HealthyBooks will continue to be online and available to users, although not updated. Read more…
The London Eye mystery ISBN: 9780385612661
Dowd, Siobhan
Published by David Fickling, 2007
Ted is obsessed with meteorology and counting his Shreddies when he eats them each morning. He also flaps his hands when he's tense and explains things rather too carefully. His family say he has 'a funny brain that runs on a different operating system from other people's', and it is this brain that helps him solve the mystery of his cousin Salim's disappearance from a trip on the London Eye. Asperger's is not mentioned - just that he has a 'syndrome thing' that makes him talk with a cut glass accent and want to wear a shirt and tie every day. The story is told in the first person by Ted, which gives us real insight into how he thinks. His difficulties with idiomtic phrases, such as 'laughed their heads off', his dislike of being touched and of looking directly at people are all clear through the text, as is his difficulty with reading facial expressions. The story is an excellent mystery, the characterizations of Ted, his sister (who also helps solve the mystery), his parents, Salim and his mother (the exotic Aunt Gloria) are well and believably drawn. An admirable novel that will be a good read for those with Asperger's as well as those who want to understand the condition better.
Age: 10+