Amy

Wish it had delved a little deeper into what is driving the behavior of children on the autism spectrum and I wish it had included some humor that would hit a note with adults (not just preteen/teen readers).

Probably not.

Her voice really did sound like that of a youth. Made it easier to imagine that her words were the thoughts of an older sister.

Probably so -- not so much for my entertainment but I could see myself taking my 9-year-old son with autism to see as well (he's high-functioning) and his twin brother who is neuro-typical. The story line is written to entertain a kid more than an adult but I love the message it sends. It's a good book so I'm sure it would make a good movie too.

I have always enjoyed listening/reading books where one of the characters is on the spectrum -- it's not only interesting to see how the characters compare to my son but most of these books have provided me with insight into how the individual might think and feel. Things I might not have considered before. This is very helpful to me. This book, though, was clearly meant to entertain an pre-teen/adolescent reader -- NOT an adult. I wanted to get into it, I really did; yet it was hard to do. This said, I have decided to load the book onto my 9-year-old son's ipod (he's the twin brother of my son with autism) so he could listen to it. It sends a positive message and I feel like it is a great book for siblings of special needs kids.

Yes, I'd recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Aspies or wants to learn more about high functioning autism. Now I realize that the author of this book has gone on record as saying that he didn't mean to outline any one specific disorder, yet this is analogous with how the directors of the tv show 'Big Bang Theory' claim that Sheldon wasn't written to be on the autism spectrum either. Uh, whatever -- this is textbook Asperger's Syndrome. In this book, the main character is a 15-year-old boy who has high functioning autism. He decides to write a book about his life story and a mystery he's trying to solve. Some parts are funny, others are sad, and then in the first chapter you might even feel a little disgusted. It's not so much that the events of the story are overly entertaining but it's the way the character interprets them and negotiates his confusing world that makes this story so interesting. I loved it!

I loved the scene when Christopher was snuggled up behind a huge piece of luggage on a shelf while riding the train because this is where he felt the safest and another passenger, who sounded a lot like Dudley Moore (the drunk version from the movie 'Arthur'), finds him hiding there. I laughed out loud at that part. Really, you have to listen to the book to know what made it so funny. I'm betting you'll chuckle too.

I loved the father, Ed, most of all. I was really able to empathize with some of his struggles and frustrations, as well as the undeniable, unbreakable love he had for his son, even though all of this was relayed from the angle of his Aspie son.

I laughed quite a few times and felt a little shocked at others. There was one scene in the train station where I felt really nervous for Christopher and I can honestly say that I had no idea what was going to happen next. As you're listening to the story, you tell yourself, "Naw, this is the main character ... he's going to be okay", yet Chapter 1 clarifies that some pretty shocking things can happen in this book so anything really goes.

There is profanity in this book so it's not one you want playing in the car when you have little ears in the back seat. However, the reader does a phenomenal job retelling this story and I learned a lot of British humor too. I will be checking out other books by this author and reader.

Probably not but that's not to speak against this author. This book offered an okay listening experience. I ordered it for a 12 hour car trip. What I liked about the book was how the various short stories were appropriate for little ears in the backseat and how the message was positive and encouraging. The reader's voice was also pleasant and easy to understand. Some of the stories that the author launched into were actually entertaining, yet others were a little long-winded and going no where. I know a handful of folks who absolutely LOVED this book so this is why I gave it a whirl, however, I found myself making excuses for turning it off during the road trip which is not something I typically do with more engaging audiobooks where I can't wait to hear what happens next. In fact, I didn't finish this book until I was well on my way BACK HOME from my trip. My official opinion: "Mehhh".

Mehhh

The narration was fine.

It's an okay book. By far not the worst book I've ever read or listened to but I kinda wish I had downloaded a different book on my iphone for my car trip. It just couldn't hold my attention like other feel-good books do.