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A review by nicolemhewitt
The Real Boy by Anne Ursu
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This unique middle grade fantasy is about a boy on the spectrum who’s plunged into a role he’s not quite sure he wants to take on when his mentor disappears and leaves him in charge of his magic shop. I loved Oscar as a character. I believe that Ursu did a wonderful job capturing the way that he thinks—how he doesn’t quite understand the world the way everyone else does and has to spend extra time parsing out basic things like facial expressions and conversational skills. I felt that she portrayed his frustrations and doubts in a believable way. And, as always, I adored Ursu’s wonderful prose.
I’ll confess that at one point in the book, I got very nervous about a message related to Oscar’s autism (check out the review on my blog for a spoiler about this. Just click on the spoiler tag once you get there.). But in the end, the message was just what I was hoping it would be—one of acceptance and self-worth. I enjoyed the magical elements and the twists and turns in the story! Overall, this book was a win for me!
NARRATION: Chris Sorenson did a lovely job bringing Oscar’s unique childlike voice to life!
This unique middle grade fantasy is about a boy on the spectrum who’s plunged into a role he’s not quite sure he wants to take on when his mentor disappears and leaves him in charge of his magic shop. I loved Oscar as a character. I believe that Ursu did a wonderful job capturing the way that he thinks—how he doesn’t quite understand the world the way everyone else does and has to spend extra time parsing out basic things like facial expressions and conversational skills. I felt that she portrayed his frustrations and doubts in a believable way. And, as always, I adored Ursu’s wonderful prose.
I’ll confess that at one point in the book, I got very nervous about a message related to Oscar’s autism (check out the review on my blog for a spoiler about this. Just click on the spoiler tag once you get there.). But in the end, the message was just what I was hoping it would be—one of acceptance and self-worth. I enjoyed the magical elements and the twists and turns in the story! Overall, this book was a win for me!
NARRATION: Chris Sorenson did a lovely job bringing Oscar’s unique childlike voice to life!