Growing up thinking she was different, author Abigaile Balfe learned at age 33 that she was autistic. In the meantime she had given herself all sorts of labels and masks.

But having learned about the allistic brain vs the autistic brain, she believes it’s important for those with autism to be proud of who they are and be accepting of themselves.

This book is written and illustrated with humor, acceptance and clear facts. Autistic people need to be accepted and loved for who they are; not just trained and masked to fit into an allistic world.

I laughed as I learned – including the humorous suggestion that when things get overwhelming, allistic brained people may want to try rolling around on the floor a bit to see how grounding and good it can feel.

Although the author says this book is for 8-12 year olds, there is information on sexuality that may be more apropos for junior/senior high than the lower end of the range who would be 3rd graders. For example on page 12 there is a roulette wheel of 11 different sexual orientations terms such as ‘androgyne’, ‘neutrosist’ and others that may unfamiliar. The chapter on puberty also describes the many variations of being instead of just ‘man’ and ‘woman’. ( )

Growing up, Abigail had difficulties fitting in and joining in activities that many children enjoyed. It wasn’t until she received a diagnosis of autism in her mid-thirties that she began to understand and embrace her differences. Through her art and words she explores this in "A Different Kind of Normal".

It was a heartfelt memoir and self-help book (there are resources at the end.) Many of her experiences struck a chord and made me think it would be a dull world if we were all the same kind of “normal”.

I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations were great and really added to the way the information was provided. The writing was a bit scattered, but I appreciated the informal tone and found the author to be really relatable. I appreciate that I was able to learn new things about autism from a book written for kids 8-12. This book was really cute and I would recommend it as a read for kids or adults.

I received this book as part of the early reviewers program. ( )

This book reads like one of those awesome, long, juicy letters you might get from an old friend... Any other pen pal people here? It is written specifically for teens, but I think it makes a great quick read for families, friends, teachers or general humans who are trying to wrap their heads around the autism spectrum and perhaps people in their lives who have this gift. It is by no means a "guide" or scholarly article, but this is the biggest part of its charm. It's accessible and conversational- a book you can read through in one sitting. It is worth noting that this is a memoir, so its one single experience with ASD and specifically from a person who was not diagnosed until adulthood and is now looking back on their experiences as a teen and that all-too-familiar teen feeling of not fitting in and trying to figure out who you are. A delightful celebration of uniqueness and loving yourself! ( )

This book is cute and quite charming, but the author does not provide too much convincing evidence that she is or was "different" from other kids any more than all kids are different from each other, altho she has provided a few trendy current concepts to mix in. Kids are weird, (we all were, and they all still are) but that's not a pathology. Listening to kids (or people), giving them space in which to be themselves is good advice for humans, not just autistic people. Learning to use your voice and define your boundaries are also a challenges for the neurotypical. As evidenced by the publisher's blurb: "...if you've ever felt like you don't fit it in...this is for you." perhaps her desire to make the subject fuzzy and friendly actually pulled the focus too far back for her to hit the target. And I worry that it might persuade young people to jump on the neurodiverse bandwagon in a negative way, perhaps pathologizing their thoughts, and/or seeking medication to treat them. ( )