Customer Reviews

Buster and the Amazing Daisy

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved, loved, loved this book for so many reasons...
o it was a great adventure that started right away, you want to keep reading because you can hardly wait to see what happens next
o it's not a sickly sweet, sugar coated kids book...it's funny using words and expressions that will crack up the kids who read it
o my kids loved it even though my 12 year old said "There was a sad part but then it turned out OK."
o in a very compassionate and yet totally entertaining and clear way this adventure helps explain some of the seemingly quirky and sometimes startling behavior of kids with Aspergers
o you truly love the characters!
A great read for yourself, your kids or maybe a favorite teacher!

This is a home run in my opinion. Easy to read and better yet, easy to learn from. Buster and the Amazing Daisy allows the reader to peek into the life of a child who is different than their peers. I found my emotions swelling as I entered into the life of this little child who overcomes the challenges many children face by simply being different. Certainly children with Asperger Syndrome, families, friends and teachers can all benefit from reading this book, in addition, any child who feels they sometimes just don't fit in can enjoy and learn from Buster and the Amazing Daisy. I hope to see more books by Nancy Ogaz out soon.

This is a delightful book about a young girl who has Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's Syndrome is a neurobiological condition that is on the same spectrum as autism and the accompanying behaviors are as varied as there are individuals who have it.

Daisy, the young protagonist is fully aware that she is on the a/A spectrum. She is easily distracted by noises; a classmate's hair-chewing annoys her; certain sounds, tastes and smells upset her. A grade-schooler, Daisy enters the story as a newly-mainstreamed pupil from a self contained program for persons with autism. Her previous school carries the sad name School of Social And Developmentally Delayed, which automatically screams stigma. Instead of being a helpful program, Daisy's previous school does not appear tailored to meet her academic and social needs. At Ocean Vista, where she is mainstreamed, she has a very understanding teacher who explains her behaviors, e.g. hand flapping, noise sensitivity, verbal outbursts, uttering non sequiturs as well as esoteric words to her classmates. Daisy often tended to use stilted utterances such as "powers of darkness" when describing bullying and her spontaneous display of affection when her principal sympathizes with some of her social difficulties. Daisy also makes good use of the Resource Room when stimuli become too overwhelming.

Even with good back up, Daisy is targeted by a group of bullies, some of whom are her classmates. In time, she learns to defend herself and makes friends with a boy named Cody who had also attended Daisy's former school. A girl named Lauren takes Daisy under her wing and is amazingly accepting of Daisy's explanation of what it means to have Asperger's. Indeed, a very funny exchange occurs between the girls when Lauren mispronounces Asperger's, thinking Daisy was making a rather rude joke. That part was truly hilarious!

In time, as the girls bond with Cody, Daisy demonstrates her skill at animal training. She had been working with the class rabbit Buster and had trained him to perform tricks. It is through her work with Buster and with her two new friends that Daisy becomes empowered to act as a friend and step up to the plate for someone who really needs her help.

This is a wonderful book and a treat for all ages. Please read this and share it with someone. The acceptance of the principal, Daisy's teacher and Resource Room teacher point up to just how important inclusion really is. I also like the resorces that the author lists at the end of the story. Hats off to this book!

Although the author may not have Asperger Syndrome, she seems to understand the syndrome very clearly. While showing the differences of AS for everybody she also shows the benefits for everybody. Once I started the book, I wanted to read it without stopping.

My son loved hearing a story about someone else with Aspergers. This may not be award winning literature, but it was certainly entertaining enough to keep my son's second grade class interested. The kids enjoyed the story, and learned about Aspergers in the process. This was the perfect story to open up discussion in the classroom. The teacher tells me that the class was much kinder and more understanding of my son's behaviors afterwards. The main character is very likable, and the reader is left with a sense of understanding and compassion for her quirky behaviors. I plan to read it again to his 3rd grade class.

"Buster and the Amazing Daisy" seems a bit more polished to me than Kathy Hoopmann's books and not only has main character who is female (Daisy White), but an animal (Buster the black bunny), that cinches it as my top choice for Asperger's fiction for young people. It also features a pair of unfortunate puns (p. 55-6) on Asperger that leave names I used to be called in school in the dust--every kid with Asperger's should be aware that they are coming, however.

The illustrations also add a nice touch, wispy little sketches that capture the tale. There's a little bit of Judy Blume's "Blubber" in this tale, too, as Daisy copes with a girl (a girl given to rhyme, no less) who torments her. There's also a character confined to a wheelchair, showing a more physical disability along with the more (but not entirely) mental one and how the kids with them view their lives. All in all, this is a fine, multidimensional book for the 3rd to 7th grade set focusing on Asperger's, but dealing with many other issues as well, making it less a blatant vehicle to educate and more just a great book.

Readers should also be aware of two other books--polar opposites for suggested readership--that I enjoyed: "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" by Tony Attwood for parents, educators, and clinicians (and, apparently, me), and "Can I Tell You About Asperger Syndrome?: A Guide for Friends and Family" by Jude Welton and Jane Telford for young people. Also keep your eye out for Kathy Hoopmann's "Asperger Adventure" series of children's books.