Sara Leach

Fieldnotes:
Dance Competition, Contemporary (p.2014)

8 Teenage Girls
1 Overly Competitve Dance Instructor
3rd Place Finish

1 Completely Reworked Dance
with Well Described Moves
Many Hours Hard Work
Anger and Resentment

1 Wise Russian Grandmother
Growing as a Team

The Short Version:
Jasmine is the youngest on a lyrical dance team and when they take 3rd place to their biggest rival's 1st, the teacher and team all become hyper-competitive sucking the joy out of dance until they choose to work together.

A short snack of a book - the plot itself is like an episode from a teen TV show (which is fine). The writing really shines in describing the dance and the emotion behind it that made it easy to get a feel for the dance (even to readers without a dance background).… (more)

Lauren is a bit apprehensive about visiting her aunt's farm in North Dakota, especially as her aunt is getting married and Lauren's been tasked with being the flower girl. Also, Lauren sees her noisy cousins for the first time in years and learns several things about the wedding aren't what she was expecting them to be -- which can be particularly challenging for Lauren, who is on the autism spectrum.

This was a charming book that introduces kids to what life is like for someone on the autistic spectrum, or validates their own feelings as someone who has autism. In addition, being a part of a family member's wedding party is something that happens to a lot of young children so this is good for them to read about as well.

The short, plainly worded chapters make for a quick read and the accompanying illustrations are delightful. It's worth noting that pains are taken to show the expressions on the faces of the characters, which is helpful in reading emotions.… (more)

As soon as she gets on the bus, Lauren knows it is going to be a slug day. "On slug days, I felt slow and slimy. Everybody yelled at me. I had no friends." Lauren's day goes from bad to worse as she tries to interact with the other kids and navigate her day, but ends up getting into fights, annoying people, losing her reading time, and just generally having a bad day.

Lauren has Autism Spectrum Disorder and sees the world differently. She has trouble reading social cues and doesn't do well when things change or aren't in the proper order. She works with her parents and teachers to make plans and adjust her behavior but some days are harder than other days. Happily, the next day is a butterfly day! Lauren gets enough stickers in her behavior book to get ice cream and her favorite part of getting ice cream is playing with the goopy bits in the trough. But this time her fingers get stuck.

The days continue, good and bad, with incidents at school, trying to interact (or not) with her baby sister, and working with her parents on Insectia, a crafted home for insects. Lauren goes to therapy and tries to apply what she learns with mixed results. In the end, she does manage to connect with her baby sister and even make a friend at school, although she still has slug days and butterfly days.

An author's note explains a little more about people with ASD and the author's experience as a teacher. Black and white illustrations show Lauren enthusiastically trying to navigate the world, having bad days and good days. This is a gentle introduction to kids who think differently, and while it includes suggestions it is not didactic. It would have been nice to have this written from the perspective of someone who is actually autistic, and not so clearly directed at non-autistic kids as an audience, but it's a good addition to a very small field of literature.

Verdict: Pair this with West Meadow Detectives for stories that include neurodiverse protagonists for young readers.

ISBN: 9781772780222; Published 2017 by Pajama Press; Borrowed from another library in my consortium… (more)

This is a story that can be read by anyone of any age. Lauren is a young girl who has Asperger's syndrome. She does not see things the same way as everyone else. She has problem with social cues, change, and takes things literally. She wants to be liked and this is where she has the most problems. She has techniques to use when she gets upset or if she feels like she is going to blow like a volcano. Her teacher is usually supportive but I think she still has a way to go. The illustrations are well done and clearly show the emotions of all the characters in the story.

This book should be read to students so they can understand that everyone is different, some people have difficulties and what is fair for one is not necessarily fair for all. The children in this book do not accept Lauren and are not very understanding. If they had read this book and put themselves in her shoes things might have been different. You may not know anyone with Asperger's yet, but someday you probably will and if you have read this book, it will help you to understand and accept. A must for every school and professional library. Every teacher needs to read this as well. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via netgalley.… (more)