Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

This fall there was a lot of buzz among teen librarians about a book entitled Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. When I read it, I thought "This is a good book for teens -- but it's an even better book for adults." So ... ignore the "teen" label on the book's spine (or pretend you're 16 again) and give this book a try:

Marcelo Sandoval is an autistic teen who lives a sheltered life at a school for students with similar needs. He functions well in this familiar world, but his father decides that Marcelo need to learn to live in "the real world" and gets him a summer job at his law firm assisting the head mail clerk Jasmine. Marcelo's attempts to navigate office life are a little heart-wrenching sometimes and often quite humorous, such as this exchange:

'Jasmine says, 'I'd stay away from the secretaries if I were you.'

'How can I deliver the mail to them if I stay away from them?'

'I mean, I wouldn't let them get to friendly with you, especially the ones that are single and desperate, like Martha back there.'

'Why'

'Martha, for one, would not hesitate to jump your bones.'

I think of a passage in the Bible where the prophet Ezekiel jumps up and down on a pile of skulls and bones. ... 'You need to speak clearly. I don't know what the phrase 'jump your bones' means. It would be helpful if you were more literal.' "

When Marcelo discovers a photo in the trash of a girl with a shattered face, he tries to solve the mystery of her identity and tries to fight injustice -- even though it means taking on his father's law firm.

Marcelo in the Real World is similar to Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and in the same way explores deeper issues through the eyes of a teen with autism.

You can find Marcelo in the Real World in the Teen Section (near the Adult Mysteries section) in the Indianola Public Library under TEEN Sto.