Reddit mentions of Mockingbird

> For instance, in reality while people with ASD-1 struggle to understand nonliteral language, they certainly don't miss absolutely every single instance of it.

I completely agree with this. Also, his therapist is terrible, so it almost seems like he was getting basically no support to start with in the first place. He barely learns a single thing about interacting with people (or learning idioms) in the entire season. The only person who tries to teach him anything is his dad. The therapist seems like she's never interacted with an autistic person in her life (and maybe she is supposed to be new at this? i'm not sure, she is young). That's my biggest gripe about it.

I just started reading this book called Mockingbird, a fictional book about an autistic girl. I feel like she is actually an autistic person rather than putting a bunch of symptoms together. I'm really enjoying it. I'm about halfway through. It's hilarious just to remember similar things that I would do or think as a kid as well.

And the best part about that fictional book is she has a real school counselor who does actually try to teach her how to interact with people. And if she accidentally uses idioms, she either apologizes or actually explains the idiom to her, and she doesn't use idioms that much at all, because of course she knows she won't completely understand a lot of times.

Also in that book she thinks her dad is saying "fun raiser" and not "fund raiser." I also thought this as a kid Lol.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio, about a boy with facial deformities who goes to public school for the first time.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, as recommended above.

Rules by Cynthia Lord, about a girl who has a brother with autism.

Pretty much anything by Laurie Halse Anderson, although her books tend to gear a little older than middle school (in my opinion, anyway).

Mockingbird by Erin Erskine, about a girl with aspergers.

The Thing About Luck, a National Book Award winner about a Japanese-American girl in the Midwest dealing with family issues.

Books that might be a stretch, but I'm not sure since I don't know all the details of your assignment (and some I just like for that age):

Holes by Lois Sachar. The Giver by Lois Lowry. Maniac Magee by Jerri Spinelli. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Savvy by Ingrid Law.


Hope these help!