A fantastically unusual detective story written from the perspective of an autistic boy.

Christopher is 15 and lives in Swindon with his father. He has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. He is obsessed with maths, science and Sherlock Holmes but finds it hard to understand other people. When he discovers a dead dog on a neighbour's lawn he decides to solve the mystery and write a detective thriller about it. As in all good detective stories, however, the more he unearths, the deeper the mystery gets - for both Christopher and the rest of his family.

Fifteen-year-old Christopher has a photographic memory. He understands maths. He understands science. What he can't understand are other human beings. When he finds his neighbour's dog lying dead on the lawn, he decides to track down the killer and write a murder mystery about it. But what other mysteries will he end up uncovering?

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize
Shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize

Mark Haddon:
Mark Haddon is an author, illustrator and screenwriter who has written fifteen books and won two BAFTAS. He lives in Oxford.

2007-10-06 Really amazing and an eye opener

***WARNING***:THIS BOOK IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE ADULT'S VERSION, JUST WITH A DIFFERENT COVER - WORD FOR WORD. STILL JUST AS MUCH SWEARING AND INDECENCY!***


I first read this book at the age of ten. My younger brother was 5, and had just started primary school; the same school as the one I was at.
I loved this book and thought it was funny, and deeply moving.
My brother (lets call him Joe Bloggs!) aka JB started to have problems at school. He wasn't paying attention, didn't seem to be learning anything.
He was diagnosed with Speech and Languege Problems.
This book has brought my whole family closer to the truth and we all suspect he has autism.
This book has a very realistic take on autism and has helped me understand my brother.