Fragile Bones: Harrison & Anna

One-2-one

by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

One is a sixteen-year-old boy with an uncanny ability to recite every bone in the skeletal system whenever he gets anxious ― and that happens a lot. The meaning of “appropriate behavior” mystifies him: he doesn’t understand most people and they certainly don’t understand him.

The other is a graduating senior with the world at her feet. Joining the Best Buddies club at her school and pairing up with a boy with high-functioning autism is the perfect addition to her med school applications. Plus, the president of the club is a rather attractive, if mysterious, added attraction.

Told in the alternating voices of Harrison and Anna, Fragile Bones is the story of two teens whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways.

Each One-2-One novel tells the story of a different pair of teens participating in the Best Buddies program at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School. Follow the lives of this group of friends who come together with different expectations and problems, seeing the world from their own unique perspectives and facing it head on together.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Canada, Mental Health, Realistic Fiction, Autistic Spectrum Disorder

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2015

About the author

Lorna Schultz Nicholson is an award winning author who has published over 50 books, including children's picture books, middle grade, YA fiction and sports non-fiction. Lorna divides her time between Edmonton and Penticton, where she and her husband share their homes with their Mexican rescue dog.
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www.lornaschultznicholson.com
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Reviews

[❀Aimee❀ Just one more page... · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a nurse and happen to be pretty well versed in the basics of autism spectrum disorders. I feel the book did a good job finding Harrison's voice and describing his view of the world. I highly appreciate and respect anyone that tries to explain what it's like for those with autism.

If you like this, I highly recommend Temple Grandin - her book and the movie based on her life were incredibly illuminating.

The book did a good job not only describing what it is like for Harrison, but also for his family and anyone new to his life. Everyone has different triggers, reactions, and temperament.

This was a sweet and easy read, but seemed aimed at a middle grade or high school audience.

Thank you Netgalley and Clockwise Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel honoured to have been given an opportunity to read this book, it was so beautifully written and it really touched my heart. The main characters are Anna and Harrison. Anna has joined the Best Buddy scheme at school in order initially to progress her CV and she is assigned to be with Harrison. Harrison suffers from high functioning autism and this book deals with how he starts to progress and the developments he makes with Anna as his friend. Its such a hard subject to write about and I know parents that are going through these battles where any small thing can be a massive milestone and to others its just seens as day to day, it tells the story from the sides of both Harrison and Anna and for me the story it is really told exceptionally well here. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Alejandra Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can find this review along with many others on my blog Seamless Reader!

When you are a dedicated YA reader, there can come a point in which you feel like things start getting repetitive and the books start feeling more and more similar as you go on. Fragile Bones was like a breath of fresh air. A new and refreshing read brimming with diversity.

I liked how this book focuses on the disease that is Asperger's (a form of autism where the sufferer has a fixation on a certain topic, in Harrison's case being bones and medical things, hence the title) and not only the character suffering with it, but the people like his family who have to live with him everyday. The author gave an insight on what the disease really is and also, on ways that one can help and make the person feel as good and as normal as possible. Because we all know there are some rude people out there who treat others like Harrison as if they were aliens or something of the like.

Having the story told from both the perspective of Harrison and the perspective of Anna (Harrison's best buddy system's partner) was sublimely interesting because we got to see both sides to the story, you know? Like, whenever Harrison had an episode, we got to see thing from his perspective and from Anna's perspective. We know that it's all very difficult and stressful for Harrison, but we never really think about how difficult it is for the other person. When I really thought about it, the story would have been oh so entirely different had it only been from one POV. Having it told the way it was successfully portrayed how these situations affect families and how it can bring them together as well as apart. This also allowed for both characters to be equally important rather than only focusing on the character with the disabilities. It never deviated from the other characters and everything happening around them. The plot was well-balanced and developed.

What I loved he most was Harrison's attitude. Regardless of his disability and of all the obstacles which he had to battle daily, he still had hope for himself and that was very inspirational. This book is total eye-opener and it delivers the message of approaching these thing with patience and an open-mind.

I loved it and I was so happy when I found out that this is a series. Each book will focus on a different character from the Best Buddy System and I'm just so excited! I will definitely read anything that this author writes.

[Camillia (Twenty Three Pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE: TWENTY THREE OWLS

I've always been interested in Autism and other neurological and personality disorders and because of that, I've always loved reading books on the subject (okay only fiction books for now). So I was very happy to receive a copy of this book to read and review.

This book follows Harrison, who has autism, and Anna, the girl who befriends him. I really enjoyed this quick and simple read. In fact I cried a bit at some parts. I thought this book was really lovely. In fact, I was originally planning to give it a good old 5 stars.

BUT

I saw a review that someone else had made on the book. It wasn't a very good review of the book but I like reading both good and bad reviews of a book especially before I review a book so that I can be objective. So I saw this review and in it, the person mentioned that she didn't really learn anything new about autism and that everything was told very superficially and that even Harrison's parts were not as deep as she hoped they would be.

