The term "cognitive disorder" implies there is something wrong with the way I think or the way I perceive reality. I perceive reality just fine. Sometimes I perceive more of reality than others.

Marcelo Sandoval hears music that nobody else can hear -- part of an autism-like condition that no doctor has been able to identify. But his father has never fully believed in the music or Marcelo's differences, and he challenges Marcelo to work in the mailroom of his law firm for the summer . . . to join "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.

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised in the Teen category by the Schneider Family Book Award. It was recognised by the Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award. It also was recognised in the High School category by the Black-Eyed Susan Award. It was recognised in the YA category by the South Carolina Childrens Junior and Young Adult Book Award. Also it was recognised in the YA category by the Volunteer State Book Award. It was recognised in the High School category by the Virginia Readers Choice Award. It was recognised by the Americas Award. It was recognised in the Ages 14+ category by the Capitol Choices Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens. It was recognised by the Tayshas Reading. It was recognised in the Teen category by the Grand Canyon Reader Award.

This book has been graded for interest at 14-17 years.

There are 312 pages in this book. This book was published 2009 by Scholastic US .

Francisco X. Stork is the author of Marcelo in the Real World , winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for Teens and the Once Upon a World Award; The Last Summer of the Death Warriors , which was named to the YALSA Best Fiction for Teens list and won the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award; Irises ; and The Memory of Light , which received four starred reviews. He lives near Boston with his wife. You can find him on the web at www. franciscostork. com and @StorkFrancisco.