The Boy Who Steals Houses

Some time ago, I heard/read that what defines YA apart from adult fiction is the notion of ‘hope’. (I need to research where this was…). And having just finished ‘The Boy Who Steals Houses’ I have a clear example of this idea.

How can a child from an abusive or negligent family relationship develop any hope for the future? If your basic needs of food shelter and love are not being met, what impact does that have on your life?

C.G.Drews does not shy away from difficult family relationships. Her previous book, ‘A Thousand Perfect Notes‘ dealt with an abusive mother of a talented musician, as he struggles to find his place in the world – while pressured to meet his mother’s expectations. In ‘The Boy Who Steals Houses’, Sam has to deal with responsibility for his older autistic brother in the absence of parental care. (Note, in ATPN Beck also looks after his younger sister…).

There are many things Sam has to deal with – an abusive father, an absent mother, an autistic brother, his own anger issues – but all he longs for is a normal family. But what is that? And who can you trust?

Avery seems to think Vi is trustworthy. Sam isn’t so sure.

Moxie trusts Sam, even though he is secretly living in her mother’s study. And her family doesn’t know.

Sam doesn’t trust Mr De Lainey enough to think he will not turn him into the police. But where else can he go?

Where do you go, when all your options are running out, and your past is catching up with you?

With an intriguing title and characters with quirky natures, ‘The Boy Who Steal Houses’ IS a hopeful tale. The contrasts between Sam’s and Moxie’s families are great, but they each face their own difficulties. There are some playful characters to be enjoyed, along with instances where poor decisions are made – will things work out in the end for Sam and his brother? And is Moxie’s life as idyllic as Sam seems to think? How do you deal with not only being a *glass child, but also one who is homeless?

‘The Boy Who Steal Houses’ is one of the YA books on the 2020 CBCA Shortlist – a worthy nominee. If you want to know what inspired the story, read from the C.G. Drew’s Author Q&A where she gives some really playful and insightful answers. Lots of advice too for budding writers!

# Should all YA books have an element of hope?

## Do you always expect a happy ending?

### Who is your favourite character in this story? (Then read what C.G. Drews says herself!)

 

*Glass child – “… Glass children are children who are growing up in a home with a sibling who takes up a disproportionate amount of parental energy.” (See Urban dictionary definition for more detail.)

Edit: ‘the Boy who Steals Houses’ is an Honour Book in this year’s CBCA Awards. Congrats!

the Definition of Us

What are your friends like? Do they talk, act and think the same as you? Or do they have a few quirky differences in their personalities?

In ‘the Definition of Us’ it would seem that Florence, Jasper, Andrew and Wilf have little in common, except that they attend the Manor Lane Therapy Centre. Each of them has their own problems and idiosyncracies, so why would they even think to do a road trip to Wales together?

It is when their therapist, Howard, goes missing without warning that they decide to track him down. How could he leave them without notice or explanation? Especially Florence, since she is facing a critical anniversary at the time, and is in need of his support to get through the weekend.

They want answers. They want distractions. They want to get away!

Each of the quartet has their own reasons for needing therapy, and while they are an unlikely friendship group, their shared goal (to find Howard) brings them into some interesting situations. As individuals, they respond differently to the events which happen, but together they rise above the challenges they meet along the way – eventually.

At crisis times, they are even able to provide some sort of reasoned therapy for each other, in the absence of Howard!

Author, Sarah Harris, has developed a fun but thoughtful way of looking at several mental health conditions; even if events are somewhat questionable at times. YA readers should identify with many of the issues within the group and should appreciate the ideas expressed by each individual.

(Even if you don’t have such an issue yourself, there may be food for thought about how others around you feel – though they may hide their own realities.) 

Florence is particularly likeable, with her love for words emitting strong emotions, and her observations seemingly narrating the story. However other characters, like Andrew, also have a lot to say:

“It’s not funny. You think I’m just one big joke. You call me names and put me down but I’m not a robot. I do care. I spend a lot of time trying to understad people because I want them to like me… Why does no-one ever try to understand me?” (Andrew, p. 101, found after he ran away from the group on the freeway)

‘The Definition of Us’ pries into the hidden lives of Florence, Jasper, Andrew and Wilf to make us question what is really ‘normal’ – and make us think about how we treat others and ourselves.

* Do you always have to conform to the expectations of others?

** How can we know our true selves? and the true selves of others?

*** What is ‘normal’ anyway?

Available as ebook.

