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.
Anything But Typical
By Nora Raleigh Baskin
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grades 2 - 8 | X | 4.1 | 35780 |
Jason can be himself when he writes and he thinks that PhoneixBird-her name is Rebecca-could be his first real friend. But as desperate as Jason is to met her, he's terrified that if they do meet, Rebecca wil only see his autism and not who Jason really is.
By acclaimed writer Nora Raleigh Baskin, this is the breathtaking depiction of an autistic boy's struggles-and a story for anyone who has ever worried about fitting in.
Book Reviews (56)
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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.
I think Anything But Typical is an amazing book explaining the struggles of a boy with autism. I think the book will open up people's eyes and send them through an emotional rollercoaster as they read what Jason goes through. I feel emotion for him on a personal level because his character really made me feel for him. This book helped me learn more about autism and I very deeply felt pain for Jason through the hardships and happiness for him when something good occured. Also in my heart I urged him on and and encouraged him. I 100% recommend Anything But Typical.
Anything But Typical a book by Nora Raleigh Baskin, is about an autistic kid named Jason Blake, who is socially awkward and doesn't like to talk to others, but loves to write. Anything But Typical takes place in the present. Jason goes to middle school where things goes wrong. But at home things could not be better. Where most of the book takes place at. Which are all in the state of Connecticut. The main characters in Anything But Typical are Jason Blake, his younger brother Jeremy, Jason's parents, and most importantly Rebecca. Rebecca is a girl Jason interacts with online. Jason Blake is socially akward. He doesn't have any real friends. But he is very talented in writing. Writing is Jasons way to escape from the world. But all of that changes when a girl Rebecca messages him telling him she liked his story. Jason takes this as his one chance to have a real friend, or maybe girlfriend. Baskins writing style is like your in the character's head. As Jason tells his life story you feel like you're experiencing it with him. Also Baskin flashes back to stories in Jason's life. She will be talking about one thing and flash back through his life and tell another story Jason has gone through. Here's two quotes from Anything But Typical that represents Baskins writing style“ Most people like to talk in their own language”, “When Jeremy was born, everyone was afraid I would hurt him”. Anything But Typical is a book everyone can relate to. The way of realizing your not the same to everyone and everyone is different is a hard idea to grasp to. But this book grasped to it just the right way. Its an important lesson to learn. For me it was easy to relate to Jason. He always knew he was different, but in a good way. This book has brought out a positive view on the world for me. Definitely a great book to read! Anything But Typical won the Schneider Family book award. Which is a huge accomplishment! Anything But Typical is a great book everyone all shapes and sizes should read.
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. Some noteable information about Baskin and her books is that Anything But Typical won the ALA Schneider Family Book Award, ALA Notable Children’s Books Award, and much more. Baskin has wrote 12 other books and has received many other awards for those as well. Baskin was born in Brooklyn, NYC on May 18th. 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- She takes the reader through the everyday lives of an autistic 12 year old named Jason Blake. The main characters for Anything but typical are Jason a autistic kid, Mom a worried parent with the struggle of parenting a autistic kid, Rebecca (Phoenixbird) a person who would actually listen to Jason, Dad a supporting person who´s wife is going through a tough time, Aaron Jason´s only friend at the school Houston, Texas where the storyboard convention is held, and his middle school Jason is your normal autistic person but with a powerful voice when it comes to literature. Jason has a new friend online his true friend and will meet her for the first time at a storyboard convention but will she accept him for who he is read more to find out! I like Nora´s writing because it shows the detail of being something you're not and it sounds so real you would think she is autistic too. ¨I not he. Me not him. Mine not his. In a neurotypical way.¨ ¨I will try--To tell my story in their language, in your language.¨ I have never read anything like this the detail is stunning. I want you to read this because you learn more about the diversity and difference every single person has a different part of them that makes them stand out The author doesn’t make things up but creates things from her own experience she takes reading and writing as stress relief and healing exercise. She expresses her experiences through her character which is why the characters are so unique.
Anything But Typical a book by Nora Raleigh Baskin, is about an autistic kid named Jason Blake, who is socially awkward and doesn't like to talk to others, but loves to write. Anything But Typical takes place in the present. Jason goes to middle school where things goes wrong. But at home things could not be better. Where most of the book takes place at. Which are all in the state of Connecticut. The main characters in Anything But Typical are Jason Blake, his younger brother Jeremy, Jason's parents, and most importantly Rebecca. Rebecca is a girl Jason interacts with online. Jason Blake is socially akward. He doesn't have any real friends. But he is very talented in writing. Writing is Jasons way to escape from the world. But all of that changes when a girl Rebecca messages him telling him she liked his story. Jason takes this as his one chance to have a real friend, or maybe girlfriend. Baskins writing style is like your in the character's head. As Jason tells his life story you feel like you're experiencing it with him. Also Baskin flashes back to stories in Jason's life. She will be talking about one thing and flash back through his life and tell another story Jason has gone through. Here's two quotes from Anything But Typical that represents Baskins writing style“ Most people like to talk in their own language”, “When Jeremy was born, everyone was afraid I would hurt him”. Anything But Typical is a book everyone can relate to. The way of realizing your not the same to everyone and everyone is different is a hard idea to grasp to. But this book grasped to it just the right way. Its an important lesson to learn. For me it was easy to relate to Jason. He always knew he was different, but in a good way. This book has brought out a positive view on the world for me. Definitely a great book to read! Anything But Typical won the Schneider Family book award. Which is a huge accomplishment! Anything But Typical is a great book everyone all shapes and sizes should read.
This was a great story. I love how it shows the world through the eyes of someone who is autistic. It truly has meaning behind it, teaching readers that everyone is different but yet the same when it comes to being human.
Nora Raleigh Baskin,the author of Anything But Typical takes her reads on a boy's life that has problems. He has autism so making friends at school is hard for him.The sitting for anything but typical is at his house,and school.The main idea is his life and friends. Life is hard for him and it's hard to fit in.The writing style in anything but typical it's is in 1st person.This is one of my quote is “What is the most important part of a writer's body?Anything but typical made me think that what hard for me can be a lot harder for other kids. Anything But Typical has a schneider family book award.
Anything But Typical, by Nora Raleigh Baskin, tells us about the life of an autistic middle-school boy. The setting of Anything But Typical starts off in Weston, Connecticut, but as the story progresses, we are taken to Texas. The main characters of Anything But Typical are Jason Blake, Mr. and Mrs. Blake (Jason’s Parents), and Rebecca Stone (Jason’s friend that he writes to from his computer). There is also Jeremy, Jason’s little brother. First we meet Jason Blake, an autistic twelve-year-old boy who has no friends and isn’t liked by anyone, except his family, of course. Good days at school are scarce. Then, however, he meets PhoenixBird (her real name is Rebecca), who posts stories on the same online site that he does. She seems like a friend, but Jason can’t let her know about his autism, and the longer he knows her, the harder it is for him to keep his secret. . . . Some quotes in the book that I like are, “Life is what you make of it” and “Why do people want you to act just like they do? Talk like they do. Look like they do. Act like they do. And if you don’t-- If you don’t, people make the assumption that you do not feel what they feel. And then they make the assumption-- That you must not feel at all.” There is also, “But really, if you ask me, there is only one type of plot. One. Stuff happens. That’s it.” An interesting fact about Anything But Typical is that it won a Schneider Family Book Award. Overall, I really enjoyed reading Anything But Typical. I love the writing style, I really felt what it was like to be Jason. This book has changed how I will act for the rest of my life.