JACK AND THE SCARY BEANSTALK : A GRAPHIC NOVEL

In Mighty Jack:  Book One, Ben Hatke twists the classic story of Jack and the Beanstalk into a more diabolical tale where the plants are not helpful tools leading Jack to fame and fortune, but evil forces to be reckoned with.  The author gives Jack an autistic younger sister, responding only to the seeds and plants that come alive in their yard.  Jack also has a another female spitfire in a new home-schooled neighbor, who loves fighting with cool weapons and dragging Jack headlong into anything that looks like an adventure.  

This is for readers in 4th - 6th grades, especially lovers of graphic novels and Ben Hatke. Keep an eye out for the sequel.  

SUMMERLOST

It’s been one year since 12-year old Cedar Lee’s father and autistic younger brother Ben both died in a car accident. Now Cedar, her mother, and youngest brother are spending the summer in the small high desert town of Iron Creek where her mother grew up. It’s a summer where everything is the same, and nothing is the same.

Cedar soon befriends a boy associated with the Summerlost Festival, Iron Creek’s distinguished Shakespearean festival, and becomes preoccupied with the decades old, unexplained death of one of its star actresses. Meanwhile, random trinkets, things that would have caught Ben’s attention, mysteriously appear on Cedar’s windowsill at night. Cedar doesn’t believe in ghosts, but what if Ben is sending her a message?

Summerlost is a middle-grade story of friendship, mystery, grief and healing. Ally Condie beautifully and heartbreakingly captures the complexity of love and guilt experienced by a sibling to a special needs child.

Share with theater lovers and fans of Gary Schmidt, Richard Peck, Cynthia Lord, and Ingrid Law.

Grades 5-8

THE RIGHT THING

Fifth-grader Rose Howard loves homonyms, prime numbers, and cannot help speaking her mind if she sees someone break a rule. Despite doing well in her classes, Rose has a difficult time in school, and is not treated with much sensitivity by her classmates or teachers, and even got banned from taking the school bus after a particularly passionate outburst over the bus driver breaking a rule.

Through it all, Rose's single father refuses to acknowledge that Rose is anything but normal, or that she has no control over her anxiety or obsession with homonyms. But Rose gets along well with her uncle Weldon and her dog Rain, whose name is a homonym and adds up to a prime number. It even seems like Rain is helping Rose make friends in school. But then, Rain goes missing during a storm, and Rose has to devise a plan to find her.

Rain Reign is a candidly told story from the point of view of a girl with Asperger's Syndrome. Rose is a brave girl who tries hard to carve a place for herself in a world that does not always understand her. In the end, Rose has to make difficult choices, but they are ones that bring her closer to people around her. 

This book will appeal to readers in grades 4-6.

THE MYSTERY IS IN THE DETAILS

He's innocent.  Wayne Connelly is innocent of bringing and shooting the gun in the school cafeteria.  Colin knows this because there was frosting all over the gun.  Now he just has to find convince Wayne, his own personal bully since the First Grade, to work with him to find proof of his innocence.  High schooler, Colin has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of auttism, but he knows how to investigate and just like his hero, Sherlock Holmes, he must investigate and solve this mystery.  

Colin Fischer by two local authors, Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz, is a fast read, if one skips all the footnotes.  For readers in 6th-9th grade.  

DANGER IN A BOX

Zoomy wears very thick glasses. He likes to make lists. Some things make him very nervous. But he helps his grandparents and does lots of research at the local library (a really great place to find out about stuff). One day his wayward pop comes along and leaves a big box of junk. Inside there's a mysterious notebook, so Zoomy starts to do research on it. Somehow his investigating ends up in a robbery, a fire and some very scary changes! THE DANGER BOX by Blue Balliett will captivate any reader grades 5 & up.

MY BROTHER CHARLIE

This book does a very good job describing an autistic child, showing that though they may be very quiet at times or sit and play by themselves, they are not different than other children. They have things they love to do and want to play and have fun. The book shows the sense of family togetherness and the many ways to say I love you without always using words.

My Brother Charlie will be greatly enjoyed by families with an autistic sibling and should be shared in elementary classrooms to discuss among the students. Beautiful facial expressions expressing various emotions. Ages 4-8. Written by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete, illustrated by Shane W. Evans.

AUTISM FROM THE INSIDE

Many of us see people with autism, and they are different in some ways. They may scream out in school or flap their arms or bang their head against a wall. This might seem strange to some, but what must it be like for the person who has autism? How do they see themselves? What goes on in their heads? ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL by Nora Raleigh Baskin tells the story of a 12-year-old boy with autism from HIS perspective. How he feels when he starts getting wound up, what causes him to do certain things, and what it is almost like to fall for a girl online who doesn't know he's autistic. This story will show you what it is like to be autistic in a way that will keep you turning the pages until you've finished the book. For grades 5 and up.

APRIL SNACKTIME READERS

This month's book is Rules by Cynthia Lord the story of twelve-year-old Catherine and her brother David. This is not your usual family story that revolves around the typical squabbles between an older sister and her amusing younger brother. David is autistic and that takes him way out of typical. This is a family who focuses all of their attention around this disability. Their story is told by Cynthia and happens one summer when everything turns out not as expected and causes her to question just what normal is.

For grades 5-8

Snacktime Readers meets at the Central Library, 222 East Harvard Street, Glendale, CA 91205. A book discussion group for readers in fourth grade and above along with their parents, this group will get together on Wednesday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Children's Room. Come and join the discussion and share our snacks. For more information, please call (818) 548-2035.