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thebooklender's review against another edition
4.0
A short, easy to read story about Ben, a boy with Asperger Syndrome, and his friend Andy who find a mysterious old blue bottle buried in their school's garden. The simplistic art style, whilst not spectacular, fits well with the story.
A tale about friendship, genies and being different.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.
A tale about friendship, genies and being different.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.
jmanchester0's review against another edition
4.0
I'm always impressed when an author can get inside someone's head and give a little bit of their point of view. While this isn't ever completely possible to do, I think the author does a decent job of it here.
It's an interesting story, though at times it seems a bit too simply-written when the story doesn't require it (like when two adults are conversing). But I think thats so y'ounger minds can absorb it. And maybe it's part of the narrative, too.
Interesting that it's written around the finding of the blue bottle - where all of the story has something to do with the bottle; yet none of it really does.
Of course, the main point is to tell the story from the POV of someone with Aspergers; and for that, I recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for a copy in return for an honest review.
It's an interesting story, though at times it seems a bit too simply-written when the story doesn't require it (like when two adults are conversing). But I think thats so y'ounger minds can absorb it. And maybe it's part of the narrative, too.
Interesting that it's written around the finding of the blue bottle - where all of the story has something to do with the bottle; yet none of it really does.
Of course, the main point is to tell the story from the POV of someone with Aspergers; and for that, I recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for a copy in return for an honest review.
tealmango's review against another edition
4.0
Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/arc-roundup-january-edition/
*Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am passingly familiar with Asperger Syndrome because of my college education classes, and as far as my limited knowledge goes, this book does a great job of depicting a kid who has AS. Ben really wants to please his family, his teacher, and his classmates, but he seems to be constantly misunderstanding them and doing things wrong. When he and his friend Andy find a bottle at school, strange things start to happen. Ben has to adjust to new things along the way, and his family learns better ways to help him with the transition.
It sounds kind of preachy when you describe it, but the graphic novel format keeps the book from being a thinly disguised manual for kids. It’s short and sweet, pretty fun on its own merits, but even better because it teaches about a group of kids on the autism spectrum who are often misunderstood.
*Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am passingly familiar with Asperger Syndrome because of my college education classes, and as far as my limited knowledge goes, this book does a great job of depicting a kid who has AS. Ben really wants to please his family, his teacher, and his classmates, but he seems to be constantly misunderstanding them and doing things wrong. When he and his friend Andy find a bottle at school, strange things start to happen. Ben has to adjust to new things along the way, and his family learns better ways to help him with the transition.
It sounds kind of preachy when you describe it, but the graphic novel format keeps the book from being a thinly disguised manual for kids. It’s short and sweet, pretty fun on its own merits, but even better because it teaches about a group of kids on the autism spectrum who are often misunderstood.
masonlou8's review against another edition
3.0
I was provided a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest opinion.
The artwork in this graphic novel is very simplistic and colourful, easy to follow as targeted for middle grade.
I enjoyed this Graphic Novel it was very informative on a basic level, it showed family dynamics and symptoms of aspergers. I believe this should be put in all schools for children to read, to recognise that there are illnesses out there that define people the way they are. I have only really learnt about AS in my adult life, this could be that it's more recognised and understood now.
There are several characters in this story that surround Ben and you get to see all their ways in which they communicate.
Grandma is around to look after Ben when his father is working, she is very supportive and understanding and is a go between Ben and his father.
The dad, is a stereotypical dad, wants his son to be good at sports and have a rough and tumble, he doesn't understand why Ben is the way he is and clearly gets frustrated when Ben can't explain himself.
Andy, Ben's best friend, is a decent kid and is very tolerant but he himself also gets frustrated with Ben on occasions but sticks with him, its great to see that true friends will stick around and keep coming back.
The teacher (I have forgotten her name.... it's something double-barreled) is very frustrated, she has her own problems too, but Ben can't read her emotions, he takes things too literally and is mistaken for being rude.
The blue bottle and the genie is just added to make the story interesting for the kids to read, It doesn't have any real relevance to AS.
This book looks at family dynamics, friendship, bullying and obviously Aspergers Syndrome.
This is such an easy read, definitely one to read with kids to make them more aware or anyone that has never heard of AS as it shows all they symptoms in Ben's character.
Overall I rated this 3.5 stars out of 5.
The artwork in this graphic novel is very simplistic and colourful, easy to follow as targeted for middle grade.
I enjoyed this Graphic Novel it was very informative on a basic level, it showed family dynamics and symptoms of aspergers. I believe this should be put in all schools for children to read, to recognise that there are illnesses out there that define people the way they are. I have only really learnt about AS in my adult life, this could be that it's more recognised and understood now.
There are several characters in this story that surround Ben and you get to see all their ways in which they communicate.
Grandma is around to look after Ben when his father is working, she is very supportive and understanding and is a go between Ben and his father.
The dad, is a stereotypical dad, wants his son to be good at sports and have a rough and tumble, he doesn't understand why Ben is the way he is and clearly gets frustrated when Ben can't explain himself.
Andy, Ben's best friend, is a decent kid and is very tolerant but he himself also gets frustrated with Ben on occasions but sticks with him, its great to see that true friends will stick around and keep coming back.
The teacher (I have forgotten her name.... it's something double-barreled) is very frustrated, she has her own problems too, but Ben can't read her emotions, he takes things too literally and is mistaken for being rude.
The blue bottle and the genie is just added to make the story interesting for the kids to read, It doesn't have any real relevance to AS.
This book looks at family dynamics, friendship, bullying and obviously Aspergers Syndrome.
This is such an easy read, definitely one to read with kids to make them more aware or anyone that has never heard of AS as it shows all they symptoms in Ben's character.
Overall I rated this 3.5 stars out of 5.
seawarrior's review
informative
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I specifically chose this story because I myself am autistic, and look out for autistic representation in comics. I think this book is a decent informative resource for autistic children and those seeking to understand them, primarily when it comes to differences socializing.
I appreciated that Ben's family and teachers accept that the fair thing to do is to alter some of the ways they speak to Ben and explain things to him, and to have patience when he doesn't respond to situations the way they'd expected.
However, I would have really loved to see the people around Ben gain an understanding of what stimming is. Most autistic people have been treated poorly for stimming behaviors, so seeing Ben experience backlash for them was unfortunately very relatable. This portrayal isn't very validating though since the negative treatment Ben receives is never contrasted with any sort of empathy or apology later on. I worry this may send a wrong message to people that rudely telling an autistic person to suppress their stimming is okay.
My other main issue with the book is that the term 'Asperger's syndrome' is used instead of autism. Yet I'm willing to look past that in this instance since the original book this graphic novel is based on was written years before Asperger's and autism were officially grouped together in the DSM-5.
Overall I think this is a well written story that can be used effectively to teach young people about how autistic and allistic people have different ways of thinking and experiencing the world. It could have definitely been longer and gone more in depth, but I was glad that the story ended on a happy note with Ben feeling understood.
My other main issue with the book is that the term 'Asperger's syndrome' is used instead of autism. Yet I'm willing to look past that in this instance since the original book this graphic novel is based on was written years before Asperger's and autism were officially grouped together in the DSM-5.
Overall I think this is a well written story that can be used effectively to teach young people about how autistic and allistic people have different ways of thinking and experiencing the world. It could have definitely been longer and gone more in depth, but I was glad that the story ended on a happy note with Ben feeling understood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Death of parent
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