This might not be for you (book blog 5)

Every week this summer, I'm sharing something new about my book, Social Skills is Canceled, which is scheduled to be released on July 30. I'm also sharing parts of the journey as it unfolds.

(Check out previous posts about the dedication, the preface, an excerpt, and the cover.)

The book is currently in the ARC phase, which means it is being read by people who are likely buyers of the genre. They will leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads so there are reviews available when Social Skills is Canceled publishes. It's one of the many, many things I've learned about while flying through this process.

I posted the book in one online ARC group and got this response:

Just a suggestion about the title, instead of saying "a story for kids with autism, ADHD, and anxiety" you could say "a story of three characters with...". Readers who do not experience autism, etc can also enjoy and relate. It would be more inclusive.

 In my response, I explained that the book is not meant to be inclusive. It is deliberately for neurodivergent kids, not just about them. Just like Starfish Social Club is for neurodivergent kids, not about them. 

Not everything is for everyone, and that's okay.

We all need things that are just for us. Whether it's a hobby that our partner doesn't share, a snack we know no one else will touch, or a book that other people might not understand.

For most students who attend Starfish Social Club, this is the place that is just for them. (I say 'most' because there have been a lot of sibling groups in the past 9 years!) It's a place where they can be themselves while learning how to better connect with others. 

We talk about what we like and don't like, we talk about our diagnoses if we are comfortable doing so, we talk about our strengths and challenges. All without judging the fact that it's okay for a 17-year-old to love Disney movies, or an 8-year-old to be fascinated with WWII history.

My goal is for this book to help kids find themselves in one or more of the characters. I want them to feel like they are represented. Not for the world, but for themselves.

When it comes to the groups at Starfish, my goal is for the students to see parts of themselves represented in other students. It helps build connection and comradery. I don't teach them how to be someone else, I teach them how to create stronger social relationships based on who they are and how they show up in the world.

We all need things that are just for us.

And now for this week's book sneak peak...

Here are some excerpts from the book describing a bit about each character. Do you relate to any of them? Does your kiddo?

Circle:

Circle went into her bathroom to finish getting ready for school. Her mom called the stuff she did in the bathroom "hygiene". That word made Circle think about someone talking to a pair of pants. She imagined them waving and saying, "Hi, Jeans!" It made her giggle to think about it every morning.

Her toothbrush had a cat on it, and that always made her smile. She squeezed her bubble gum flavored toothpaste out of the tube and onto her toothbrush. She thought it was fun to pretend like she was brushing her teeth with actual bubble gum. Then Circle sprayed scented body spray onto her shirt. “Mmmmm, smells like strawberries!” she said softly as she closed her eyes and sniffed the air.

She walked back to her room and slipped her favorite pair of flip-flops onto her feet. She didn’t like wearing shoes that had laces because it took her a long time to tie them, and that was embarrassing. She preferred shoes she could easily slip on. 

Triangle:

Triangle was supposed to wash his face and brush his teeth every morning, but he wasn't going to do those things today. He went into the bathroom to trick his stepmom into thinking that he was washing his face and brushing his teeth. He didn’t ever wash his face, and he didn’t like the feeling of his toothbrush on his teeth. Also, he hated the taste of mint. He only brushed his teeth when his dad stood next to him to make sure he was actually brushing. The rest of the time, he simply ran water over his toothbrush in case anyone checked.

He wandered back to his room and put on his favorite pair of shoes. They looked like the shoes that skateboarders wear, and Triangle thought that was awesome. They were dirty and smelly and the laces were broken, but Triangle usually didn’t tie his shoes anyways. He could tie them if he needed to, but tying shoes was a lot of work. It was much easier to slide them off and on.

Square: 

Square went into the bathroom that he shared with his older brother. He got to use the bathroom first in the mornings since he had to be at school 30 minutes before his brother did. He carefully looked at himself in the mirror. Every morning, Square checked out everything he could think of: his hair, his teeth, his face, his skin. He even smelled his armpits to make sure they didn’t stink.

He brushed his teeth with his electric toothbrush for exactly two minutes. He put on deodorant, just in case. He combed his short hair and made sure it wasn’t sticking up anywhere. He washed his face with special stuff for kids his age that was supposed to keep them from getting pimples.

He checked one more time to make sure there wasn’t anything on his face or in his teeth. He finally felt like he looked okay enough to leave the house.

You can learn more about the book here: Social Skills is Canceled: A Story for Kids with Autism, ADHD, and Anxiety

PS. You can learn more about our school year groups (in person and via Zoom) and join the waiting list for August here:social groups

PPS. I would love your help! 

If you have ever had a student attend Starfish, found a free Starfish resource helpful, or even simply enjoy these weekly emails, it would be so helpful if you would leave a review on Google. (If you can figure out how to do it on Facebook too, that would be awesome. It's not giving me a link to share.)