Asperger's & Old Lace
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One of the best mysteries featuring a protagonist with Asperger's Syndrome. I like this one even better than the Ben books!
Lisa, a tween (8-12) has Asperger's Syndrome (AS) which is the spectrum partner to autism. Readers are introduced to her as she suffers the sensory agony of wearing a dress with a scratchy neck (one can really feel for her there) and the loud guests at her grandmother's party. Lisa does not get the point of small talk; considers it a waste of time and often is baffled by negative responses to her blunt, direct comments, such as when she told a smoker that his cigarettes caused cancer.
She is rigid about routines and what she eats; she does not like suprises - no surprise there. Show me a person with AS who doesn't hate surprises and I'll show you a flying bulldog that can tap dance. However, things brighten up when she meets her great-aunt Hannah, a delightful lady in whom she confides having Asperger's.
Hannah is a wonderful character; she sparks an interest in lacemaking in the young girl. She accepts her unquestioningly; teaches her about lace making and the bond between the two does make for a very sweet story indeed.
Ben, whom readers have met in Hoopmann's other books is part of their AS group. He is gifted at math, science and computers; Lisa at literature and remembering long passages of written text. Their respective mothers marvel at how different and similar their AS children are. Both have no clue as to how to interact socially; their special interests and extraordinary skills are in vastly different areas, yet isolate them from other peers.
Andy, Ben's friend whom readers know from Hoopmann's other books is in this one as well, acting as social tour guide and general factotum. When the children discover an abandoned hut on the grounds, they enter and make quite a discovery. They unearth secrets about Lisa's great-aunt Hannah, who worked there as a servant girl decades earlier and the landowner's son.
After doing some online sleuthing, these cyber bloodhounds track William down and reunite him with Hannah, who is in a nursing home. While their reunion is a sweet one, it does not degenerate into a cliche predictable ending. There are some bizarre parts, such as the element of the supernatural. Even so, that does not take anything away from the story. I like the way explanations of making lace as well as the tools for making it (tatting) have been included. This is a delightful story about how there are no boundaries to the AS mind! I love it!
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