Readers' rating:
Published Mar 2009
208 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Jason Blake is an autistic 12-year-old living in a neurotypical world. Most days it's just a matter of time before something goes wrong. But Jason finds a glimmer of understanding when he comes across PhoenixBird, who posts stories to the same online site as he does.
Jason can be himself when he writes and he thinks that PhoneixBird - her name is Rebecca - could be his first real friend. But as desperate as Jason is to met her, he's terrified that if they do meet, Rebecca will only see his autism and not who Jason really is.
By acclaimed writer Nora Raleigh Baskin, this is the breathtaking depiction of an autistic boy's struggles - and a story for anyone who has ever worried about fitting in.
"Starred Review. Baskin's delineation of an autistic boy's world is brilliant, putting readers into Jason's mind, showing how he sees the world, understands how his parents feel about him, frets about fitting in and yearns to find at least one friend in the world. Ages 10-14." - Kirkus Reviews.
" Jason is a believable and empathetic character in spite of his idiosyncrasies. Baskin also does a superb job of developing his parents and younger brother as real people with real problems, bravely traversing their lives with a differently abled child without a road map, but with a great deal of love." - School Library Journal
"Starred Review. This is an enormously difficult subject, but Baskin, without dramatics or sentimentality, makes it universal. As Jason explains, there’s really only one kind of plot: “Stuff happens. That’s it.” Grades 4-7." - Booklist
This information about Anything But Typical was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
LIsa Bevis
Nora Raleigh Baskin was chosen as a Publishers Weekly Flying Start for her novel What Every Girl (Except Me) Knows. She is the author of novels for middle-graders and teens, including The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah and Anything But Typical, which won the ALA Schneider Family Award. Nora lives with her family in Weston, Connecticut.
Link to Nora Raleigh Baskin's Website
Name Pronunciation
Nora Raleigh Baskin: rah-ley (like the explorer) bas-kin (like the icecream company)
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