Kids' Book About Autism

I never expected this book to have anything to do with autism, and that word isn't used in it even once. But one of the important characters in The Bell Bandit is clearly on the Autism Spectrum and portrayed realistically.

The book isn't actually about autism. It also involves a beloved grandmother who is getting dementia and the relationship between siblings who are growing apart as they get older.

Does all that sound depressing? It's certainly not! First of all, the book is an exciting mystery about a missing antique bell. The realistic characters and relationships only add to the well-developed plot.

Unlike some of the traditional mystery series for kids where parents allowed children to go alone into potentially dangerous situations, everything Jessie and the other kids in the book do is believable. But the problems they encounter and must figure out are certainly scary enough to keep the reader turning pages.

This book is part of The Lemonade War series by Jacqueline Davies. I hadn't read the previous books, but liked this one, which is fine by itself, so much I'll certainly have to read the others.

The Bell Bandit is a great book!