That got me thinking. I didn't learn anything new about autism through this book and yes, it was a very surface level kind of book. While I did feel that I understood people with autism better, I felt like I didn't get to really know as much as I would have liked from this book. If I saw a boy in the streets walking in circles and flapping his arms, I might be sympathetic but I wouldn't really understand him very well. Going into a book like this, one would hope to be able to look at that boy on the streets and understand the struggles that he goes through on a deeper level. It felt like Nicholson simply saw this boy and wrote about him with less research then one would expect from a book of this caliber.

I also felt like the romance thing was a bit forced. I felt that Justin and Anna could have stayed friends. It might have made the story even more impactful. But instead the love story made the book just a tad cheesy. Just a tad.

Overall, this was a great read however if you are hoping to learn a great deal more about autism, maybe this book won't be for you. However I urge everyone to pick up this book because as surface as it is, it does help us empathise with someone who has a neurological disability and I think everyone needs to be aware of how they can help and how they can contribute to making a disabled person's life just a tad easier.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. I would describe it as similar to "The Rosie Project" for younger readers. The pacing is nice and easy, the writing is smooth and the plot is seamless, all of which makes for a comfortable read. There are moments or relationships upon which the author touched and about which I was/am interested in learning more, such as Anna's relationship with her mother (ex. they never really talk about why Anna thinks her mother grew disinterested in her). However, the length of the book is great as it is--short enough to appeal to more reluctant readers, but long enough to comprise a decent plot. It's also a great introduction (for readers of all ages, but esp. for younger readers who may be interested in learning more/getting involved) into a wonderful program, the Best Buddies program.

I especially like the two main characters, Harrison and Anna. To me, both seem very realistic. On the one hand, the reader gets a clear picture of the difficulties that a person with high-functioning autism faces in handling what we think of as ordinary experiences. Through Harrison's eyes, we feel his anxiety over the need to not go into that restaurant because it serves things with sauces, and we can't eat things with sauces or dishes with mixed-up food! On the other hand, Anna's character is all research and hard work and goal-setting. Her relationship with Harrison is initially self-serving (it would look good on her resume), but quickly evolves into a genuine friendship whereby Anna learns to care for and consider the needs of this other person.

I definitely recommend this as an any-time read. It's a good balance of substance, light humor (the banter between Harrison and his older brother Joel, especially about kissing girls, is hilarious) teen romance (ahh the hormones!), and family relationships.

[Leah Nova (Bookish Harpist) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually just finished this book less than a half hour ago, and I want to get into my review before I forget any of it!

I received a copy of this book from Clockwise Press via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Fragile Bones tells the story of Harrison and Anna, a boy with high-functioning Autism, and the girl who befriends him. The two are a pair of unlikely friends, but are put together in the Best Buddy club at their school. Through this pairing, Anna hopes to have something new to put on her college applications, and Harrison’s family wants him to improve at social interactions.

The main focus of the book is on this new friendship that blossoms between Harrison and Anna, and the struggles that come along with it. For example, Harrison is incredibly knowledgable on the human body, diseases, and, most noticeably, bones. He knows ever bone in the body and recites them when he’s nervous, something that bothers his family, but interests Anna. This book features both the good and the bad, from Harrison’s improvements to his meltdowns.

I feel like this would be a great book for anyone to read, as it gives a view into the mind of someone with autism. Whether the reader knows someone personally with autism, or simply has an interest in it, it’s a very interesting read. It’s told from both Harrison’s and Anna’s POV, allowing the reader to understand why Harrison is acting a certain way (perhaps due to germs) and how Anna learns to react to him, both of which can be applicable to real life, should the opportunity present itself.

I personally enjoyed this book very much. It’s not very long, and there are no crazy conflicts. It just shows real life, and the lives of two completely different people who come together to become friends, despite their differences. I would recommend this

[Rachel Seigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story about a teenage boy with high functioning Autism, and a girl who pairs up with him through the Best Buddy program in her school. I really love the alternating voices and how the reader gets to see the perspective of both characters as their experience in the program helps them to grow and change.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a sweet, feel good book. I loved the relationship between Harrison and Anna and how both of them learned something about each other and how to cope with everyday life. The author obviously knew a great deal about autism and portrayed Harrison and his struggles so perfectly. My only complaint was that you often had overlap of the same story being told because each chapter bounced back and forth between the two characters. This was a little too repetitive at times.

[Nicole Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Good, tight writing, memorable characters and a really intense Act III. I've been involved with the Autistic community through the hospital and with friends who have Autistic children and you can tell Lorna's done her research. Fragile Bones is nominated for a Red Maple award and I can see why. Good luck and I hope you win!

[Alícia · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡Me ha gustado mucho! :D Os dejo aquí la reseña: http://aliciareadss.blogspot.com.es/2...

[Kiana Nguyen · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5 Stars

Disclaimer: I am not disabled and therefore don’t have the most informed reading.

I requested the galley of Fragile Bones because Harrison is an autistic character and I want to read more diverse YA fiction. I was very hopeful for a fresh voice in terms of disabled characters.

I didn’t get that.

