"The Second Opinion" by Michael Palmer

The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer is an interesting book with about a medical conspiracy, greed, betrayal, murder and a dysfunctional family including two adult children with Asperger's.  Their father who is a prestigious internist at a well-known hospital is in a coma from being involved in a hit-and-run accident.  His oldest son, Dimitri who has Asperger's, believes it wasn't an accident, but only his sister, Thea, believes him.  She also has Asperger's and came back to Boston from working with Doctors Without Borders in Central Africa to see her dad.  She believes there is a slight chance he could recover but the twin brother and sister want to let him go.  Thea agrees to take over her father's patients and senses something is off.  Her life is threatened shortly after she starts asking too many questions.

This is quite the mystery that also includes a bit of romance, suspense and insights into adult Asperger's.  I liked it once I finally started it and looked forward to getting back to it.  I liked Thea and her devotion to her dad.  The ending was a shock to me that I did not see coming.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)  

Teaser from page 25:  There remained unfinished business between them.  The man had never, in all her memory, told her that he loved her, nor had she taken the initiative and told him.  At the very least, she needed that exchange to happen between them before the end.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Team Players" by Mike Lupica

Team Players by Mike Lupica is a children’s book about a girls’ softball team and a boys’ baseball team that I enjoyed. Cassie, an eighth grader, is a good athlete and loves sports. She has some close friends who are boys that she hangs out with. Her dad coaches her softball team and they are good! When a new girl, Sarah, tries out, she easily makes the team because she is so fast and has a great arm. For never having played before, she is pretty amazing and can hit the ball too! She seems weird though to the other girls because of some quirkiness due to her Asperger’s. When Cassie tries to help her fit in, things get crazy causing a lot of drama on her team! Meanwhile, the boys’ team her friends are on have a new coach that is a total jerk so have drama of their own. He just yells constantly and is way too intense which takes all the fun of playing out of it.

This book is like getting a double-header since it covers the team dynamics and season of two teams, not just one. I read it in one day and enjoyed it very much. It is about friendship, sports, and teamwork. As an adult reading this, I identified more with the coach and tried to think how best to handle the dissension on the girls’ team. I highly recommend this to any kid who enjoys baseball or softball, but especially team dynamics.
(Karen's review,5 stars)

Teaser from page 33:  Cassie gave Greta her biggest smile now and said, "We've only known her for two days.  What I think would be weird is not giving her a chance to fit in."

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Boy Who Drew Monsters" by Keith Donohue is a Spooky Story

The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue is about Jack Peter Keenan, a boy with Aspergers who is afraid of going outside so does not, ever.  Jack draws pictures of monsters and then people begin to see them, or do they?  He has one friend, a boy about his age.   This is a really good spooky story!  I LOVED it a lot!  The ending is one of the best I have read in a while.  Give it a chance.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Rain Reign" by Ann M. Martin about a Girl and Her Dog

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin is a story told by a young girl named Rose.  Rose loves homonyms which you will learn all about if you read this book.  She also loves rules.  When her dog, Rain, gets away during a bad storm, Rose must put all her know-how to use to find her dog.  This is an enjoyable read because Rose is sweet and funny.  This is a light read that you do not have to concentrate too much to enjoy.  The author dedicated this book to her dog!  How great is that!!  

(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin is a children's book about an autistic girl named Rose and her dog Rain.  She named it rain because her father found it in the rain and she loves homonyms so the name fit good.  This is a story of how Rain got separated from her during a hurricane.  When she tracks down Rain at a shelter, it's a bittersweet reunion.  This story shows the importance of micro chipping your pet and gives insight into autistic children.  It has lots of funny parts and a heartwarming ending.


This story touched me because it got me wondering about our dog's former owners.  We found her on Petfinder when she was 5 years old.  She's is such a good dog that makes me think she came from a loving home.  We got her micro chipped just in case she ever runs off.    

(Karen's review, 5 stars)

We also both liked another book by her:  A Dog's Life--an Autobiography of a Stray 

  
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend" by Matthew Dicks

Different, a Fun Read!

Memoirs of an imaginary friend by Matthew Dicks is told by Budo, the imaginary friend of a special needs boy named Max. I thought this book was fantastic! I got into it from page 1 and had a hard time putting it down. Budo tells the story very well and you're going to love Max! The ending is super good--you have to read this! I've read a lot of very good books this month, but this one is my favorite!
(Gerard's review, rating 5++ stars)

Karen's thoughts:
I started Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks and thought it was just too goofy with the "imaginary friend" telling the story. I read up to chapter 9 and thought, "Why am I wasting my time on this?" and decided to give it up and read something else--The Raven Boys. I liked that even less because it was about the supernatural, fortune telling and some crazy hunt for some old king from the past--it made no sense to me. So when my husband said how good this one was, I decided to go ahead and finish reading it. I'm glad I did because it did get better and I liked Max and Budo so was curious to see what would happen with them. Once I got past the absurdity of it and didn't take it so seriously, I enjoyed it. It reminded me of ROOM by Emma Donoghue a little bit.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"House Rules" by Jodi Picoult

House Rules by Jodi Picoult is outstanding!  It’s the story of Jacob Hunt, who has Asperger’s.  He is accused of murdering his tutor, Jess.  The writing is outstanding to say the least.  You get into it right away and you really get to care about the characters in the book.  This book is actually laugh out loud funny some of the time.  I highly recommend you read House Rules.  It will make my top 5 books of the year easily and I read a lot!
(Gerard's Review 6/22/10)


House Rules by Jodi Picoult is about Jacob, an 18 yr. old boy who has Asperger’s that is charged with murdering his social skills tutor.  He was obsessed with watching “Crime Busters” to the point where he would take notes on every episode, even those he already saw.

I really liked this book a lot because it was funny and interesting.  The trial really cracked me up.  I also liked when the author outlined Jacob’s thought process.  He thought cats must have Asperger’s too because they are very smart like him and also sometimes just want to be alone like him.  The defense attorney was funny too--not being a criminal lawyer made his character humorous. 

Some books I have to make myself finish but this one I looked forward to reading and found it hard to put down.  I think it’s one of Jodi’s best.

(Karen's Review 6/19/10)

See another review:  Debra's Book Cafe