Amelia's Book Room: Marcelo in the Real World

This is another book cover I love, isn't it so pretty, with all the stars and the glow of the window?

Marcelo Sandoval is 17 years old, but he's not like most other teenagers. He hears music in his mind, a music he can only describe as 'remembering.' This is part of the autism-like impairment he has, which has caused him to be tagged with 'developmental disorder.' He goes to Patterson, a special school for kids like himself, but his father surprises him with a challenge: he has to work in the mail room at his dad's law firm for the summer, and if he does well, he can decide if he wants to go back to Patterson. Otherwise, it's off to public school.

Marcelo decides to work at the law firm. Many of the people he meets in this new, huge world think that he's an idiot, literally, but he just interprets things differently and with more difficulty than most people do. He soon finds a friend in his coworker Jasmine, and a confusing friend/enemy relationship with Wendell, the son of a partner in the law firm. Everything is going smoothly, but then Marcelo finds a mysterious photograph in the company files, that causes him to dig deep into one of their cases.

This is a much more complex story than the cover suggests, and it's a good one. I listened to Francisco Stork's novel on CD, and I came home every day excited for the next disc! Marcelo In The Real World does contain a lot of coarse language and adult topics, though, so be warned, younger readers.

I hope you enjoy this week's book, and don't forget to read Chasing Dandelions by Ariel Arguelles; the end of the Book Club month is coming up pretty fast! Happy reading!