Where the author might have meant to make a heartwarming story, she managed to create another one dimensional portrayal of an autistic person and the resume-fluffing do-gooder who deigns to acknowledge them.

Writing

The chapters alternate between Harrison and Anna’s perspectives, told in first person perspectives. Harrison’s has a very “tell-all” style (for lack of a better phrase, forgive me), Anna’s is styled much in the same way where the only distinction between the two is that Harrison’s thought processes are very focused and Anna’s are “typical”of a teenage girl. This book just doesn’t function with Anna and Harrison’s perspectives written this way, it comes off as dry.

Added to that, because the chapters switch perspectives, a large part of Anna’s chapters are just a retelling of what happen and a little added reaction. It was easy writing and felt so when reading.

Characterization

Harrison, Anna, and the handful of secondary characters are flat, one-dimensional characters that follow typical tropes.

Harrison’s autism is expressed through a few common autistic traits: he is obsessed with the bones of the body, he has a germ phobia, he stims (by flapping and walking in circles), has ritualistic numbers (3 is good and 8 is his favorite) that effect certain situations, like he couldn’t enter a new room without stepping into it twice and backing out to step in a third and final time, and the obvious having a routine he lived by on a daily basis.

This is nothing new in terms of autistic narratives that I’ve read or that is being spread in TV, film, and other works of fiction. Anyone could do a quick Google search and come up with that kind of list and apply it to a character.

Nicholson doesn’t give Harrison any emotion or just the bare minimum that is only given when he is stressed or upset because of over-stimulation or he is triggered.

Harrison’s character didn’t add a new voice to disabled and autistic characters, instead he promotes the same image of disability that exists already.

Likewise, Anna falls into the goody-two-shoes-doing-this-for-my-college-resume trope. She enlists into the Best Buddy program as a way to bulk up her resume and because she has the hots for the president of the initiative, Justin. Her character shows no growth beyond the obvious - she gained an appreciation for disabled people and their “struggles” and it somehow positively impacted her and now she is more caring and a better person.

Bullshit.

Not every person is going to be knowledgable about autism or neurological disabilities, so yes Anna would have gone into the program as any typical well meaning, self serving high school kid would. She had good intentions, it would benefit her, and she only had to do it twice a week.

But Nicholson constantly tells the reader how Anna plans to research whatever disability her Buddy ends up having. When she finds out Harrison is autistic, she Googles. Yet, it’s a basic search that she takes away with little information. In fact, anyone who is talking about autism and autistic people seems to only have the bare minimum information and only the well-known, most publicized kind.

Added to that, each of Anna’s “lessons” or points of learning and understanding about Harrison have to do with him having a meltdown, as called in the book, and her learning how to deal with it. Then the author says, Anna learned this or Anna became such a better person. But Anna’s character is not making any real effort to have an engaging conversation with him. Anna doesn’t ever make any effort to get to know Harrison as a person.

Not that there’s much to know because the author literally defines him by the autistic traits I mentioned earlier. While there are many autistic people who do often become fixated or interested in one topic and can become well-versed in it, have obsessive tendencies with counting, and rituals, that does not define an entire individual.

Review

The tone of Fragile Bones is very upsetting. Harrison’s parents are quoted multiple times as being nurturing and supportive, but often would reprimand Harrison for stimming (flapping, walking in circles) and requesting he make eye contact. That may seem harmless and helpful to a lot of people to encourage, but that’s more to make neurotypical people more comfortable than really “helping” an autistic person socialize.

Anna often thinks about ways to prevent Harrison from having a meltdown or how to stop him from having on or she thinks about him in a sympathetic manner. Not once does she express wanting to get to know him as a person and as an individual.

Similarly, Justin, the president of the Best Buddy club, also expresses sentiments more in the “sympathizing” with disabled people than actually communicating with him.

This whole book just read false and contrived to me. I would not recommend it in terms of disability representation.

Conclusion

Fragile Bones fails in disabled inclusivity and is a dull, stereotypical read. It gives the same narrative that’s been circulating for years, of a neuro-typical person learning some kind of higher appreciation for life from a disabled person and reads as such. Lazy and unoriginal.

I really can’t see where the author did any kind of real research into autism and what it’s like to be an autistic person in the US. As far as I’m aware, the author is neurotypical but often writes characters with physical disabilities.

[Cayt Landis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fragile Bones is the story of Harrison, a teenage boy with autism and Anna, a high achieving student looking to pad her resume by joining the Best Buddies program. Best Buddies is a school program that pairs a person with developmental or social issues with a neurotypical teenager, in hopes of helping them learn how to deal with typical social situations. Harrison is a high functioning autistic who tends to recite the bones in the body and fixate on germs. Anna is top of her class and hopes to get into her dream college. She and Harrison start off a bit rocky but form a sweet friendship by the end of the book. The book is told from Harrison and Anna’s point of views, alternating from chapter to chapter.

