An amazing young adult novel about a 12 year old girl who has an autistic 8 year old brother. A poignant story that was very enlightening, especially for me as the mother of a child on the spectrum. Catherine is probably the person in her family who most understands her brother. She is his greatest defender while at the same time a victim of it. The story does not just focus on this relationship, though, which is part of its strength. Catherine starts the summer hoping to develop a new friendship with a brand new neighbor. Instead, she develops another strong bond with someone else (I don't want to give anything away). She is an insightful girl and some of the observations she makes are heart wrenching in their truth. The way she and her brother communicate with words from Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad stories are so sweet. The way she communicates with her new friend is amazing and shows her maturity and understanding of others who are unable to be heard in the "normal" ways. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Very impressive first novel!
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