Title: Marcelo in the Real World
Author: Francisco Stork
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 3.5/5
Why I Read It: It released in 2009, and I was in the mood for something new.

Summary: 17-year-old Marcelo has a condition similar to autism—he hears music in his mind that no one else can hear. Marcelo loves his school, but in order to keep going there, first he has to prove to his father that he can make it in “the real world.”

Review: I found this book a little difficult to get into at first because the main character is so guarded with his emotions, but I appreciated and completely understood the realism. And I ended up thoroughly enjoying this story. I got especially wrapped up in the plot around a decision Marcelo has to make in “the real world.”

One trivial thing bugged me an eensy weensy bit. A lot of times, the characters didn’t use common contractions when speaking, like always saying “it is” and “you are.” While I bought that Marcelo would talk that way, it made the other characters’ speech sound stilted.

This is a sweet story, and I actually found myself missing Marcelo as I typed up this review.

Side note: A lot of people have compared this book to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, although some disagree.

Would you consider these books similar? Leave a comment to share your thoughts!

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