Catherine is a young girl who just wants to live a normal life. The only thing standing in her way is her autistic brother David. Catherine is expected to babysit David regularly, and makes sure to inform David of all the rules he needs to follow to appear to be normal. She has a very difficult time accepting that her brother is autistic and is quickly embarrassed by anything that David does that is not considered "normal". At David's occupational therapy, Catherine meets a young boy named Jason who is in a wheelchair and is unable to speak. As they become closer and closer, Catherine also becomes friends with her new neighbor, Kristi, who she has been waiting for. Struggling with the embarrassment of her autistic brother, her close friendship with a handicapped boy, and the hope for acceptance from Kristi, Catherine learns what it means to accept someone and be comfortable with who they are. I would use this in my classroom to introduce the concept of acceptance and tolerance for anyone that is different or handicapped. I would have the students read about two chapters a night, and then discuss our progress during class. After we finished the book, the students would write a reflection about one thing that makes them different from everyone else, and explain why they want to be accepted for who they are. They would also have to explain how they would feel if they were not accepted, and what they would do in that situation.
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