Shauna's Blog

1.) Catherine stops by the neighbor's house to talk to the movers about when the new neighbors will arrive. 2.) Catherine goes to the clinic with her mom and David. 3.) Catherine goes back home and waits for the new neighbors. 4.) Catherine goes to introduce herself to the new neighbors, but they aren't home.

"Talking to David can be like a treasure hunt. You have to look underneath the words to figure out what he's trying to say. It helps if you know his conversation rules..." (p. 38) This quote demonstrates juts how difficult it can be to communicate with David. I like how Catherine compares it to a treasure hunt. It gives the reader an idea of what it feels like to talk to a person with autism.  "Drawing makes me find the curves, the shadows, the ins and outs, and the beautiful parts. I solved my hating snakes by drawing their scales, tiny and silvery, overlapping and overlapping, until all I saw was how perfect they were" (p. 19) I really like this section of the story. It shows the reader that you can overcome your dislikes and fears and learn to find the good in everything. By doing something that you love, you can see the beauty in something.  "As she reads, I think how useful a cloak that made me invisible would be right now. If I had one, I'...

Wayward : Reddish brown waves of hair sweep over Jason's brow. A few wayward strands dangle near his eyes (p. 20).  Wayward (adjective)- difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse behavior.  Skittering: I startle Nutmeg into skittering across Jason's book (p. 102).  Skittering (verb)- moving lightly and quickly or hurriedly.

I chose to include a picture of a communication book similar to how I would imagine Jason's to look. Each square in the book has a word or phrase along with a simple illustration. This particular one looks more colorful than Jason's, as his was described as black and white.  I love this phrase because it ties into the story so well. Catherine is always wishing that people would understand why he brother acts the way he does. Sometimes, autism is hard to understand, especially if you are not often around people who have it.

It was easy to connect with Catherine, because it made me think back to when I was 12 years old. Everyone can relate to Catherine in one way or another because we were all 12 years old once. She is eager to meet new friends in her neighborhood, gets easily embarrassed by her sibling and parents, and deals with her own personal struggles in her life. We all have our own struggles that we have to learn how to deal with. Catherine has come up with her own ways to handle her brother and knows how to manage his outbursts. Many of us have siblings that we have been embarrassed by. I have an older sister, and my parents would make my sister bring me with her whenever she would get together with friends. Have your parents ever forced you to bring your sibling with you to a friends house even if you wanted to go alone? Have you ever struggled to make friends?

1.) Why does Catherine make rules for David to follow? 2.) Why does Catherine tell David that their Dad will pick him up at five o'clock to go to the video store, even though she is not sure of that? 3.) Why was Jason mad at the clinic? 4.) What causes Catherine to shove Ryan at the bus stop? 5.) Why does Catherine start counting cars with David while they wait for their Dad to get home? 6.) Why does Catherine always quote the book Frog and Toad Are Friends when talking to David?