Review: Life Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes and Autism by Ron Suskind

life-animatedA Life Animated: A story of heroes, sidekicks and autism
Ron Suskind
Kingswell

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When the Suskind family moves to a new home, they begin to see startling changes in their youngest son, Owen. He loses the ability to communicate with them and seems to retreat inside himself. The family embarks on a journey to find ways to reconnect with Owen via one of his favorite things: Disney movies.

This is an amazing, truly inspiring story. I’m awed by the courage it must have taken for both Owen and his family to continue pressing forward without giving up, even in moments when field experts were at a loss as to how to help, when … Continue reading

Review: Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern

Just My Luck by Cammie McGovernJust My Luck
Cammie McGovern
Harper/HarperCollins

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Bad things keep happening to fourth-grader Benny and his family. His best friend moved away, and he hasn’t been able to find a new one. His dad’s still recovering from a brain injury (was it Benny’s fault?) His mom tells him to focus on being kind to others, and with a new kindness program at school, Benny’s trying his best, but no one seems to notice. As things get worse, Benny worries his family will never be able to recover, and nothing will be the same again.

Benny is quite possibly the most lovable boy in literature. He strives to be a good brother both to … Continue reading