The Reinvention of Edison Thomas: A book review

Or, once again I’m handing this blog over to my son

Note: Today, April 2nd,  is World Autism Awareness Day. I have written previously about my son Nick who has Asperger Syndrome and he, in turn, has been kind enough to write a review of Pocky for this blog. When a friend of mine wrote to tell me that one of her good friends had written a novel for children featuring a main character with Asperger’s Syndrome I was very excited and eager to read it.

Although The Reinvention of Edison Thomas was written with the 9-12 age group in mind, I thought my almost 15 year old son would be perfect to review it for us  and let us know how it compared to his own experiences as a young person with Asperger’s.

I am very proud to share this review with you and very glad that Jacqueline Houtman decided to write a book with an Aspie as a main character.

The Reinvention of Edison Thomas

a book review by Nick

Warning: contains spoilers

Hi, Nick here. No, not Tracy, her son! She asked me to write a review on The Reinvention of Edison Thomas for her, since I have Asperger’s myself and thus would be able to write a superior review (Don’t tell her I said this, but I’m a better writer regardless ), and here I am, obliging that request.

The Reinvention of Edison Thomas is a book about one Edison Thomas, a teenager with Asperger’s struggling to work with his emotions, deal with his loss of a science fair, find or make a suitable replacement to now fired crossing guard, Jim, and realizing that his “friend”, Mitch, is actually a bully to him. Throughout the course of the book, he makes two friends to help him with this task. Justin, a silly, intellectual jester, and Terry, a…well, I don’t really know how to explain Terry. I don’t think she got enough character development. But, best I can tell, she’s kind of like Terry, only she doesn’t know as much.

So, what do I think about the book? Well, for starters, the writer has done her research. She really nailed what its like to have Asperger’s: noticing all the small things, obsessing over complex things, sensitivity to touch, noise, etc. I could go on about this, but I’d rather not, as I’m sure you all have things to do. Eddy is a character I think we could all sympathize with at some time, Justin provides very punny comic relief, and Terry..well Terry is Terry. Mitch is a hate-able villain, and shows us the evil in us all, and why we shouldn’t give in. The other characters don’t really make enough appearances to really talk about.

The plot isn’t anything special in and of itself. What makes this book worth reading is the execution of said plot. It also gives the reader a interesting look inside of the mindset of people with Asperger’s, which to me is a good thing, given the common misunderstanding of said mindset. The plot threads are resolved in their own little ways, but I think the best resolution was definitely the finishing of Edison and Mitch’s “friendship”.

While most people might think “Oh noes, even though Edison saved Mitch’s life, he still hated him! Mitch got away with everything!” Dear reader, I ask you to think about it in a different way. It shows something about Edison, to be able to stand resolute even though the big bad got away with it all and continues to torment him. Mitch getting away with everything, is, dispite what some of you may think, is realistic. In fact, the book manages to make away with some cliches, which is good for it.

So in summary, is the book worth a read? Absolutely, but don’t buy it brand new. 20 dollars for 180 pages is a bit expensive, but my hate of current book prices is a story for another day. So I guess this review boils down to: Would I get as much amusement from the book as I would if I had purchased three cases of ice cream sandwiches. The answer is yes, asuming the boxes themselves melted over the ice cream sandwiches, and they somehow burnt without melting. Buy it discounted, not because the book is bad, but because 20 dollars is expensive for such a short book. Besides, you could get three cases of ice cream sandwiches instead!

(Note from mom: The list price of the book is actually $17.95, but I bought it for $12.21 at Amazon and you can find more ways to buy it on Jacqueline Houtman’s site, including an ebook. I respect Nick’s opinions about the price of books, however I must point out that the selling of words is what keeps him in Steam games. Ahem.

I have not finished the book yet, but am looking forward to it and am delighted that my other children will have a novel featuring a character like their older brother to read in a few years. I think this would be an excellent book to donate to a school or youth library.)

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Tagged as: Asperger's, Book Review, my son, Nick, The Reinvention of Edison Thomas, World Autism Day