Anything But Typical

Anything But Typical

By Nora Raleigh Baskin

13 ratings 56 reviews 32 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grades 2 - 8X4.135780
Jason Blake is an autistic 12-year-old living in a neurotypical world. Most days it's just a matter of time before something goes wrong. But Jason finds a glimmer of understanding when he comes across PhoenixBird, who posts stories to the same online site as he does.

Jason can be himself when he writes and he thinks that PhoneixBird-her name is Rebecca-could be his first real friend. But as desperate as Jason is to met her, he's terrified that if they do meet, Rebecca wil only see his autism and not who Jason really is.
By acclaimed writer Nora Raleigh Baskin, this is the breathtaking depiction of an autistic boy's struggles-and a story for anyone who has ever worried about fitting in.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9781416995005
ISBN-10: 1416995005
Published on 3/9/2010
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 208

Book Reviews (56)

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Nora Raleigh Baskin, the author of Anything but Typical, puts her readers into Jason Blake's shoes. The setting of Anything but Typical takes place in a present ,typical day in your average school. The main characters in Anything but Typical are Jason Blake and his family. Jason Blake has ASD, autistic spectrum disorder this is a huge challenge for him and his family to deal with. For example it is very hard to make friends, interact with people, and one of the main challenges is that he is scared to show is face to others because he has “lazy eye”. Nora Raleigh Baskin writing style is in first person, this makes you feel like you are Jason Blake. This makes the book so much better because since jason has ASD it makes you feel how it would be if you had ASD how your life would be. ASD makes different things pop up in your mind at random times. I liked how it took a break from a part in his life. So if you like to get into other people's mindsets this is right book for you. “But when I write I can be heard. And known. But nobody has to look at me. Nobody has to see me at all” says jason blake. Anything but Typical made left a lot cliffhangers, made me laugh at some parts and made me think of how others feel with ASD. I felt like I was in his shoes while going threw all of his stress and all of his other ideas. It was a great way to feel about how others feel and care more about others more. Nora Raleigh Baskin, went to University of New York at purchase. ¨I rarely make anything up entirely. Rather, I pick and choose from things I’ve seen, felt, done, or experienced…and I give that to my characters.¨

Nora Raleigh Baskin, the author of Anything but Typical takes the reader on a journey all about Jason Blake’s life. The main characters in Anything but Typical are Jason Blake the autistic 12 year old and his friend Seth who is always by Jason’s side. The setting in Anything but Typical is in 2 places in Connecticut. One of the places is the Middle School that Jason goes to along with his house. Readers are introduced to Jason who had ASD which is a type of autism. The author shares the struggles Jason encounters by putting him in your shoes. She explains how people think of him differently and act like just because of his disorder he is some sort of alien from another planet. Nora’s writing style is very slow and boring but still gives you a good laugh about the weird things that Jason does. Nora writes the story in first person. She uses a lot of I me and my and also makes you feel like you are there with him. Nora also engages you and takes you on the journey through Jason’s life. The setting is in Jason’s school along with his house. One quote that Nora says in her book that is really inspiring is, “ When I write, I can be heard. And known. But nobody has to look at me. Nobody has to see me at all.” Anything but Typical made me take a journey through Jason’s life and made me feel what it's like to have a disability such as ASD (Autistic spectrum disorder.)I feel like I am there with Jason encountering all of his struggles with him. It was a great experience through the eyes of a autistic 12 year old. Anything but Typical won the Schneider Family Book Award in 2010. Her books are based off of real life and about the time of when her mother committed suicide.

Nora Raleigh Baskin is the author of the book anything but typical. Anything but typical has received a lot of rewards such as the Schneider family book award. Seth and Jason are the two main characters in Anything but typical some of the things that seth and Jason do will make you laugh. The book takes place in a middle school in Connecticut and their are plenty of other places that Anything but typical takes place. Seth and Jason are best friends and Jason has autism and seth does not that means seth might get mad at Jason because he forgot possibly what ever seth said to Jason or did and maybe cause violence. Anything but typical book would give you a good laugh at some of the things that Jason and seth do In the book Jason is all over the place and their are plenty of settings. But you don’t get a page where they tell you that they are moving settings. Also the book uses a lot of I and my so the book is in first person. Here are some quotes from the book “It’s easy to feel bad about yourself. And then even worse.” “Luckily, it was just my computer mouse. But his head bled alot”. Also the book Anything but typical is a very confusing book that I would not recommend to read. Anything but typical is about a 12 year old boy who has autism and is all over. If you chose to read this book be ready for Jason's and seths fearful life. Anything but typical a schneider family book award which Jason might meet rebecca in the book anything but typical. Nora raleigh baskin wrote this book about her true bat mitzvah of what happened this book was based off of. What I recommend is not to read this book.

