Blue Bottle Mystery. An Asperger Adventure :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Wonderful human behavior

2006-01-24
My 8 year old son has AS. But we have never told him about it. He knows something is different with him, but we treat him as normally as we treat my younger daughter.

When I first read this book, it brought tears to my eyes. It was hard for me to see how simply the author described the character's ailements. But it also convinced me, the parent, that it is wonderful to have such a child. After I read it, my husband read it too. We decided that by having my son and daughter read it, they may draw some conclusions.

In fact, they both could not wait to finish the book. My daughter was interested in the mystery part, where as my Aspie son, was questioning the behavioral incidents and sometimes finding similarities or even differences between himself and Ben. He finally asked me if he had Asperger's too ! As much as I had prepared myself with a pre-canned reply, I could only say :" perhaps, you have a little bit of it".

This book, and the others by Kathy Hoopmann, are wonderful to read and to learn from. I have recommended them to the principal of our school as a must have for the 2-5 grade classes.

thank you ....

M.O. New York

My son loves it

2005-08-20
I read this book myself, and I'm now reading it with my 8-year-old son with AS. Besides having an entertaining story line, it's given us opportunities to have some rich discussions.

For example, there's a scene where Ben's teacher becomes more and more frustrated with his inappropriate responses. My son and I read it over, and I said, "Do you understand why she got so upset?" He said, emphatically, "No!", so we went through the scene line by line and I pointed out how the misunderstandings arose. Afterwards, he understood better how he sometimes offends people without meaning to.

I'd like to address some of the criticisms other reviewers have had. Yes, there is Australian slang. My son asks me what it means, just as he would with any unfamiliar word or phrase. It's not a big deal. Yes, Ben has a good friend. However, his friend gets annoyed with his constant talk about computers (Ben's obsession); he is realistically portrayed. It's great to have a model of an Aspie friendship for my son; reading about typical kids who get together to shoot hoops is not going to give him any idea how *he* would act with a friend.

Yes, the father and the teacher say some harsh things to and about Ben, but that is before he is diagnosed. Once they understand what is going on, they do not put Ben down or imply that Asperger's is something to be ashamed of.

All in all, this has been a great book for my son and for me.

A glimpse of life/offer of understanding

2004-10-16
Having a 12 yr old son with aperger's syndrome, naturally i was interested when i came across this book. I have read it, my husband has read it. My son is currently reading it. I find it a breath of fresh air. It mirrors the aspie life. This book could easily be given to friends and aquaintances to read to offer some kind of understanding without being overwhelming. I believe this book and others of its kind should be in classroom libraries available to all children. This book i give a 5, not because it is a literary masterpiece, but because the thought and feelings behind it are right on target. Fun story too!

It really rocks!

2003-09-23
It really was a good book about an Asperger's adventure and a boy with AS. I'm a 9 yo boy who just got diagnosised with AS, and it was fun to read about a boy with Aspergers.

"Can we get the sequel, Mom?"

2003-06-09
We finished this book tonight, and my 8-year-old son with Asperger's immediately asked me if we could get the sequel. You bet!

Wish the publisher would do a U.S. version, since some of the Aussie slang is a little hard for an American kid to understand. And my son would've liked a more thorough solution to the "mystery". But all-in-all, a very nice book.

Entertaining and Informative 2008-04-29
This book is number one in a series of 3 so far. My son has Aspergers and this book has helped me to understand and thus educate others re: my sons idiosyncracies. All 3 of my children enjoyed this book.

Mrs de Jager-Pound's Social Skills class 2007/8 2008-03-03
Ben's life seems to be hard for him until he finds a magical blue bottle. Then his life and his friend Andy's life suddenly changes for the better. Ben, his dad, and his teacher learn about Asperger Syndrome. The third wish will keep you guessing until the end. We recommend this book for readers eight years and up who want to learn more about Asperger Syndrome.

Not practical 2007-03-24
Both the teacher (emotionally demanding) and the parent (materialistic and shallow) are presened in a very bad light. While the book is fiction, the resolutions (without giving any portion of the book away) are not in any way practical to the very real challenges of raising a child with special needs. While AS does have it's challenges, it should simply be presented as a "different way of being", so that the child with AS may prepare him/herself for life in an appropriate and practical way, to the best of his/her ability, and not to rely on the chance solutions presented in this book.

Aspie Intro 2007-01-12
Our "friend" from C.A.R.D. (Center for Autism and Related Disabilities) had finished her in-home observations and we got the "diagnosis" over the phone. Our son was unaware of the situation, only ever knowing that he is different and internalizing that as "bad". After some research I determined that the best way to break it to him was via Blue Bottle Mystery. We read the book, not an abnormal occurrence; we homeschool. He understood Ben and finally felt understood a little himself. When the story culminated I asked him who his favorite character was. Ben of course. I then explained to him that he had something very much in common with Ben in that he also has Asperger. My son almost did a cartwheel. Because of this book, he was "proud" to have AS.

I too didn't like the "problem with the brain" language; it almost made me cry. However, I realize this is actually how some professionals talk, so it is "real world". I also realize that, much as I don't like facing it, AS IS a problem at times. I certainly didn't have an issue with the anger Ben's dad felt. My son was 8 before we knew about AS, and I have often found myself feeling "manipulated" by my smart son as when he argues that he can't "pick up the floor" when being asked to clean his room. The hand flailing DOES look weird, and I have felt the frustration and embarrassment that Ben's dad experienced. It made ME feel normal and "forgiven". Ben's dad didn't understand and neither did I, I'm sorry to say. Mr. Jones had to learn and so did I. So I like how this book works on two levels: it introduces AS to the child and to the parent and it sort of comisserates/relates. We all needed that. We have a special place in our hearts for this book. It enabled my son to understand himself and even like himself a little better, and we as parents no longer felt so entirely alone.

Poor 2006-04-29
I understand how some AS children would relate; however mine did not. She was horrified at the thought of being viewed as "not normal". Also the way the father treated his son before the diagnosis and after was, quite frankly, nystifying to me. My daughter has many of the same quirks that Ben has (hand flapping, obseesions, etc) I would never and never have put her down or got angry over those quirks.
The doctor tells the Dad that Asperger's is a "problem in the brain." I have always described it as a different way of thinking. At this point I wasn't reading this book to my daughter. I can not fathom how she would react to being told she has a problem in her brain.
Once again, some children obviously felt connected to the story. We had the opposite experience.