17-year-old Marcelo Sandoval has a form of Asberger’s Syndrome. He hears music in his head, he’s obsessed with religion, and he sleeps in a tree house. Marcelo goes to a special needs school called Paterson, where he helps to take care of the ponies. Paterson feels safe and comfortable to Marcelo and he would like to stay there forever, but his father thinks he should join the “real world” and attend a regular high school in the fall. Marcelo and his father strike a deal. Marcelo will join the “real world” and work in the mailroom at his father’s law firm for the summer and if he is successful, he will be free to choose between returning to Paterson in the fall or going to a regular high school.
As Marcelo quickly discovers, the “real world” is very complicated and the summer at the law firm poses a lot of challenges. He meets many new people, but whom should he trust? When Marcelo stumbles upon a mystery, he finds himself in the middle of a sticky situation that tests his loyalties to his father, his co-workers, and the law firm.
Once you start reading “Marcelo in the Real World”, you won’t want to put it down. Not only is it a great mystery, but, seeing the world through the eyes of someone on the autism spectrum is a fascinating, heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking experience.
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