I was disappointed in this book. I was very excited to read Fragile Bones because I thought it would be very enlightening to read about an autistic teen from his own point of view. I know a bit about autism but I always want to learn more about different people and their individual issues. Overall, I liked the idea of the book far more than the story itself. Harrison, the autistic boy, was a pretty decent character. I enjoyed his chapters. They were written in a very choppy and formal way, which seemed to fit with Harrison’s mindset. He thought things out in a very factual and straightforward way, with little emotion typical of a teenager. His fixation on certain numbers, on germs, and on the bones in the body was interesting to see. I enjoyed the chapters that told about meltdowns and difficult situations from Harrison’s point of view. You could really get an idea of how his brain works and how it’s hard for him to pickup on and interpret social cues. I felt that I could really get into his head and sympathize with his various tics and phobias. Harrison was well written and very humanized, rather than just being a cardboard cutout of an “autistic kid”.

That’s where my enjoyment of the story ends, unfortunately. Anna, the other main character, did not resonate with me at all. Firstly, she didn’t come off as being especially realistic or relatable. Anna was just interested in Best Buddies to pad her high school resume. As she progresses through the book, she comes to discover more about Harrison and genuinely care for him. However, I don’t feel like Anna makes any real attempt to get to know Harrison. She essentially just thinks to herself about how to not set him off and how to make sure he likes her, but doesn’t go out of her way to really learning anything about him as a person. Then, for the later half of the book, she assumes that Harrison must have a crush on her and freaks out about it. She’s pretty self-centered.

Also, while I enjoyed the writing style of Harrison’s chapters, Anna’s chapters were also written in a choppy and immature manner. Harrison’s chapters show his mindset and how he thinks in a different way than the average person. Anna’s chapters are written in the same choppy format. There’s little difference between the two and it makes no sense to use the same writing style and the same format for both entirely different characters. The style fits for Harrison but it doesn’t work for Anna at all. Not to mention that a good portion of the book is the retelling of events from both points of view. This could have been interesting if there were enough differences in each chapter, but it was essentially just recapping what you already read with some slight variations. It was quite repetitive.

The last issue I had with the book was the romance. I think that the romance worked fine, for what it was. Anna joins Best Buddies not only to pad her resume but also because a cute boy runs the club. She gets to know him throughout the book and they begin dating. This progresses in a reasonable way but I felt there was far too much focus on this romance than on the budding friendship between Harrison and Anna. I didn’t really care about their dates and every minute she spent thinking about her crush was another minute where there wasn’t any real development for her character and the main focus of the story.

All of that said, this book wasn’t terrible. It was a sweet story and it showed autism in a humanized light. It also highlighted a nice, real program in schools and showed that people should take the time to get to know everyone, no matter how different they are. I just wish the best bits, Harrison’s thoughts and feelings, were the whole book and that Anna could either grow as a believable person or just not be there at all.

Visit my blog for this review and many more!

[Adebola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished reading a thought provoking novel written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, called, Fragile bones. It is a realistic fiction book about a 15 year old boy named Harrison and an 18 year old girl named Anna. Harrison is a young boy with high functioned autism and when he gets anxious he starts to recite the bones in the body, when his mom realized he isn't very good socially she told him to join the best buddies club. When Harrison was at the meeting he spotted a girl with high heels and suddenly disliked her because high heels aren't good for the bones, but he didn't know she was his partner. Harrison has a phobia of using public bathrooms so that gets him in a bit of trouble around the end of the book(I don't want to spoil it).Anna is a senior in high school who is very smart, she has a very strong passion of being a doctor and going to a college of her choice but her mom doesn't agree with her. Most of the time Anna is home alone because her mom is a lawyer and is very busy. Anna joined the best buddies club because it would be the perfect addition to her med school application, but when she told her mom about it she didn't really want her getting too involved. At the meeting Anna spotted a kid that was cleaning the desk in front of him so she assumed he was either autistic or OCD, The next day when she went to get her partner she found out it was Harrison..........
I really liked and disliked this book for a couple of reasons, One of the things I liked about the book was that it reminded me of one of my favorite red maple book (We are all made of molecules by Susan Nielsen)because both books have two perspectives to them so it helps you understand more about the protagonists. One of the things I sort of didn't like was the way everything that happens to Harrison he always connected it back to bones like for instance from page 12-14 on the day Harrison was going to the best buddies meeting he started walking in circles so his brother Joel told him to go into the classroom and sit on his hands to keep stable and calm and immediately he started saying all he bones in the wrist. And also at the best buddies meeting when he saw the girl with high heels on he didn't like her because wearing high heels affects your bones. I didn't like the way Anna's mom didn't want her to go to a university of her choice because it isn't right for you to be somewhere you don't want to be especially if you have a choice of being there. Another thing I liked about Harrison was that he never used any public washrooms so I could make a connection with him. what I found so fascinating was that Harrison had been to the museum 898 times.
Overall I really liked this book because it gave me a bigger perspective of autistic children like Harrison because all I knew about autistic kids was that they have troubles learning properly but reading this book really opened my mind about them because I don't think a kid that has troubled learning properly would have all 800 bones memorized:). With that being said I rated this book a 3 out of 5 stars because I really liked the book and the plot but I also had my dislikes to it. the book had a lot of flow to it meaning I didn't really have any where that I stopped to wonder this or that about it. I would recommend this book to MATURE young adults and over because there are a few places in the book that isn't exactly appropriate .
I hope you read it, it is a very mind opening book that really teaches you a real life lesson so good bye and thank you for reading my book review hope you liked it

[Aliza London · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

A sweet, feel-good book, but unfortunately, has a few flaws.

