Marcelo in the Real World

Marcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear--part of the autism-like impairment no doctor has been able to identify--and he's always attended a special school where his differences have been protected. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "the real world." There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm.

He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it's a picture he finds in a file -- a picture of a girl with half a face -- that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice, and what he can do to fight.

A few weeks ago, my librarian friend, knowing I read YA, gave me a ballot that nominated 20 books for the 2010 Michigan Thumbs Up Book Award for YA literature. I looked over the ballot, checked off the few that I had already read and looked over the others. I marked the ones that sounded interesting. This book, however, was one that I did not mark. I am so glad that I picked it up anyway. It has to be one of my favorites of them all. Beautifully written in the voice of Marcelo, high functioning on the autistic spectrum (aspergers type), as he's learning to live in the "real world" as encouraged by his lawyer father.  Touching, coming of age, and laugh-out loud funny at times. One of my favorites of 2010 so far!  Don't miss this one.