by The Students Of Limpsfield Grange School and their drama and creative writing teacher, Vicky Martin, M is for autism is like no book I’ve ever read before. Autistic girls and women rarely feature in fiction, and I cannot think of any portrayal of the condition I’ve ever read that rang so true for me.

M is anxious. Or more accurately, and she does like to be accurate, chased and tormented by anxiety. She explores the sensation and experience thoroughly as she tries to work out what is wrong with her (nothing, says her counsellor, nothing wrong, different) and what she could do to be normal, to fit in. Isn’t that what every girl wants?

It’s not actually what I wanted, but just like non autistic people, all autistic people are different. The fight for understanding, self control, and diagnosis is all described here, clearly and succinctly. I particularly love how her obsession is woven into her daily life and her life is built matter of factly around her obsession, because that is how it is.  The effect of her autism on M’s family and potential friends is covered (not all families break up, but some most certainly do) and the relationship between M and her mum, told from both viewpoints, is in some ways one of the most difficult parts to read. The contact between M and her counsellor, Fiona, (I love the visual aspects of this part of the book) serves to explain to M and to us much of what can be confusing around autism, and as well as strengthening the narrative, it adds to the informative aspects of the story.

This is a very short book. I wanted much much more. I want to know all of M’s story and more about her family, particularly her father. But the plus side of it being so short is that I will be very happy to recommend this to anyone and everyone who would like a glimpse into the world of a female autistic teenager. (It should be required reading for all teachers for a start. )

It’s not just boys. And we don’t grow out of it. We may mask it better, squash down the anxiety and tics and obsessions but they are probably still there for all of is to some degree. (I’m chewing the inside of my lip as I write this on my phone in the garden, power is off in the house just now. Can’t make a coffee. Twitch. ) But that doesn’t make us wrong. Or lesser. Or broken. I like the undercurrent of positivity in this story, and that too rings true for me. What girls like M  (and the women like me they grow up to be) need is understanding.

Nerdy, shy and socially unacceptable
Nerdy, shy and socially unacceptable
Pretending to be normal
Pretending to be normal
From here to maternity by Lana Grant
From here to maternity

Disclosure I was supplied with a copy of this book by the publishers JKP Books via Netgalley. Amazon and publisher links are affiliate links.

One by Sarah Crossan

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I read One in one sitting I think. It’s that kind of book. It wraps around you and carries you along, though it’s not a fast paced adventure, far from it. Unless growing up is an adventure, which I guess it kind of is.

Sarah Crossan’s writing has a poetic quality, lyrical and lovely. The other book I’ve read recently that it reminded me of was Red Leaves Falling, and there are similarities to the plot in some ways. Life changing illness features in One, but isn’t the focus. Instead it’s about friendship, connections, new experiences. It’s uplifting and emotional, sad and fitting all at once.

The blurb:

Grace and Tippi are twins – conjoined twins.

And their lives are about to change.

No longer able to afford homeschooling, they must venture into the world – a world of stares, sneers and cruelty. Will they find more than that at school? Can they find real friends? And what about love?

But what neither Grace or Tippi realises is that a heart-wrenching decision lies ahead. A decision that could tear them apart. One that will change their lives even more than they ever imagined.

From Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this moving and beautifully crafted novel about identity, sisterhood and love ultimately asks one question: what does it mean to want and have a soulmate

I’m always a bit nervous when books mention homeschooling, but this is sensitively covered. In fact I complimented Sarah on it when I met her at the YALC fringe event 😉 It’s not the important factor though money does drive the story forward. This is much more about characters than plot, and the characters are well worth focussing on.

Basically, I loved this book. I love the people, the writing, and even though I may have cried, I’ve now got two more Sarah Crossan titles on my TBR pile.  

<a href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1408863111/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1408863111&linkCode=as2&tag=makingitup-21″>One</a><img src=”http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=makingitup-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1408863111″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” /> is out on the 27th August, and is available for preorder from a variety of retailers, as well as via my handy Amazon affiliate link.

fire colour one by Jenny Valentine

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fire-colour-one-jenny-valen

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Iris’s father, Ernest, is at the end of his life and she hasn’t even met him. Her best friend, Thurston, is somewhere on the other side of the world. Everything she thought she knew is up in flames.

Now her mother has declared war and means to get her hands on Ernest’s priceless art collection. But Ernest has other ideas. There are things he wants Iris to know after he’s gone. And the truth has more than one way of coming to light.

I read this on the train to and from YALC this weekend. It was a perfect read to wrap around a bookish trip away.

Iris is not a lovable character, but quite a few of us aren’t as teens. And as you find out more about her background, you begin to see why. Not that she is excused her faults or foibles, more explained. This isn’t an action or adventure story, don’t be expecting a fast pace, instead it’s an unfolding of relationships, family dynamics, loss and a form of redemption. There are plenty of quirks thrown in along the way – in some ways it feels a little like a mystery being solved, or a puzzle pieced together.