Fragile Bones is about Harrison, a fifteen-year-old boy with high-functioning autism and Anna, a high school senior who’s joined the “Best Buddies” program at her school for a helpful addition to her college applications. When these two are paired together, they go through the entirety of the novel getting to know each other and forming an uncommon and sweet friendship.

This is a wonderfully sweet novel, and a pretty light and quick read, so I enjoyed myself reading this book. The characters, specifically Harrison, was well layered and the chapters in his POV provided us a wonderful look into his view of life. While I don’t know much about autism, Nicholson seems to have done her research and nothing stood out to me as unrealistic.

However, where my main fault with this book is falls with Anna and the writing style of her POV, and I clump these two points together because they go hand-in-hand. Whereas Harrison’s POV was well-written and the choppy writing style enhanced the experience, Anna’s POV fell bitterly short of that mark. The choppy, immature writing this book is written in carries over to Anna’s chapters and instead of enhancing the novel, the effect is that Anna sound very immature and whiny. I found myself disliking her, because though the book tries to portray her as a super-smart girl who’s really nice and helpful, it did not come across that way to me.

The romance, although it felt a bit forced at times, was actually well done. I did like the love interest, Justin, and as there was the risk of the romance dominating the story too much, Nicholson handles this issue well and that was never the case, the romance kept as a nice side plot-line.

One comparison I kept making was with this book andPuddle Jumping, by Amber L. Johnson, which is also about autism and a book that I loved. While I thought that Puddle Jumping was much better written and a better story, Fragile Bones offers valuable perspective into the mind of someone with autism. Both books make me rethink the way I’ve been living my life, and encouraged me to be a better person.

Overall, Fragile Bones was a sweet, quick read that has it’s flaws, but in the end, leaves you with a smile on your face. It’s a nice break from all the sci-fi action and fantasy that is so common the YA these days. However, if you really want to read a book about autism, I suggest you read Puddle Jumping, but give this book a try.

An advance copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you!
This review can also be found on my blog at Musings and Books

[AmandaEmma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eArc from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This review was originally published on my blog; Little Miss Reader

I've been looking for a book like this for a while, I think autism/Aspergers is really interesting and I somehow love that extra quirk it gives a character. That said; I absolutely loved Harrison.
I expected to enjoy it but I did not expect to fly through it in a couple of hours! It definitely gripped me and kept me reading until I'd finished it in a single sitting.

Harrison, oh Harrison, I've already said I love him, but why do I love him? His quirks! He doesn't like when his food is touching, he doesn't like people touching him and he doesn't like germs. Even though I don't have Aspergers or autism I could definitely relate to him - when I was younger I had some of the same issues. Harrison made me laugh out loud through out the book - especially with all his repetitions and how he acted around Anna, it was so extremely cute that I couldn't help it.
Anna I liked, not as much as Harrison though. I could also relate to Anna since she tries to do well in school and sometimes it feels like she only get acknowledged by her mother if she do well in school - I've had that, not so much any more though. Anna is sweet, she's funny and she really see the best in others - she's also very patient with Harrison and I absolutely loved their relationship because of it.

I also loved the romance part of the story, and I loved that stereotypes aren't really a thing in this book - Joel (Harrison's brother) is a plays both hockey and girls but he's not stupid or annoying, he's sweet. Justin, helps with the Best Buddy club, is very quiet but he's actually not shy and there's something going on between him and Anna and I loved that part!
There is also a bit of bullying in the story, I'm quite surprised that there wasn't more, but I liked that there's only a single episode or so.

The story itself was great! I loved that it's told from dual perspective so we know exactly what each of them is thinking. My problem with the storyline is that I loved the first half better than the second half. I think the second half was too fast for me, it seemed like everything had to happen very quickly for the story to end sooner and I don't like to feel rushed when I read.

That said, I really enjoyed the story and getting to know both Harrison and Anna. I think this book is going to be a musthave when it comes to school libraries and I definitely recommend it.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted here.

This book was hard to review. Initially, I loved it. It was heartwarming and thought provoking. Unfortunately in this instance distance has not made my heart grow fonder. In fact, the more I think of it, the more I dislike it. Is it horribly written? No. Is it an awful book? Not at all. But, I definitely have some serious gripes.

Fragile Bones: Harrison & Anna is written in the alternating perspectives of the two main characters, Harrison and Anna. Harrison, who has high functioning autism, is obsessed with naming bones and watching reruns of Grey's Anatomy. His perspective is written in a very matter of fact way, supposedly mimicking his train of thought as he navigates through life. For the most part this is done with sensitivity, however there are instances when it made me uncomfortable. I felt it stripped him down to nothing more than his autism. He is denied any real emotions or opinions, it is always the autism we hear. Whilst I empathised with Anna, I found her voice hard to find. Instead of a strong voice Anna's perspective was peppered with figurative language that seemed to serve solely to remind us of Harrison's inability to comprehend beyond the literal, rather than giving Anna any depth of character.

