Snub Club: And the Case of the Disappearing Donuts by Diane ChristiansenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Middle Grade fiction ~ featuring Special Needs Children
Book Description: Snub Club draws the reader in from the very first page and holds their attention with the often humorous but important theme that says being different is not a bad thing after all. We go on an adventurous journey with Jackie and his close friend Cameron as they attempt to navigate through their first year of Middle School. However, when you drop in a bit of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) along with ADHD plus one tough and ornery bully things become close to impossible! Then out of nowhere, the teachers begin morphing into something other than educators and things really begin getting weird. Snub Club allows the reader to completely and safely escape into a fantasy world while going on an exciting adventure. The reader will be introduced to bullies and different ways to deal with them. As if all of this wasn't already enough our heroes Jackie and Cameron suddenly find themselves on the case of trying to discover what has happened to their nice, calm teachers and how they must fix it ASAP. Along the way the boys discover that having Autism doesn't have to be bad at all. The reader will stimulate and expand their inner imaginations, stretch their attention span, and learn to empathize with the problems of others while connecting with their own feelings and emotions.
My thoughts: I loved that this book took children who would not ordinarily be the hero's of a story and made them the main characters. It explains to children what it means to be autistic. It also brings out the fact that the brain may work differently, but emotions are similar. Other disorders are highlighted, such as dyslexia and ADHD.
Jackie and Cameron are both autistic. They have the diagnosis in common, but their predominant symptoms are different. They bond because they understand each other and unconditionally accept the other. They see the reason behind the behaviors.
Jackie and Cameron are on a mission to figure out why their teachers have become grumpy. It turns out that the donuts have disappeared from the faculty room. Using their unique strengths they work together to solve the case and bring peace back into the classroom.
I liked the fact that the book also brought out the addictive nature of sugar and eating healthy foods. There are many positives to the story.
I felt that the book dragged in a few places, but overall it is a great book to share with middle grade readers.
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