Lisa and the Lacemaker: An Asperger Adventure [Paperback]

Kathy Hoopmann (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1843100711 | ISBN-13: 978-1843100713 | Publication Date: July 15, 2002 | Edition: 1

When Lisa discovers a derelict hut in her friend Ben's backyard, she delights in exploring the remnants of an era long gone. Imagine her surprise when Great Aunt Hannah moves into a nursing home nearby, and reveals that once she was a servant in those very rooms. The old lady draws Lisa into the art of lace making and through the cross-crossing of threads, Lisa is helped to understand her own Asperger Syndrome. But Great Aunt Hannah also has a secret and now it is up to Lisa to confront the mysterious lacemaker and put the past to rest.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-Novels designed to teach or hammer home a point rarely qualify as excellent, or even good, literature. This is true of Hoopmann's book, written as a mystery but designed to help readers understand children with Asperger's Syndrome. The plot is contrived: Lisa's friendship with Great Aunt Hannah deepens as the girl learns how to make lace, as her aunt used to do. The mystery involves Hannah's old infatuation, when she was a servant-girl, with William, the landowner's son. Suddenly, zing! Lisa and her friend Ben find William through Internet searches and unite the two right there in the nursing home. Throughout, the author tosses in information about kids with Asperger's ("aspies"), their learning habits and behavioral quirks. Lacing together an awkward plot and adding some odd characters does not make a competent novel.
Linda Beck, Indian Valley Public Library, Telford, PA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Kathy Hoopmann is a primary school teacher and children's author who lives on a small property near Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. Kathy has been involved with children with Asperger syndrome for many years, and is the author of Blue Bottle Mystery and Of Mice and Aliens, also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 1 edition (July 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843100711
• ISBN-13: 978-1843100713
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Personal Health > Children's Health > Special Needs Children

More About the Author

Kathy Hoopmann lives in Australia with her husband and three children. She is also the author of the Asperger Adventure series for younger children, Blue Bottle Mystery, Of Mice and Aliens, and Lisa and the Lacemaker, all published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Yet, January 11, 2007

By 

Veggie Vixen (Way Down South) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lisa and the Lacemaker: An Asperger Adventure (Paperback)

We have all the books in this series so far: Blue Bottle Mystery, Of Mice and Aliens and now Lisa and the Lacemaker. I have to agree with the other reviewer who said this is the best book yet. Very touching, much more plausible than the other two (ok, ok, so it's a ghost story, but still.) I almost didn't get this book because I thought it would appeal more to girls and I have a newly diagnosed 8-yr-old Aspie, however, we read the other two books in one day each and he DEMANDED the Lacemaker book. We were delighted to discover that Ben and Andy were in it, and that this Lisa is the Lisa from Of Mice and Aliens. The common thread was there (no pun intended) and it was easy for us to slip right into the story. The books are imaginative and not mere tutorials on AS although they help with that too. Good for boys and girls. My son loves them and is eagerly awaiting the next!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Asperger's & Old Lace, November 1, 2006

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lisa and the Lacemaker: An Asperger Adventure (Paperback)

One of the best mysteries featuring a protagonist with Asperger's Syndrome. I like this one even better than the Ben books!

Lisa, a tween (8-12) has Asperger's Syndrome (AS) which is the spectrum partner to autism. Readers are introduced to her as she suffers the sensory agony of wearing a dress with a scratchy neck (one can really feel for her there) and the loud guests at her grandmother's party. Lisa does not get the point of small talk; considers it a waste of time and often is baffled by negative responses to her blunt, direct comments, such as when she told a smoker that his cigarettes caused cancer.

She is rigid about routines and what she eats; she does not like suprises - no surprise there. Show me a person with AS who doesn't hate surprises and I'll show you a flying bulldog that can tap dance. However, things brighten up when she meets her great-aunt Hannah, a delightful lady in whom she confides having Asperger's.

Hannah is a wonderful character; she sparks an interest in lacemaking in the young girl. She accepts her unquestioningly; teaches her about lace making and the bond between the two does make for a very sweet story indeed.

Ben, whom readers have met in Hoopmann's other books is part of their AS group. He is gifted at math, science and computers; Lisa at literature and remembering long passages of written text. Their respective mothers marvel at how different and similar their AS children are. Both have no clue as to how to interact socially; their special interests and extraordinary skills are in vastly different areas, yet isolate them from other peers.

Andy, Ben's friend whom readers know from Hoopmann's other books is in this one as well, acting as social tour guide and general factotum. When the children discover an abandoned hut on the grounds, they enter and make quite a discovery. They unearth secrets about Lisa's great-aunt Hannah, who worked there as a servant girl decades earlier and the landowner's son.

After doing some online sleuthing, these cyber bloodhounds track William down and reunite him with Hannah, who is in a nursing home. While their reunion is a sweet one, it does not degenerate into a cliche predictable ending. There are some bizarre parts, such as the element of the supernatural. Even so, that does not take anything away from the story. I like the way explanations of making lace as well as the tools for making it (tatting) have been included. This is a delightful story about how there are no boundaries to the AS mind! I love it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a delightful book !, January 23, 2006

By 

M.O. "M.O." (New York, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lisa and the Lacemaker: An Asperger Adventure (Paperback)

My 8 year old son has AS. He discovered his disability by reading the Blue Bottle Mystery by the same author. Since then, we have bought the 2 other books. This book is mainly about a girl with AS. It is so beautiful to read, especially that it is not only about a disability, but it is also introducing a work of art that is rare, lacemaking... Kids and adults will get a chance to think about how intricate lacemaking is and how much patience it takes, and how AS is intricate and patience it requires. Everyone in my family has read those books, and I have recommended it to the school and to our friends.