I can respect this novel for aiming to highlight issues of diversity. It did illustrate wonderfully how disability affects the friends and family of those living with disabilities, and just how much prejudice and bullying can harm. I just don't feel that it really provided a voice for Harrison. Harrison is constantly misunderstood, even his own family constantly push him beyond his limits. Ultimately I think my main issue with this novel is it comes across as written about diversity, as opposed to being written for those who would identify with Harrison .

Would I recommend this book? I don't know. Saying no seems harsh, because I do think this novel shines light on issues of diversity. I am just not sure it achieves what it set out to do. I would recommend The Rosie Project for those interested in reading about more developed diverse characters.

I give this novel 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Clockwise Press and Netgalley, who provided this ARC in return for an honest review.

[Gwennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing about this book that caught my eye was the title. Fragile Bones; something about it just feels really beautiful. What actually made me request this title for review was the synopsis, though. As far as I can remember, I haven’t read a book that highlighted an autistic teenager as one of the main characters, let alone tell the story from his perspective.

Right from the beginning I loved reading Harrison’s words. Clearly the chapters that were all about Harrison were the standout sections. I could tell that the author did a lot of research and spoke to a lot of people who had experience with high-functioning autism. She wrote Harrison’s thought process believably. On occasion I chuckled with affection, but mostly I felt his struggles. Reading him really made me appreciate his family. Their reactions to Harrison, and how they handled and dealt with his meltdowns so compassionately. It wasn’t over the top, it was a realistic compassion. They got frustrated. They got angry. Anyone would, I think. All in all, however, it was very clear how much they loved Harrison. Even his older brother, who I was so afraid would turn out to be a jerk.

The Anna chapters weren’t as wonderful. Anna felt a little bit generic. Reading her sections felt like the author did so much research and put so much effort into Harrison that it left Anna a little 2 dimensional. Anna wants to get into a good college so she is all about filling out her resume. Anna experience brings her enlightenment. Anna has crush on boy with secrets. Anna has best friend who is slightly more shallow. It’s been very done. The one aspect of the Anna chapters that I did enjoy was learning about Justin. I thought Justin could have been a really well done flushed out character. If only he had been the yin to Harrison’s yang. In fact, now that I’m thinking about this, if Fragile Bones had been about Justin and Harrison I may have given it over 4 skulls.

Lastly, I felt like the book ended without an ending. I don’t need all loose ends wrapped in a little bow or anything, but it felt like absolutely nothing was addressed. It just… ended. On a day like any other, bam, the end.

Goodreads says this is going to be a series, so maybe there’ll be more. I hope it’s more about Justin.

Thank you to Clockwise Press and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

See this review, and others, at Badass Book Reviews!

[Rebecca Mckenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very insightful book into what it's like to have high functioning autism - both from the autistic person and those who support him. I think Nicholson portrayed both views exceedingly well and developed a sense of empathy guided from both points of view. As I was reading this I felt I was Anna and Harrison, could place myself inside them both and understand their feelings.

I love that there are so many excellent youth fiction books that delve into so many issues - and I think kids can grasp a better idea of how to empathize with people by reading books such as this!

BOB: In which book is Anna paired with Harrison Henry, who has high functioning autism, in the Best Buddies Program at her school?

[EriHarper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was unique, interesting, and thoroughly 'alright'. It reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I loved Harrison and Anna, the main characters. Loved them. I also appreciated the emotions of this book. There were plenty emotions, and I felt them. There were even moments when I gasped in fright! Or when I felt embarrassed for them.

Harrison is special. In fact, he is unique. I love the fact that he is so unique. Harrison has so many traits! He is a germaphobe, a Lego-mastermind, he memorized the bones of the body. He is a lover of Grey's Anatomy- he is a video game fanatic. Harrison is so unique, and that is perfect. He has high functioning autism.

Anna is special. Actually, she is going places. She is (in my book- a genius) smart and her mother pushes her to do well in academics. Anna is so, so, caring! She's sweet, and freaks out when she does something the slightest bit wrong. She loves science, and want's her resume to be perfect.

Harrison, meet Anna. These two meet each other in 'Best Buddies Club', a club where two people get together to work on social time. Anna and Harrison get along after a while, and soon Harrison really likes Anna.

For a bit, I thought that 'whoa, this is sick, why is Harrison hitting on Anna? She is grade levels above Harrison!' but then it cleared up, and Harrison was repeatedly reminded of this age difference. Also, Anna is having interests in the Best Buddies club leader.

The leader's name is Justin, and he is mysterious, hot, and very kind with special kids. He understands them, and when we learn about his sister, I seriously am feeling feelings.


As Anna and Justin discover that they have feelings for each other, Harrison feels jealous. At the same time, Harrison is just worried about the germs they are sharing.


