A story told alternately by a character with autism (Harrison) and a senior (Anna) who volunteers to be part of the best buddy program at her high school. Believable and thought provoking, the voice of Harrison is refreshingly honest and makes the reader really consider how the thinking of a person with autism might explain their actions. ( )

Goodreads Synopsis: One is a fifteen-year-old boy with an uncanny ability to recite every bone in the skeletal system whenever he gets anxious ― and that happens a lot. The meaning of “appropriate behaviour” mystifies him: he doesn’t understand most people and they certainly don’t understand him.

The other is a graduating senior with the world at her feet. Joining the Best Buddies club at her school and pairing up with a boy with high-functioning autism is the perfect addition to her med school applications. Plus, the president of the club is a rather attractive, if mysterious, added attraction.

Told in the alternating voices of Harrison and Anna, Fragile Bones is the story of two teens whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways.

My Review: When I started this book I thought maybe I was a little too old for it, but that went away when I realized it was just a regular story about a girl and a boy. There aren't many books with people with autism in them, so I thought I'd give it a shot, and it was a short but nice change of pace. Anna is very patient, and I was glad everything wrapped up nicely in the end for her. The writing style was simple. Nothing overly exciting happened, but nothing too bad happened either which is good. I really liked the cover for this book, that's actually why I picked this book out. I appreciated the rotating points of view between Anna and Harrison, it kept things interesting throughout the story. All in all, it was a good book, but I probably won't read it again, and if I find the rest of the books I'll read them, but I won't seek them out. Thanks for reading.

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I loved this book. Specifically, Harrison's voice. Harrison has Asperger's (which, according to Harrison, is now known as high-function autism) and is such a heartwarming character. He fixates on bones, has a germ phobia, an amazing intellect, and even though life gets hard and people get mean, he still perseveres and tries to adjust as tough as that may be. My heart broke for the challenges he endured, the bullying he succumbed to, and the overall difficulties he suffered by having Asperger's.

Enter Anna, a senior girl a few years older than him who joins the Best Buddies program in order to befriend and help someone with a mental disability. She is kind, thoughtful, and respectful. I loved how she struggled sometimes with figuring out how to be friends or reach out to Harrison, but how she never gave up and adapted so well to the issues that arose.

The secondary characters felt just as realistic as Anna and Harrison. Joel, Harrison's older brother, copes as I imagine any sibling in this situation would. He is kind to Harrison and helps when he can, yet he still gets frustrated. I loved that Harrison's parents were involved with him, getting him to stretch is comfort zone and loving him unconditionally regardless.

Harrison made me laugh. (I was surprised by how much I did). Sometimes he took things so literally, and when he explained it, I found myself nodding along, completely seeing his point. Other times he made my heart melt or sadly even break a little. He was so brave to endure what he did and yet, everyday he got up and made the choice to continue living in a world where he was different, where he had to deal with so much more than just the normal stresses of high school and being a teen. ( )