My Never Ending List

“Two, three, five, seven,” welcome to the world of Rose (rows), a fifth- grader obsessed with words (especially homophones), fixated with rules, and passionate with numbers especially prime numbers. It’s although everything in Rose’s world falls into one of these categories; adding up letters in a person’s first name to see if they are privileged enough to be a prime number, adding new words to her homophone list, making sure everyone is being safe and following all the rules and notifying others, if they are not. Rose has Asperger Syndrome and she lives with her father and her dog, Rain (reign). It is said that her mother left when she was two, leaving behind a shoebox of memories that Rose thumbs through piecing together who her mother exactly was. Rose’s excitement is hard to contain in a classroom environment, so Rose brings written reports home to her father. These reports are not taken lightly for her father is not a patient man and his outbursts are quick and frequent. His comments and his actions were not ones that I expected from a parent or a parent with a child with special needs. Her uncle, my salvation, drove her to and from school. He was her rock and the total opposite of her own father. This man was loving, caring and very understanding. Feeling the enthusiasm and energy emitted from Rose is priceless.   The world is a showcase for her, and her autism shines. I can see how others might see the negative side of her energy, how it might seem tiring and draining to try to contain her excitement, the author creating a wonderful picture of this but she also shows the reader how to direct this energy and individuals who are wonderful for her world.   As a hurricane barrels down on Rose’s world, her attention is drawn to this major event. Concern, obsession, and preparedness cause Rose to go on high alert. Her father absentmindedly lets Rain out of the house and she doesn’t return home. Rose is heartbroken. The storm creates more than just issues outside the home, as Rose battles issues inside the home and within herself.

“I stand up, I squint my eyes shut for (fore/four) a moment, remembering the night (knight) with Uncle Weldon when the music soared (sword) through (threw) the air (heir/err), and the notes and the sky and our (hour) hearts were one (won).”