47. Marcelo in the Real World - Francisco X. Stork

Published March, 2009
Arthur A. Levine/Scholasticf
$17.99
316 pgs.
for: Young Adults 14 and up
Rating: A total 5 *****
(Also rated PG-13)

It is the summer before Marcelo's senior year, and his father is insisting that instead of working at the stables at his private school for the summer, he must come to work in the mail room of his law firm in Boston, to get a taste of the "real world."

Marcelo has a form of autism/Asperger's Syndrome, and is an amazing young man. We get inside his head. And he is fascinating. Extraordinary. Honest. He thinks - and speaks- of himself in the third person He takes an extra long time sorting through information, so he pauses for long periods before speaking. He's always been very quiet, he ponders questions inside and out before he speaks. He has incredible meta-cognition, is obsessed with the theories behind religion of any kind, hears his own music in his head AND on cd (he has a huge classical collection), and in good weather lives in a treehouse in his yard so that he can be alone. He likes organization, likes to be prepared for what's going to happen when, and in this summer, at his father's law firm, embarks upon a journey of growth and change and insight that is truly marvelous in its own way. I love hearing his entire thought processes when it comes to witnessing...and taking part in....the world. Truly fascinating.

I thought the beginning was just a little slow. But don't stop reading, it gets better and better an even better. Then midway through the story he finds a discarded photograph of a beautiful young girl who is missing half her face....which takes him on a journey that includes discovery about this girl and great insights about himself and the world.

There are many well-created personalities in this book: Jasmine, his young boss, just a little older than the 17-year old Marcelo; Aurora, his mom, his number one fan and role model; Arturo, his dad, a powerful lawyer trying, in his own way, to understand his son; and Jerry Garcia, the lawyer, who become a pivotal part of the story.

My favorite section of the book is when Marcelo accompanies Jasmine to her family home in Vermont.

Satisfying and illuminating.