However, I deeply identify with Tally's high sensitivity to stimulation and agitation over it, her obsessive-compulsive tendencies, some of her tics, and her constant stress over trying to find some way to appear at least semi-normal, or at least normal enough to fly under the radar. I have had this book sitting on a shelf for ages and I have decided to read it all and for anyone with autism it will make you more confident and people without it, it will make you more kind towards people with autism. It meant so much to me to read about this from another person's perspective, and to see Tally's stress about trying to behave and keep self-control, but getting to points where she literally cannot restrain the explosive behavior that takes over.

I would say that about 90% of the protagonist's behaviours are recognisable in my daughter - Some parts made me laugh, others made me cry. Again, I'm not autistic, and I know that my experience is different, but the message of "this is just who Tally is," as accepting as it seems, can be a cop out from finding solutions to someone's misery.

However, for Tally, she feels all of these things even stronger, the upset, confusion and turmoil she faces in day to day situations is shown, along with her dairy entries at the end of some chapters, which also provide a deeper insight into the experiences and actions of a child with autism as well as explaining some terms and definitions in addition to the ways in which her autism affects her and her actions. I picked this up thinking it would be an insightful read as my 11 year old, with autism, starts high school next month. However, the book as a whole wasn't the most engaging--the plot is rather slow for much of it, and the Tally's Autism Facts sections, while informative, are also a bit info-dump-y, and I wasn't ever sure if the story was supposed to take place in the US or UK.

Puedes sacar muchas enseñanzas de este libro, no solo aprender a cómo tratar a una persona con autismo, sino a cómo tratar a la gente en general. When she starts her new school, everything is very big and overwhelming and she has to find ways to hide her autism, but what if she doesn't have to? I can only speak from my own experience, and I am not making any commentary about autism itself, but I think there is a risk to reading a book like this and assuming that just because someone presents with a certain emotional, physical, or mental symptom means that it is part of their identity. In so many of my thoughts and activities lately, I have been mentally messaging back to my younger self, "I see you. This book would be excellent for Year 6 to teach about inclusion and transition, along with autistic children themselves who may feel isolated and alone, just like Tally.Her experiences are drawn from the life of this book's young coauthor, and these contributions give a very realistic flavor to the story, both in terms of the autism experience and the thoughts and feelings of a child beginning middle school.

This book beautifully portrays the experiences of Tally, a young girl with autism, as she transitions from primary to secondary school. Tally isn't ashamed of being autistic -- even if it complicates life sometimes, it's part of who she is. Perfect for fans of Wonder and The Goldfish Boy, this sucker punch to the heart is valuable reading for children and adults alike.I didn't care for the narrative writing style, because it was often detached and dry, and when parts of the book went on and on without advancing the plot or characters significantly, I sometimes skimmed ahead to the next engaging action.

Still, I have mixed feelings about aspects of this, since I know from my own experience that I can have a unique and different brain with all of the "pros" that Tally listed in her diary, without all of the "cons" staying at their worst forever. During my current phase of quarantine, I have been reliving the highlights from when I was twelve and thirteen, watching some of the movies that I watched back then and rereading related journal entries.

The reader is supposed to believe that the main character, Tally, is a mainstreamed student at a public middle school, but the way her behavior is portrayed, there is no way she would be mainstreamed, and particularly without an IEP and all her teachers knowing what her needs were, which is not the case in this story.