Diary of A young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty was published by Little Toller Books and is sold at £12.43
What is the book about?
Diary Of A Young Naturalist is exactly what it sounds like from the title and more. It follows young Dara McAnulty for a year of his life, growing up as an autistic teenager with a deep connection to nature, coping with change and developing relationships not only with other people but with the world around him. His writing and observations take a hopeful look at coming of age.
Who is it aimed at?
Though this is aimed towards teenagers and young people, I think it’s the type of book that could catch the interest of those older or slightly younger as well.
What was your favourite part?
In the tv shows, movies and books that I read it’s been rare for me to find a representation of autistic young people that feels genuine and relatable, but I loved the way this handled that aspect of life. In comparison to the few and far between autistic characters in other books that are surrounded by neurotypical characters and can fall into stereotypes, reading this was both comforting and refreshing.
What was your least favourite part?
I don’t often read, or at least haven’t for a while, autobiographical works so the different type of writing took a little bit to get used to but is certainly something I’ll be looking for more in the future.
Which character would you most like to meet?
As this book takes on the form of a memoir, I was of course most interested in Dara McAnulty’s story and experiences.
Why should someone buy this book?
Aside from the open discussions about his experiences with autism, growing up and the ups and downs that come with it, there’s something deeply and undeniably soothing about the core concept of this book. It’s easy to lose our connection to the world around us, but reading this makes it easy to get back in touch with that.
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