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Adam's alternative sports day ISBN: 9781843103004
Welton, Jude
Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2005
Adam dreads sports day, but this year something different is going to happen. The headmaster has decided that because there are so many different talents in the school, they will have an alternative sports day, and leading up to it will be a series of challenges. Each class will have a winner, who will work with the other winners as a team on the final day, to find a treasure. Some of these challenges - hieroglyphic codes, mental maths, and riddles - are just right for Adam, who has Asperger Syndrome. And for once, he has high hopes of coming out on top. We see Adam struggling with metaphors, using lists to help him focus, counting to 5 to help relax, getting angry and upset when things go wrong, and learning through 'social stories' how to make good his behavioural mistakes. All this is set in a fully believable and very readable story about Adam and his classmates. There is best friend Josie, who Adam finds himself in competition with, and James, new boy who cheats and is rather nasty until the children discover he is dyslexic and feels 'different' - just like Adam. We are given two possible endings to the story, one of which we must choose by throwing dice or a coin. One ending has Adam coming top of his class, and the other has Josie doing so. The moral is clear: it is sportsmanship that is important. A really excellent short novel. Ms Welton has an AS son and clearly knows all about it. Available from Amazon, from bookshops, or from the publisher at www.jkp.com.
Age: 8+