The ending was quite sudden, and it ended with me a little unsatisfied. Though throughout it all, I loved the character build up, settings, and the way the author played with my emotions. I was worried about Harrison, somber with Justin, and sympathetic with Anna. All and all, this book was alright.
Overall, I rate this book 6 stars out of 10 stars

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Specifically, Harrison's voice. Harrison has Asperger's (which, according to Harrison, is now known as high-function autism) and is such a heartwarming character. He fixates on bones, has a germ phobia, an amazing intellect, and even though life gets hard and people get mean, he still perseveres and tries to adjust as tough as that may be. My heart broke for the challenges he endured, the bullying he succumbed to, and the overall difficulties he suffered by having Asperger's.

Enter Anna, a senior girl a few years older than him who joins the Best Buddies program in order to befriend and help someone with a mental disability. She is kind, thoughtful, and respectful. I loved how she struggled sometimes with figuring out how to be friends or reach out to Harrison, but how she never gave up and adapted so well to the issues that arose.

The secondary characters felt just as realistic as Anna and Harrison. Joel, Harrison's older brother, copes as I imagine any sibling in this situation would. He is kind to Harrison and helps when he can, yet he still gets frustrated. I loved that Harrison's parents were involved with him, getting him to stretch is comfort zone and loving him unconditionally regardless.

Harrison made me laugh. (I was surprised by how much I did). Sometimes he took things so literally, and when he explained it, I found myself nodding along, completely seeing his point. Other times he made my heart melt or sadly even break a little. He was so brave to endure what he did and yet, everyday he got up and made the choice to continue living in a world where he was different, where he had to deal with so much more than just the normal stresses of high school and being a teen.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect read for younger fans of Haddon's Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime or Simsion's The Rosie Project. Fragile Bones offers an enlightening look into the mind of autistic teen, Harrison, and his assigned Best Buddy, Anna. At first the pair seem to have little in common, Anna is a perfectionist who focuses primarily on school and maintaining high grades with the hopes of one day becoming a doctor while Harrison struggles on focusing on anything but Grey's Anatomy and the different types/amount of bones in the human body. Slowly the two begin to learn from each other, Anna helps Harrison become more interactive and social while Harrison teaches Anna the importance of patience and understanding.

Fragile Bones is a much more refreshing YA read than most that I've read lately, for some reason I feel the new trend is all about teenage love triangles in dystopic wasteland worlds. The light-hearted style and pace of Fragile Bones was a lot similar to the writing of John Green, which I enjoyed.

I was very impressed with Nicholson's writing and how she was able to weave seamlessly between the two narratives and manages to keep the personalities of the characters separate yet intact while balancing their personal and shared stories. Anna and Harrison are very different characters so I can only imagine the difficulties in creating their own individual voices. I would have enjoyed a bit more back story on Anna's somewhat tense relationship with her mother but I did enjoy the cute little subplot between her and Justin.

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one!

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Clockwise Press for allowing me to read this title early through NetGalley. This was my first time receiving an advanced copy and I chose a wonderful title to begin with.

Fragile Bones follows the story of Harrison and Anna, during their time in the Best Buddies program at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School. Harrison has high functioning autism and is fixated on bones and can name every one in the body. Anna is an ambitious 4.0 student in her senior year working towards acceptance into a prestigious medical school. The two are paired as Best Buddies and their time together helps them to both grow in unexpected ways. Each chapter is told in either Harrison or Anna’s POV. I really enjoyed this writing style. It was very engaging to see the world from Harrison’s perspective and then to see the same events through Anna’s eyes.

This was a very touching story. I liked each of the characters and the love interest between Justin and Anna. I liked the family dynamic in the Henry household and the struggles that each family member faced. I found these sections authentic and eye opening. I would recommend this title to those who also enjoyed Wonder by R.J. Palacio, House Rules by Jodi Picoult, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, and The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. In fact, the character of Harrison Henry reminded me of a younger less mature Don Tillman.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harrison's family thinks that it would be good for him to join the Best Buddies Program at his high school. It is a program that pairs two students together in hopes to make unlikely connections. Harrison recites the bones in the human body when he gets nervous, he loves to watch reruns of Grey's Anatomy every day after school, he doesn't understand why anyone would wear high heeled shoes, and he is super sensitive about germs. Anna is super concerned about grades and college applications. She is sure that joining Best Buddies will look good on her "résumé." She doesn't expect it to change her life in very drastic ways.


This book is told from alternating perspectives. One is Miss Perfect, trying to please everyone, and the other a high-functioning autistic student. I think the book is a great idea, and at times is written really well. The author is able to make you feel like you are viewing the world from both Harrison and Anna's point of view, which by the way are very different! My main issue with the book is that at times their views overlap too much without much variation. It succeeds in showing that no matter how different two people are, they can still relate to situations similarly. However, it just made for a redundant read. This was a very sweet and at times emotional read, but that's it. I didn't feel much at all after reading it.

[Tânia M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eArc from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

What a lovely read! I Really enjoyed it.

