Title: The London Eye Mystery

Authors: Siobahn Dowd

Themes: Anxiety, Autism, Blended Families, Coping Skills, Communication, Grief, Developing Perspective, Developing Empathy

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Summary: The London Eye Mystery tells the story of Ted, a teenager with mild autism, and his sister, Kat, who solve the mystery of their missing cousin, Salim. Salim is struggling to manage his anxiety about moving to New York with his mom and has complicated grief related to his dad. In addition to providing insight into the challenges of change and blended families, this book does an excellent job of depicting events through the eyes of an autistic child.

Ideas / Interventions: This book is a great bibliotherapy resource for families with children on the autistic spectrum. Focusing on the strengths of Ted's unique perspective creates an opportunity to reframe challenges that other autistic children face as important abilities. I recommend that parents read this book with their autistic child as part of special, dedicated one-on-one time, and come to sessions ready to discuss what they learned and appreciate about each other from the process.