The language and imagery is really rather wonderful. This is not a book that is sparse on description, instead you’re drawn into the world Iris sees: “the chapel’s technicolour carpets looked like off-cuts from The Shining, from a shut-down Las Vegas casino”. And the characters unfold around her through her eyes, and somewhat caustic observations, as she gradually learns the truth about her life, and we get to know her almost as she gets to know herself.

The book starts with fire, death and loss, and fire is a understated theme throughout. Again, the descriptions surrounding it are incredibly immersive, as we learn how, and why, Iris’s relationship with fire might be the only constant that she has.

I didn’t guess where this story was taking us, and I won’t say anything to spoil it for anyone else. But it is a story that will stay with me I think, and I’m already contemplating a reread. This is a thoughtful exploration of a girl in crisis, and I highly recommend it.

The book is out already (see link above), but I also found a competition to win one of 5 copies of it via worldbookday here so good luck with that! (Closes 31 July 2015)

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the boy who loved rain
the boy who loved rain
Nightbird by Alice Hoffman
Nightbird by Alice Hoffman

Disclosure – Fire colour one was provided free of charge for review via Netgalley.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

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Only in wartime could a stalwart lass from Manchester rub shoulders with a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a special operations executive. When a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France, she is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in ‘Verity’s’ own words, as she writes her account for her captors.

Truth or lies? Honour or betrayal? Everything they’ve ever believed in is put to the test…

Tim read this months ago, maybe a year or more, and has been nagging encouraging me ever since to read it. And a while back I did pick it up and start it and while it was OK, it just didn’t really grab me, and I put it down again.

Then I did my unfinished books post. And started finishing books.

Maybe it was just that the start was a little slow. Also, what the narrator is saying about herself doesn’t make for easy reading. She’s not a lovable character – she doesn’t seem to like herself very much. But the story that she’s telling grows more and more interesting, and then when the book switches to the second viewpoint, it all becomes so much clearer.

I kind of want to go back and read the beginning now that I’ve read the end. Pick out the clues that I’m sure are there. Read the subtexts, the story between the lines. This is a book that will stand reading, rereading, discussion and debate I think. And also, maybe this time I’ll be able to read the end without crying, because quite frankly, I wept buckets.

There’s a page, you’ll know it when you reach it, that I had to stop and reread three times until I accepted it. (I hate spoilers in reviews, I hope that’s non spoilerish enough!) I’m still slightly stunned. But it was right. It fitted. You know how sometimes a book has a twist, and it’s so obviously just to get the writer out of a plot hole? This isn’t a twist as such, it’s just not where you expect/ hope the story to go. And that’s as much as I’m going to say.

Tim is reluctant to read any more books by this author because he doesn’t see how they could be as good as this. I think if they’re half as good they’ll be good enough, so I’m going to seek them out. And we’re proposing this as a family book club title, think Big will enjoy it, not sure whether Small is quite ready for it yet though – we’ll let him judge. If he isn’t, then we’ll get round to discussing it in a couple of years when he is.

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak

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Perfect for fans of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak is Stonewall Award-winning author Brian Katcher’s hilarious he said/she said romance about two teens discovering themselves on an out-of-this-world accidental first date at a sci-fi convention.

When Ana Watson’s brother ditches a high school trip to run wild at Washingcon, type-A Ana knows that she must find him or risk her last shot at freedom from her extra-controlling parents.

In her desperation, she’s forced to enlist the last person she’d ever want to spend time with—slacker Zak Duquette—to help find her brother before morning comes.

But over the course of the night, while being chased by hordes of costumed Vikings and zombies, Ana and Zak begin to open up to each other. Soon, what starts as the most insane nerdfighter manhunt transforms into so much more. . . .

I started this in a tent at Kentwell on our last morning there, having had it sat throughout the week untouched. There isn’t actually a lot of spare time around the whole wrangling children, reenacting and walking to and fro that goes on there.

Shame really, as it’s exactly the kind of light entertainment I could have done with if I hadn’t been kind of exhausted throughout. It’s not challenging at all, and nothing terribly unexpected, but for those days that you just need something fluffy, pretty much perfect.

The romance is lighter than expected, it’s more about coming of age distilled into one evening. Think John Hughes movie without the depth and you’re in the right zone. There is a little romance, as well as a lot of silliness and a fair number of in jokes, so if you’re not up to date with your Trek v Wars, some of this may go over your head.

Do I recommend it? If you’re looking for good YA romance, I’d go for a Jen E Smith first of all to be honest, but if you like a bit of SF con with your romance, this will be perfect. I’ve handed it off to the teen, I’ll let you know what she thinks if she gets round to reading it.