The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I really like that this book is about a boy who is different- who has autism.  I think there needs to be more examples of things in the media that show people who are different.  A lot of value is placed on the individual, but what I like about this book is that it shows a community-minded response to Christopher, the main character.  Christopher, usually so isolated, is forced to go out into his community and the greater world to solve two mysteries.  I think we too often ignore or feel "relief" about kids who are different- that we don't have to "deal" with them.  I think that's a shame, because I have learned so much more from different kids than I've ever learned from kids who conformed to the mainstream standards.  Also, I love that this book challenges even what we think of as "normal" and maybe helps us to see that normal doesn't really exist.  Questions I have about the book are if Christopher was modeled after a particular student or if he is a conglomerate character.  I would love to know more about Christopher's school and the experiences of autistic kids at "special" schools.  I think anyone who likes mysteries and books that they can't put down would like this book, but I would especially recommend it to other teachers and my mom because I know they love knowing and learning about how we learn and gain information and grow.

Cover of book in the UK