The Space We're In by Katya Balen

The Space We're In is the story of Frank, a "normal" 10-year-old boy who loves soccer, coding, and playing with his friends. The problem is that Frank's younger brother Max is not "normal;" he is autistic. And because Max is different, Frank has to deal with those differences too...differences like Max's noises, his screaming, and his embarrassing, sometimes public, melt downs. When people make fun of Max, Frank is ashamed that he does not take up for him. Frank loves his brother, but living with Max is hard on his entire family.

When Frank's mother becomes ill, Frank blames Max for demanding so much from her. But when tragedy strikes, Frank realizes that he was wrong,--wrong about the cause of his Mother's illness and also wrong for not seeing Max for the wonderful brother he is.

I recommend this book to students 3rd grade and up who enjoy reading about people with differences or who live with challenging differences themselves. Author Katya Balen does a good job of capturing the challenges of both living with autism and living with someone with autism. 

Warning: The story is a sad one, and you may cry, but the ending is uplifting.

Mrs. N.