Wishing On the Midnight Star: My Asperger Brother

by Nancy Ogaz

Overview

These books could be useful for working with a class where children with Asperger's are to be included. Staff would be reminded very powerfully of the young people's feelings and fears in being in class and school and how they will cope. The books could prompt discussions in class to help other pupils to understand more and, one hopes, target less children who are going to be different.'

- Rostrum

Alex's younger brother Nic never seems to be able to get anything right. He even invites Brianna Santos the girl Alex likes over when Alex is goofing around in his geeky pyjamas. But Alex never forgets what a special person Nic is.

Wishing on the Midnight Star presents the sibling's view of the joys and frustrations of having a younger brother with Asperger Syndrome, with insights into the daily adventures of an AS family, and the positive coping, and loving strategies they have evolved. It is an engaging and amusing teen love story that will appeal to older and younger kids.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781843107576
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	09/18/2003
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.35(w) x 8.43(h) x 0.39(d)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

About the Author

Nancy Ogaz is a writer and the mother of two children, one with AS. She counselled children with special challenges for ten years and completed a Masters in Public Health. She lives with her family and twenty-plus pets in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California and is the author of Buster and the Amazing Daisy, also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Table of Contents

Introduction. 1. Wishing on the Midnight Star. 2. School Day Blues. 3. Magic and Mud. 4. Horror in the Morning. 5. The Real Alex Stone Steps Forward. 6. Attack of the Monstrous Midgits. 7. Alex Gets His Nerve Back. 8. Trouble with the Toad. 9. Alien Chickens? 10. Chicken Expert Extraordinaire. 11. A Dastardly Deed. 12. Nick's Magic Chick. 13. Season of Sweetness. 14. A Slightly Menacing Undertone. 15. The Howling. 16.Cornered. 17.Golden Hearts Raining Down. 18.The Gift of the Midnight Star. Author's Note. Resources.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 5-8-Alex is having a hard time. With his widowed mother frequently gone on her midwife duties, a threatening bully, the stirrings of a first crush, and his "Aspie" (Asperger's Syndrome) brother, the 13-year-old wishes that he were part of a different family. He sees his brother's quirks as a big part of the problem. However, through a series of adventures, he comes to realize that Nic's exceptional qualities just make his brother who he is and that he wouldn't want anyone to take his place. He also begins to see that sometimes bullies are made rather than born, and that even the prettiest girl in town might find a shy boy attractive. Focusing on the brothers' relationship, the story hints at what life might be like within a family in which a child has Asperger's Syndrome. While the character development is not as strong as it could be, libraries may find this a useful purchase for special-needs collections.-Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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