The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Reader reviewed by Irene

I picked up this book for a reading assignment I had to do. At first I wasn't expecting much from a book with an upside down dog on the front cover. But, in the end I ended up loving this book. I really did feel like I was inside the mind of an autistic child's mind during the entire book. I felt like I was able to understand why  he did the things he did. A small murder mystery revealed even bigger secrets. Definitely, a fresh and must read book.

Reader reviewed by Daisy

Mark Haddon I think really did something different here by writing this novel form the point of view of an autistic young boy. Although autism has be presented in flims it hasn't been portray as brilliantly as this book because we only guess what the character is thinking, yet we're not really sure. The summer before my sophomore year it was required that we read this book for Pre-Ap English, so I was already not to happy about the idea. But as soon as I started reading the first page I was drawn in to the 'incident' of the dead dog. with each new page I tried to foreshadow Christopher's actions, while I tried to envision me in the situation he was in. This was a story that may have very well happened, while it is creative and entertaining, it is also realistic which for anyone who is autistic or know someone who is...or who has spilt up parents its easy to realate.

Reader reviewed by Liz

This book was a pretty good read i liked it. There were some parts that made me sad for the main character though because he is autistic and also the fact that his dog dies. The end was especially sad for me because he finally finds out who killed his dog. Christopher, the main character, is the one narrating the story and the reader gets to know how he thinks which i absolutely love. he goes through quite a lot of sad things which makes you feel really bad for him and understand what he's going through and love the book even more!

Reader reviewed by Lippincote

I resisted this book because of the media hype. I work with autistic kids, and I kept thinking, "How funny can it be?" But not only is it very funny, it is absolutely spot on in many ways.

Christopher sets out to solve the murder of his neighbor's dog, but gets sidetracked by his own family mystery. Because he takes everything literally, he misses obvious undercurrents and gray areas. He is also endlessly delayed by his phobias and obsessions. But eventually both mysteries do get solved.

Along the way, he treats us to a lot of tangential information: stuff that I found absolutely fascinating about math, grammar and astronomy.

Most important, however, is the glimpse we get into the high functioning autistic mind. You finish the book with a renewed understanding and a strong sympathy for Christopher.

I loved this book but I can see that many teenagers will find it confusing and, dare I say it, just plain weird. You either get the subject matter, or you don't. You either get the writing style and the humor, or you don't. Plus, younger teens may not yet have developed the empathy necessary to like Christopher.

However, given that many of us now have autistic family members, I think it is a book that can only gain popularity with time. Many of the staff where I work have read it. Most loved it.

Reader reviewed by Emma L

For a younger reader, this might not be the most suitable book, even though I am 13 and thoroughly enjoyed this book,it is very complicated at times. The whole plot is genius, and the character is very strange but imaginable so you feel the characters pain as he tries to figure out the mystery. It kept me turning page after page, until my eyes were tired from reading for so long:) Great book.

Reader reviewed by mee-gon-ohh

Random...this is what might come to you if you pick up the book! But that's what I loved about it! I am a very random person and I only read books if they have a cool cover (in which this case it did!!). I couldn't put this book down it was so good. So, I'm recommending it to everyone else no matter what age you are.

Reader reviewed by Sunny

Christopher is a young man who knows what he wants. He wants answers about an incident. He wants to know who did what to the dog, in the night. As he journeys to solve this mystery he discovers not only answers for himself but about himself.

There are not a lot of books out there that open up your mind to different perspectives. The catch to Christopher is that he is not just an ordinary young man. He is a very smart autistic lad. This was a very good read as it was a bit educational, into the mind of an autistic young boy, as well as highly amusing. Somethings we 'normal' folk take for granted others strive for. Here Haddon draws us into his world, makes us want to discover those same answers to the questions that young Christopher asks.

Reader reviewed by Kay

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Timeby Mark Haddon is a great bokk about a teen namede Christopher that has a mental disability. The book is 'written' by Christopher. He starts out investigating the murder of his neighbor's dog, Wellington when he is spun into a whole other mystery. He finds a box of letters in his fathers closet that turn his world upside down. I won't give it away.
I really loved the writing style from Christopher's point of view, it made you look at somethings differently, I'll never look at a yellow car in the same way again! There was a lot of humor in the book but it also was sad at times. i would recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction books, it is kind of like A corner of the Universe, but more developed and for an older reading level. Beware: swearing.