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Marcelo In The Real World
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Marcelo In The Real World
by Francisco StorkMarcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear--part of the autism-like impairment no doctor has been able to identify--and he's always attended a special school where his differences have been protected. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "the real world." There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm. He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it's a picture he finds in a file -- a picture of a girl with half a face -- that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice, and what he can do to fight. Reminiscent of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" in the intensity and purity of its voice, this extraordinary novel is a love story, a legal drama, and a celebration of the music each of us hears inside.
$17.99
November 2, 2009 - The following title has been named Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year for 2009.
books;hardcover books;hardcovers | Ages 9-12
Ages 9-12 $17.99
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Marcelo in the Real World (Enriched EBK)
The Scholastic Store 
Marcelo in the Real World (Enriched EBK)
by Stork, Francisco X.A suspenseful and moving account of what happens when a young man discovers and connects with a world that holds both denial and promise.
Seventeen-year-old Marcelo Sandoval has a few issues: He sleeps in a tree house; hears music that no one else can hear; and has a special interest in God—signs of a puzzling condition that he has, which is similar to Asperger's Syndrome.
Marcelo's father has given the teen a choice that he would like to refuse. During the summer, he must work in the mailroom of the powerful law firm his dad owns, or not be permitted to return to the special school where he believes he fits in. Marcelo's father wants his son to step beyond his comfort zone, where most people live—to follow the rules of the real world. If Marcelo refuses the summer job, he will have to go to Oak Ridge High for his senior year.
In this first-person narrative, Marcelo worries that he can't learn to multi-task or navigate the perils of office politics. "I am not normal. Why can't others think and see the world the way I see it?" he asks. As events cause Marcelo to struggle with emotional conflicts, including jealousy and love, author Francisco X Stork deftly conveys humor, wisdom and empathy throughout.
This title contains mature language and references to sex and is only recommended for older readers.
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books;ebooks;enriched ebooks | Ages 15 and Up
Ages 15 and Up $7.49
Interest Level:
9-12
Lexile Framework:
700L
Grade Level Equivalent:
5.3
Age:
14-18
Genre:
Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Subject:
Changes and New Experiences, Friends and Friendship, Feelings and Emotions, Challenges and Overcoming Obstacles, Romantic Relationships
A novel that challenges the boundaries of autism.
This summer, Arturo Sandoval declares, his son Marcelo will learn about the real world. He will work in the mailroom of Arturo's law firm. He will interact with everyone in the office. He will be normal, as Arturo has always said he is, and not have a highly functioning form of Asberger's Syndrome, as Marcelo knows he does. And Marcelo, reluctantly, must agree to his father's terms.
He soon learns reality isn't easy. Wendell, the son of Arturo's partner, offers friendship to further his own ends. The law firm hides an injustice that will transform Marcelo's world. But through it all, there is Jasmine, his beautiful and tenacious coworker, his true friend...and perhaps more.
Reminiscent of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the intensity and purity of its voice, this extraordinary novel encompasses a legal battle, a subtle love story, and the primal coming-of-age narrative: discovering the truth of one's own capacities.
Winner of the 2010 Schneider Family Book Award
* "His inspiring, brave journey into the real world will likely engender a fierce protective instinct in readers, ratcheting up the tension as the plot winds to its sweet, satisfying denouement. It is the rare novel that reaffirms a belief in goodness; rarer still is one that does so this emphatically." — Horn Book, starred review
* "Artfully crafted characters form the heart of Stork’s judicious novel.Stork introduces ethical dilemmas, the possibility of love, and other 'real world' conflicts, all the while preserving the integrity of his characterizations and intensifying the novel’s psychological and emotional stakes. Not to be missed." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "In what turns out to be considerably more than just another tale told by an intelligent narrator with a spectrum disorder...In the end Marcelo keeps his feet amid strong emotional currents, makes the hard choices and even maps out a personal future that wasn’t at all clear earlier on. Stork delivers a powerful tale populated by appealing (and decidedly unappealing) characters and rich in emotional nuance." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
