Up High in the Trees

Up High in the Trees
By Kiara Brinkman (326 pages)
Published by Grove Press
Bookish rating: 4

Lordy. You'll need to emotionally steel yourself for this one. Told from the voice of Sebby Lane, an 8-year-old boy with autism, this novel explores breaks your heart without being sappy, overwritten, or even remotely cheesy.

Poor Sebby's mother dies, so he must negotiate through his grief with a father who becomes increasingly distant. Sebby's voice is PITCH PERFECT, capturing the logic of children and articulating the way in which a child on the spectrum copes with sensory issues. It also defies the way we think of children with autism and their attachment to others---because Sebby is mighty attached to his mommy, and his struggle to hold onto her in his mind is just plain painful to read. And kind of remarkable.

Set in 1992, I particularly liked the kiddo point of view on this era, since I also was a kid then, and I remember some of the details Sebby picks up on.

As a mom, I just wanted to crawl under the bed or table or wherever Sebby is hiding and hug him.