BOOK MARKED
much energy he can spend hours jumping on his
trampoline. His super brain remembers lots of
information. Isaac knows his superpowers come
from his Asperger’s sydrome. In this straightfor-
ward story, you find out how Isaac navigates his
world with Asperger’s and how sometimes it can be
very hard to keep his thoughts to himself or make
eye contact with others. But with the help of his
family, Isaac knows that it’s OK to be different.

“Aven Green, Sleuthing Machine”
by Dusti Bowling, illustrated by Gina Perry
Aven Green, detective extraordinaire, was born
without arms, but that doesn’t stop her from solv-
ing all kinds of mysteries. In this first installment
of her series, Aven uses her super brain to solve two
mysteries: who is stealing food at her elementary
school and what has happened to her grandmother’s
beloved dog. All throughout the story, Aven is very
matter of fact about not having arms and about how
she uses her feet to help her do things—especially
solving mysteries.

MIDDLE GRADE
Stargardt disease, and she struggles emotionally
and physically trying to get used to her progressive
vision loss. When she meets Filippo and Estella,
their friendship helps Malfalda find the courage and
strength to accept her eventual loss. Told through
five parts, each titled after the increasingly shorter
distance from which she can see the cherry tree at
school, this Italian import shows readers that “Fear
will always be there, but [you have to] live your life.

[And] Never ever give up.”
TEEN “Say What You Will”
by Cammie McGovern
“Say What You Will” follows the lives of Amy, a girl
born with cerebral palsy, and Matthew, a boy with
obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and severe
anxiety. When Matthew volunteers as one of Amy’s
student aides, both teens grow closer, and they chal-
lenge and help each other grow as well. When they
realize they are falling in love with each other, their
friendship is challenged with the world forever see-
ing them as outsiders.

“Rules” by Cynthia Lord
Twelve-year-old Catherine thinks it’s hard to find
her own identity when she’s helping take care of
David, her autistic brother. Over the summer, Cath-
erine makes two friends—Kristi, the new girl next
door, and everything Catherine would like to be,
and Jason, a nonverbal boy confined to a wheelchair
who uses illustrated cards to communicate. Cather-
ine worries David’s outbursts might jeopardize her
friendship with Kristi, and as Jason and Catherine
grow closer, she is faced with the question, “Would
she be okay taking Jason to the dance?”
“Turning” by Joy L. Smith
Genie has dreamed and worked hard at becom-
ing a professional ballerina, but her dreams are
dashed when she has a terrible fall that lands her in
a wheelchair. At physical therapy, she meets Kyle,
an athlete with a traumatic brain injury that also
cost him a future he envisioned for himself. Genie
learns that sometimes you just need to forge a new
path for yourself. With Kyle’s support, as well as
her best friend’s encouragement, Genie’s finds the
strength to heal from her past and find her love of
ballet again.

“Real” by Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard
Charity is a nonverbal autistic girl that loves
gummy bears, and she worries that no one will
know how smart she is because she can’t talk and
her body has outbursts she can’t control. But under-
neath it all, Charity is a very intelligent, empathic
and kind girl. When her family sends her to a public
junior high school, Charity is faced with the ques-
tion: Will people finally see her as the intelligent
young girl she is? With the support of others, Char-
ity finally finds her voice.

PARENTS “The Distance Between Me and the
Cherry Tree”
by Paola Peretti, translated by Denise Muir,
illustrated by Carolina Rabei
Nine-year-old Mafalda was diagnosed with
“Everyday Games for Sensory Process-
ing Disorder: 100 playful activities to em-
power children with sensory differences”
by Barbara Sher
Understanding that kids learn through fun, the
author has combined a series of games and fun
activities that are designed to remediate sensory
processing issues through games and activities that
can be done right at home.

“Hands-on Activities for Children with
Autism & Sensory Disorders”
by Teresa Garland
With almost 200 activities and interventions, this
illustrated guide highlights step-by-step activities
that can help anyone working with children who
have autism and sensory disorders. 2
WashingtonFAMILY.com 31