vikcy vikcy

Nora Raleigh Baskin, the author of Anything but Typical-2010, takes her reader to a life of a boy. Jason Blake he is the main character as the author takes you through a journey of his weird/hard life. Jason is at school as he gets into fights and learns. He is at home as trouble comes. Finally when he is at Seth’s house in connecticut the trouble starts to boil. Jason is a normal kid except he has a disease!!! You follow his life adventure and troubles and you explore his life. This book is in first person and it makes it very affective because you feel like you are there and first you get the story of what happened and then Jason explained/talks about what he thinks about this and states his opinion. “After I kicked Seth, and he fell, and then somebody stepped on a lot of his CDs. Aunt Carol came running up the stairs. My mother was right behind her. Seth was yelling so much, so loud. The cracking of the CD covers. The thumping of the footsteps on the stairs. Heels clicking on the wooden floor coming closer. Harsh snapping of hard plastic.” Anything but typical made me cry, laugh, feel mad, feel sad, and feel mad. It is full of emotions! I think that if you look books that are very understanding and in one place then this is not a good book for you. But if you like books that are complicated, confusing, and are always in different places then you should definitely read this wonderful book. Personally I love every part of the book. Anything but Typical won a Schneider family book award. Nora is kind and worked together with many people to make and publish this amazing book.

anonymous anonymous

Nora Raleigh Baskin the author of Anything but Typical, creates a story that will change your mind,about how you think of everything.-The book’s main character is Jason. He has autism. He has no friends because people think he is weird. The book happened in Connecticut the places where he went was ( his house, seth’s house, school). There is lots of conflicts in the story,and Jason always gives you a piece of his mind. I like how the book is written in first person.It makes you feel like you're talking to the character, and not just someone telling you a story.A quote from the book is “I will try to tell my story in their language, in your language”.What he is saying is that because he has autism it’s hard for him to communicate with people, so he was going to try, so that he can understand.The book Anything But Typical makes you feel what the character is feeling and makes you want to keep reading to find out what happens next.Somethings about the author is Nora Raleigh Baskin is a award winning writer for schneider family book award.She has been writing since she was in 6th grade.

herrfo herrfo

i think this book is the best because in the book we go into jasons mind and we learn how he deals with his life filled with autism

This is a great book! It was so interesting seeing the world in the eyes of a autistic boy. It was very interesting and it made care more for autistic people. I felt very bad for Jason, how people would be mean to him. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a kind heart!!

This is altayeb and this book was good because it had words in it

jackie12345 jackie12345

Nora Raleigh Baskin, the author of Anything But Typical, takes her readers on an adventure through the life of an autistic 12 year old in modern day. In this book, Jason blake and his family are described as very nice, kind, and caring people. Jason has many challenges and still is able to live an almost normal life. His parents and siblings, very supportive and helpful to him. With them by his side, he can do anything. Jason overcomes many challenges in everyday places. School, public places such as stores, and home. But most recently he will be to a convention. When Jason looks on a website for stories to read, he always goes to Phoenix Birds story. A girl named Rebecca. He finds out that this website is having a convention and she will be there. He decides to go with his father but is scared that she will judge him based on his looks than by his personality. Baskin’s story takes the reader through a long journey of how Jason Blake thinks. The way he sees and understands the world. She describes the thoughts and feelings that Jason cannot express. It is told in his perspective on the world. Jason sees and feels things differently. For example, in the book, he feels differently about belts than other people do. “ I couldn’t stand the waistband and the stiffness of the material. My mother bought me leggings from this special catalog. They came in all different colors, and they were made of one hundred percent cotton. And she never made me wear pants.” This book is written like you were in his brain. And that is neat. Anything But Typical is a book that will have your emotions going up and down like a mountain. It made me happy, nervous, and sad. Anything but typical won the Schneider Family book award. It has many positive comments and reviews from critics. I highly recommend this book.

graceoristian graceoristian

Nora Raleigh Baskin, the author of Anything but Typical, takes her readers on a journey through the eyes of Jason Blake, an autistic 12 year old as he meets a girl online. The setting of Anything But Typical is varied from the house of Jason Blake, to his school library, to the table where he sits with his desktop computer all in the state of Connecticut. During the end of the book, His family goes to Dallas, Texas for an event. The main characters in Anything but Typical are the Blakes: Mr. and Mrs. Blake, Jason, the main character, and Jeremy, Jason’s energetic little brother. Then there is PhoenixBird, a girl Jason meets online on a story writing board that Jason writes stories on almost every day. Readers are introduced to the Blake family when Jason introduces himself, along with the rest of his family at the beginning of the book. Baskin’s writing style is much like Jason is writing the story, thinking or talking to you like you are a friend. It gives the reader a look into the world he sees every day. This helps give the reader a sense of the setting because he is “sharing his thoughts” with the reader and also helps the reader understand the character more. Some examples of this are when Baskin wrote, “Some people, like teachers and librarians and other adults, like to say that names are not important. Like sticks and stones. But they are wrong” and “Every word you choose means something you think it means, and more.” because they show what Jason is thinking, and shows how he feels about what is going on. Anything But Typical made me really think about what it is like to live with Autism, and to help me understand what is going on in the minds of Autistic kids. I felt like I was there with him as Baskin wrote the story beautifully. It was a great way to experience the life of Jason through his eyes.

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