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KIRKUS REVIEW

"Entertaining, accessible, and beautifully lucid look at what it's like to have autism." - Kirkus Reviews

DESCRIPTION

Sixth-grader Paul Stephens, desperate to stay in a normal school, must tame his "Beast" - the bizarre autistic behaviors that make other students recoil and mock.

But how can he tame his Beast when it protects him ... More

KIRKUS REVIEW

"Entertaining, accessible, and beautifully lucid look at what it's like to have autism." - Kirkus Reviews

DESCRIPTION

Sixth-grader Paul Stephens, desperate to stay in a normal school, must tame his "Beast" - the bizarre autistic behaviors that make other students recoil and mock.

But how can he tame his Beast when it protects him from a world where looking into another face can send his head spinning, voices crash into his ears like a bombardment, and trying to respond to the simplest question can lock up his limbs? Sometimes the Beast is his only refuge.

In his struggle, Paul learns to deal with a boy even more autistic than he is, to function as a successful part of an academic team of "normals," and to speak up for the Beast because he has learned that it means speaking up for himself.

(Book includes illustrations by Laurie A. Conley)

WHY THIS BOOK IS IMPORTANT Draws readers into the world of autism - a world best described by Sarah Stup, a writer with autism - so they can better understand how people with autism experience the world and why they act and react the way they do.
Bridges the gap of misunderstanding and fear that exists between young people with and without autism. Disability bullying is rampant, particularly within this age group. Indeed, those with disabilities are three times more likely to be victims of bullying than their nondisabled peers.
Breaks the mold! According to a study in the journal of "Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities," characters with disabilities in young people's books tend to be supporting players only; they are used to boost the emotional growth of major characters while they themselves go unchanged.
Includes a "Reader's Guide" to spur conversation about new approaches to community inclusion and acceptance.

BONUS: "Common Core Standards Alignment Guide" for teachers, along with other supplemental materials, is available as a free download at SarahStup.com.

PRAISE FOR SARAH STUP'S WRITINGS

"I will never fully understand autism, regardless of how much I read and how much I want to know. But Sarah Stup has gotten me as close as I have ever come." - Donald N. Cardinal, Ph.D., Dean, School of Education Chapman University

"Sarah helps us see autism as sometimes impossible, sometimes beautiful, and always complex." - Paula Kluth, Ph.D., Consultant, Teacher, Advocate and Author of "You're Going to Love This Kid: Teaching students with autism in the inclusive classroom."

"Sarah Stup opens a window into a world most of us never experience. She truly is a writer to watch." - Brian Cox, Executive Director, Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council

"Sarah's writings reach beyond autism to all of us and our shared human desire to belong." - Aaron Stephens, Deputy Director, The Arc of Frederick County, Maryland

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