Original de: El Blog del Gato - El Extraño Gato del Cuento

En ningún momento del libro pensé que fuera aburrido o difícil de leer, solo que se me hizo realmente difícil seguir con él, y abandonarlo nunca pasó por mi mente, ya que últimamente se me hace fácil abandonar libro cuando no cumplen con mis expectativas o simplemente me aburren. Con Kids Like Us se me hizo problemático porque no pasa eso, cada vez que realmente continuaba con la lectura podía pasar de la página 30 a la 90 sin darme cuenta del tiempo, pero llegaba al punto que era todo lo que podía leer y lo dejaba descansar por una semana.

e interesante y frustrante por muchos momentos, lo que supongo la escritora quiso darnos con la historia de Martin.



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adult fiction with high-functioning autistic teen main character ('teen' fic for people who want something more serious?)
This was atypical teen fare, focusing on Martin's character and his perceptions of the world rather than being all action-action, romance-romance, so I'm not sure I would label it "teen fic" even though it was classed that way at my library (and even though the jacket description labels it as the author's first teen novel). The lack of flashy cover might mean that it won't get checked out that much either, and that it is in danger of getting weeded out in a few years accordingly, which would be a shame.
I did like how Martin and Layla were portrayed as individuals; the varied differences between individual people on the spectrum and their different sensitivities was briefly discussed and that was nice too. ( )

It's an interesting character driven book with a unique perspective of a teenager with autism. His narration takes a while to get used to at first. Martin's cornerstone is his comparison with real life and the life of his beloved characters of his favorite novel from Marcel Proust (In Search of Lost Time). I admit this part of Martin's narration is lost on me. It almost feels as if one needs to be familiar with his works in order to better understand Martin and the storyline. This may be off putting, but you do get the general idea of who's who as it's explained (albeit a bit vague) throughout the novel.

You immediately take a liking to Martin from the start. His character development can be seen as he tries his best to be himself, but also to try and immerse himself into "regular society". You can see the difficulties he tries to go through, trying to fit into school (didn't really care for the kids taking advantage of him because of his mom's celeb status..especially Marianne, she was such an awful character) and at the same time getting along with his family. I didn't quite like his mom much. She seemed fed up with his behavior and wanting him to be "normal" to the point where she's forcing him into situations that make him severely uncomfortable. That did not sit well with me. I liked Elisabeth for being so supporting and just simply being there for Martin when he needed it the most.

The plot seemed lacking. The romance was there and it was like reading a summer romance novel. You know it's not going to last but you'll go through it anyway and live in the moment because it feels so right. I wish there was more to go with the plot. It rather falls flat and nothing seems to move it forward.

The biggest thing that bothered me the most was the Downton Abbey spoilers. I was in the middle of it and boom. Things that I didn't know was revealed in the book. It irked me.

Interesting character representation and I liked Martin's character. Good to read to understanding how autism is and how families, and others may perceive it. ( )

Kids Like Us:
Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Excellent
Recommended: Yes
Level: High School/ College

Kids Like Us was a great book. The only thing I would change about this book is the dust jacket. The jacket does not project the story inside. Sure, the sunflowers do tie into the book but overall the images are misleading.
The book itself is wonderful from start to finish. Martin has autism and he struggles with relationships, however, he has a very supportive family unit that helps him find his own voice. His father has recently gone to prison but Martin is able to communicate with him. The family aspect of the story is warm and uplifting. Martin also has a love interest that the story is centered around. Author, Hilary Reyl, does an excellent job of framing the story around Martin's diagnoses but the story is not center solely on autism.
Reyl shows how Martin developed his voice through identifying with his favorite book. ( )