Author: Kate Foster
Category: Middle Grade
Publisher: Walker Books
Publication date: 5 July 2023
Blurb: A fun, frolicking adventure about five kids with a mystery to solve!
Eleven-year-old Oli is spending his school holidays at Heroes Club, where kids can build friendships and learn about their emotions, but Oli just wants to be home … where it’s familiar, not-so-boring and he can play his favourite game.
But when Oli and the other kids at the club see a stray dog who keeps disappearing into a soon-to-be-demolished building across the street, Oli and his four fellow heroes hatch a daring rescue plan to save the dog before it’s too late.
It’s going to take bravery, some seriously smart teamwork … and a few broken rules.
Review: This was another fantastic book by Kate Foster that features a cast of interesting, autistic characters. The story did highlight how weird ‘social skills’ classes are, even things like showing a picture of someone with a smile and saying ‘that person is happy’ when, as an adult, I know so many people who smile but aren’t happy, makes those classes seem odd ad even neurotypical people don’t adhere to those ‘rules’… but I digress.
This story was great and shows that autistic kids can make friends, especially with each other, and do amazing things. They often spot things that others don’t see, like a stray dog, and their hyperfocus on the wellbeing of the dog is not a ‘bad thing’.
I enjoyed this story and meeting Oli and his friends.
If you have an autistic child who is scared of attending these sorts of classes, this is a wonderful book to share. It is also one that neurotypical kids should read as it can give some insight into the fact that if they have met one autistic kid, they have met one autistic kid.
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