Twins – Are You Seeing Me?

GrothTwins think and act alike, right? Even fraternal twins do many things the same, right?

Yes, to some degree. I can speak from personal experience of fraternal twins who would often pick the same birthday cards for relatives, and scheme together against the other siblings in the family – often in their own personalised language.

However, as many twins (both identical and fraternal) scream – they are still individuals! The twins in ‘Are You Seeing Me?’ are certainly individuals – both of whom scream for different reasons…

Perry screams when his world gets out of hand. At times when he is faced by the unfamiliar, “Perry has trouble with people – mixing with them and communicating with them – and it sometimes results in inappropriate behaviours.” 

This is the spiel that Perry’s sister regularly rolls out to explain her twin brother’s unusual behaviour. As his twin, she is determined to protect him from the judgemental gaze of others. When Justine screams, however, Perry isn’t the cause – it’s the interfering concern of others, like her boyfriend, Marc.

In ‘Are You Seeing Me?’ much of the journey for Perry and Justine takes place as they travel to Canada, to seek out their estranged mother, Leonie. She left the twins in their father’s care when they were 4, unable to cope with twins – especially since Perry has a ‘special needs’ tag. Unfortunately, in their nineteenth year, Perry and Justine are left alone as their doting father dies of cancer.

There is also an emotional journey for them as they attempt to re-establish links with Leonie – and she has much to learn about Perry. A chance for her to re-connect.

I love the characters Darren Groth has created. They are authentic and believable. The communication between Justine and her father occurs through a diary he kept from birth, and it provides her strength, understanding and support as she strives to support her brother as he tenuously begins to negotiate the adult world. Perry’s comments and insights provide a ‘look inside’ as he struggles to find independence and ‘free’ his sister of her twin commitment.

Finding out that Groth’s own twins were the inspiration behind this book cements the authenticity and appeal of this book. While it has been aligned to Mark Haddon’s ‘Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’, it tells a completely different tale. The relationship of twins shows how the Autism Spectrum Disorder impacts the whole family – and how they adapt and deal with it.

Groth proudly speaks of this in ‘A Dad’s Gift to his Neurotypical Daughter’, which is a very interesting prelude to the novel.

Groth’s tale is funny, informative and optimistic. The bond between Pez and Just Jeans is so lovable, it is a great tale for teens to enjoy.

N.B. I am also looking forward to reading ‘Kindling’, an earlier book by Darren Groth – which also deals with autism.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon

curious“All the other children at my school are stupid. Except I’m not meant to call them stupid, even though that is what they are. I’m meant to say that they have learning difficulties or that they have special needs. But that is stupid because everyone has learning difficulties because learning to speak French or understanding Relativity is difficult, and also everyone has special needs, like Father who has to carry a little packet of artificial sweetening tablets around with him to put into his coffee to stop him getting fat, or Mrs Peters who wears a beige coloured hearing aid, or Siobhan who has glasses…”

Christopher Boone doesn’t behave like most of the kids at his school – and this often causes him strife and trouble. He  usually says exactly what he is thinking, and sees things in a rather black and white manner, with little room for emotion or pretence. He can’t understand the way many people behave, and why his honesty often causes him, and others around him, grief.

On the positive side of things, Christopher is a bit of a maths whizz and enjoys working out puzzles – though puzzling why a neighbourhood dog is brutually killed gets him into lots of strife. He decides he is going to solve this murder mystery and keeps track of things as he writes a story about his discoveries. Difficulties come about when he can’t understand ‘normal’ social cues, and the idea of telling a white lie or avoiding issues to protect others is beyond his comprehension. this is especially serious when the police become involved and secrets from the past are revealed.

As the above quote suggests, there is really nothing wrong with his thought processes, except for how they fit into society’s way of thinking. ‘The Curious Incident…’ is an interesting insight into how many autistic people view the world, as it is written from Chris’ point of view, as it reflects how he views normal daily interactions which we often intepret quite differently.

It is food for thought for teachers and students as we learn to accept the differences between ourselves and those around us. The struggles Christopher has dealing with relationships, adolescence and school are often magnified by his autism, but Haddon’s tale  is intriguing as he reveals the many complexities involved, while providing an insight to how others could empathise better with those who are different – since “everyone has special needs.”

Recommended to anyone with an interest in thinking about how others tick… And isn’t that you and I?

Further reading:

Robison, John Elder. 2007. Look me in the eye: My life with Apserger’s. North Sydney. Random House