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     Welcome fellow classmates and teachers to our (Dan and Stephane's) novel study blog! Here we share and you discuss and evaluate with all your ideas and such. By the way, the title may or may not be a Spongebob reference.

P.S. Hope you enjoy the blog, teacher/who ever is looking at this.

 Brilliant and Captivaring, Sept. 15 2005

By 

Mark Wakely

        As both an author and father of a child with Asperger's, I was drawn to this book to see if Haddon could truly capture the unique brilliance and absent social skills of an autistic boy. Not only does he succeed at the task, he adds a healthy dash of humor while avoiding the easy trap of pathos a lesser author might have fallen into. The book is stunning in its accuracy of how those with autism view the world and- just as important- how the world views them. It is this last viewpoint that elevates the book to more than just clever, because we see through Christopher's literal-minded eyes the duplicity of the "normal" world, the world that all assume must be superior. In a way, Haddon's book reminds me of that great short story "Gimpel the Fool" by Isaac Bashevis Singer, a story of a simple man who believes all the lies he's told. In the end, it's not those who tried to trick him, but Gimpel himself who's revealed to be the wisest one for remaining firm in his belief that goodness will prevail. So too does Christopher prevail, his detective work unveiling the truth and overcoming all the futile attempts to thwart or dismiss his meticulous investigation.

        I don't know if I'll ever write a book with an autistic character, but thanks to Mr. Haddon, I feel like it's already been done for me.

        Strongly recommended.


     I strongly agree with Mark Wakely and his review. The way Haddon uses words to describe the world of a person with autism is truly amazing. I can't believe how well done this book is written. I'm almost tempted to read it again. But i can't i must return the book to the library tomorrow. Oh well maybe next time. But yes this review hits this book right on the money and I to recommend this book because of the authors ingenuity and the books captivating features. To add to his review I would say that I enjoyed that their were pictures inside the book. It was a nice little break from all the words and I believe it helps people concentrate. I think that everyone would enjoy this book and I also give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
-Stephane Roy