This book has the perfect combination of a beautiful writing and a beautiful story.
I love books with simple ideas, but with great characters and this was what i found in this one. Anna and Harrison are the main characters and we get to read from both points of view. He is a young boy, who suffers from high-functioning autism and Anna is a little older than him, and they end up becoming friends do to the "Best Buddies” program at her school.

I really loved the Harrison's voice, he felt real all the time. I saw in him a lot of what i see on my cousin, who suffers from the same disease. I give my congrats to the author, because she was able to make me feel the same anxiety and discomfort towards Harrison's attitudes, as i feel when i'm with my cousin.
With regards to Anna's character i felt she was too good to be true, but i guess there are some young teenagers like her, at least i wanna believe so. But i liked her. I saw, again, a lot of me in her discomfort and ignorance towards the disease singularities. High-funtioning autists or Aspergers are really special people, and it's a learning process all the time.

In conclusion: I loved this book and in the end i just wanted more and more. Loved it. Recommend it.

[Navreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fragile bones. I was amazed at how deep and touching a book could become. I would rate this book 3.5 stars out of 5. I appreciate how red maple is an excellent way to expand the types of genres we read. I have read only a couple of books about children with any disorder of sorts. Surprisingly I am actually enjoying those types of books with great morals. I enjoyed the alternate perspective which didn't keep the spotlight solely to a specific protagonist. This book offered many new concepts and something that I don't get to read much about. However, the fact that there wasn't really one solid plot and climax wasn't really what I was expecting. In addition, a few times some events overlapped in both perspectives. Moreover, I didn't really prefer reading the same sequence of events twice. However, I believe I can connect most with Anna due to having experience in more careful situations with dealing with high expectations and people. Yet, it would be impossible for me to choose a favourite character. Both Anna and Harrison were part of such amazing progress. This was a remarkable read. I would ask the author if she participated in the best buddies program and if so what was her experience like?

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrison and Anna's friendship was fun to read for the most part. Anna tried very hard to be accommodating and seemed genuinely concerned that Harrison liked her and had fun experiences with her. She wasn't perfect, she made mistakes that were authentic to a teenage girl with a new boyfriend.
Harrison's chapters were fairly well written. Based on my experience with high functioning autism, I felt like the author did her research well enough. I did feel like he had too many episodes, especially given his age and that he had been going to school for years at this point in the book. But, everyone is different and he did have a lot of new things happening to him so I can forgive the overuse.
The ending was both unacceptable and acceptable. I will say it feels unfinished and I expected that because it is shelved as a series on goodreads. But it also is acceptable if I think of it as just a short snippet of life in their worlds. It started on a day and it ended on a day. So, while I might want a little more closure in Anna's life, at least I wasn't as invested in her as I was Harrison, and he didn't need more closure than what we get, so there's that.

[Emily Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a digital copy of this book for review from NetGalley.

I actually really enjoyed this book. I feel that it was a different perspective and attitude on autism and mental illness. Harrison is an autistic teenager who has a fascination with bones, and Anna is his "best buddy," a program in their school which pairs students together to assist each other. I loved how caring and thoughtful Anna was throughout the novel. She handled all of the situations with a great attitude, even if she didn't know exactly how to help.

This novel is told with both Anna and Harrison's perspectives. I did like the alternating, but I feel that some situations did not need to be repeated. For instance, some of Harrison's perspective would be retold through Anna's perspective, when they weren't too much different.

Overall, this book was fun and sweet. I read it in one day even. I would definitely recommend this book!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The back cover invites the reader to meet Harrison and Anna, two high school students who are paired through the Best Buddies club. Not only do you get to meet them, you get the inside look and feel of how they think and move and interact. You see, Harrison struggles to understand other people and relate to them due to the effects of having Aspergers/autism. While Anna is a high-achieving student, she has life struggles of her own. This story is brilliantly told from each point of view, often overlapping scenes so you get to experience both—very different—perspectives. Harrison’s parents and brother are also realistic, well-developed characters who convey the joys and challenges of supporting Harrison in his journey. I look forward to reading more of Lorna Schultz Nicholson’s books in the One-2-One series.

[Bridgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fragile Bones is a young adult book that deals with autism. Anna is a senior who joins the Best Buddies program in an effort to build her college application. She wants to be a pediatrician and believes the program will be a rest learning experience. Harrison is a sophomore who has high functioning autism. Whenever he gets overwhelmed, he recites all the bones in the human body.

Harrison has a great support system with his family and Anna has a mother who seems a little less invested, unless it has to do with her grades.

I really enjoyed the alternating viewpoints. I loved getting to see how the both approached the different situations. I saw that there will be a series where every book is a new set of buddies. I need to find out if any others are available yet.

[DAdams]

3.5 Stars
Overall this was an excellent read. The strongest part of the narrative were the chapters told from the point of view of Harrison. His voice was authentic and I found myself really wanting to get back to his sections. Anna's voice certainly wasn't week, but at times her chapters felt slightly more as if they fell into the category of "problem novel" unlike Harrison's chapters. Admittedly I am not exceptionally knowledgeable about autism so I am unable to comment on the authenticity of the representation of Harrison. While the novel is not flawless it is overall well done. I highly enjoyed and was unable to put it down!