Nora Raleigh Baskin, the writer of Anything But Typical, takes the reader into the mind of a 12 year-old autistic child, who is going through an unimaginable world. The main character of Anything But Typical is 12 year-old, autistic, Jason Blake. Jason is very smart and has his own very unique way of thinking. However, his autism causes him to not be able to express these feelings and thoughts in words. Throughout the book, the reader is shown how difficult it is to live with this problem. The setting of Anything But Typical is interesting as well. It takes place in two parts of the United States. At the beginning and middle of the book, he is always at his home, on his computer, or at his standard middle school. However, as the story progresses, he has to travel all the way to Texas. Readers are introduced to Jason Blake and his family at the beginning of the story. Throughout the story, Jason loses hope on ever finding a girlfriend. However, all of this changes when he meets a girl who’s name is Rebecca, on his writing website, Storyboard. The problem is that Jason wants to meet her, but he’s afraid that if he does, all she will see is his autism. Baskin’s writing style is very in tune with the mind of the main character, Jason Blake. She describes everything that Jason is thinking about in every situation, including things that he is thinking that aren’t related to what he is doing. Her writing style makes you feel that you really are Jason Blake. To show you this writing style, here’s an example quote from the book. “It is a Friday, and I am home but Jeremy is not. My dad is still here. He hasn’t left for work yet. My dad is never home when I get home from school. All these things make my skin itch. The sun doesn’t look right coming into the kitchen. I should not be here. I should be in school. I can feel my head, everything is in my head. My heart is beating inside my head. The sounds in my ears sound bigger and bigger. My breathing is tight coming in and out of my mouth.” Now I’ll tell you how I felt when reading this amazing book. Anything But Typical really made me think twice about everything that was said. It was very informative and descriptive and the details about Jason’s past were amazing! I really felt like I was in the shoes of Jason Blake. It was an intriguing way to learn what it would be like to be autistic. Also, Anything But Typical has won 25 awards such as the ALA Notable Children’s Books and the Booklist Editors’ Choice. This book was really amazing and I hope that this review convinces you to go through the brilliant experience that I went through reading this book.

Nora Raleigh Baskin, the author of Anything but Typical, takes her readers on a journey through the eyes of Jason Blake, an autistic 12 year old as he meets a girl online. The setting of Anything But Typical is varied from the house of Jason Blake, to his school library, to the table where he sits with his desktop computer all in the state of Connecticut. During the end of the book, His family goes to Dallas, Texas for an event. The main characters in Anything but Typical are the Blakes: Mr. and Mrs. Blake, Jason, the main character, and Jeremy, Jason’s energetic little brother. Then there is PhoenixBird, a girl Jason meets online on a story writing board that Jason writes stories on almost every day. Readers are introduced to the Blake family when Jason introduces himself, along with the rest of his family at the beginning of the book. Baskin’s writing style is much like Jason is writing the story, thinking or talking to you like you are a friend. It gives the reader a look into the world he sees every day. This helps give the reader a sense of the setting because he is “sharing his thoughts” with the reader and also helps the reader understand the character more. Some examples of this are when Baskin wrote, “Some people, like teachers and librarians and other adults, like to say that names are not important. Like sticks and stones. But they are wrong” and “Every word you choose means something you think it means, and more.” because they show what Jason is thinking, and shows how he feels about what is going on. Anything But Typical made me really think about what it is like to live with Autism, and to help me understand what is going on in the minds of Autistic kids. I felt like I was there with him as Baskin wrote the story beautifully. It was a great way to experience the life of Jason through his eyes.

Nora Raleigh Baskin, the author of Anything But Typical, takes her readers on an adventure through the life of an autistic 12 year old in modern day. In this book, Jason blake and his family are described as very nice, kind, and caring people. Jason has many challenges and still is able to live an almost normal life. His parents and siblings, very supportive and helpful to him. With them by his side, he can do anything. Jason overcomes many challenges in everyday places. School, public places such as stores, and home. But most recently he will be to a convention. When Jason looks on a website for stories to read, he always goes to Phoenix Birds story. A girl named Rebecca. He finds out that this website is having a convention and she will be there. He decides to go with his father but is scared that she will judge him based on his looks than by his personality. Baskin’s story takes the reader through a long journey of how Jason Blake thinks. The way he sees and understands the world. She describes the thoughts and feelings that Jason cannot express. It is told in his perspective on the world. Jason sees and feels things differently. For example, in the book, he feels differently about belts than other people do. “ I couldn’t stand the waistband and the stiffness of the material. My mother bought me leggings from this special catalog. They came in all different colors, and they were made of one hundred percent cotton. And she never made me wear pants.” This book is written like you were in his brain. And that is neat. Anything But Typical is a book that will have your emotions going up and down like a mountain. It made me happy, nervous, and sad. Anything but typical won the Schneider Family book award. It has many positive comments and reviews from critics. I highly recommend this book.