FINISHED:
Houtman, Jacqueline. (2010). The reinvention of Edison Thomas. Honesdale, PA: Front Street/Boyds Mills.

[My review for ACL:

After a neighborhood school crossing guard is laid off, science wiz Edison Thomas, fearing for the safety of the other school children, attempts to construct a contraption that can that can take the place of a human at the intersection. Though never mentioned outright, Edison clearly lies somewhere on the high funtioning end of the Asperger’s/autism spectrum as he has weekly visits with a school therapist to help him distinguish facial cues, and is constantly baffled by figures of speech. Thus, scattered throughout the text are fun random facts and figures (all detailed in an appendix) from Edison’s cluttered brain which loosely pertain to situations/conversations in which he’s found himself. One of the strongest elements of Houtman’s tome is that it deals with the topical issue of bullying: Edison is unware, until it is brought to his attention by a new friend, that another boy whom he believes to be a friend is actually ridiculing Edison and attempting to get him in trouble. A strong novel of friendship and understanding, but one that will likely have limited appeal.]

STARTED:
Pullman, Philip. (2010). The good man Jesus and the scoundrel Christ. New York: Canongate/Publishers Group West.

[It's a blasphemous new Philip Pullman!]

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