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Book of the month

Find reading inspiration on our Book of the Month forum.

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MNHQ

February book of the month: A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart. Read now ahead of author webchat on Wednesday 1 March, 9-10pm.

123 replies

RachelMumsnet · 16/01/2017 17:16

Our February book of the month is A Boy Made of Blocks, Keith Stuart's debut novel and one of Richard and Judy's Spring selection. We have 50 free copies up for grabs and we'll be holding a discussion about the book and webchat with Keith Stuart on Wednesday 1 March, at 9pm.

In this book Keith has drawn on his own experience of raising his autistic son. It's funny and at times deeply moving, expounds the joys and trials of parenting - and has a cracking plot - making it the perfect book to read on a winter's evening.

Find out more about the book and apply for a free copy before Monday 23 January and put the date in your diary to join the discussion and chat to Keith Stuart on this thread on 1 March.

February book of the month: A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart. Read now ahead of author webchat on Wednesday 1 March, 9-10pm.
anonymousbird · 18/01/2017 12:31

I already have it, so marking my place to remind me to read in Feb and join the chat.

humbugcentral · 18/01/2017 12:36

Done Smile

ThereAreNoGhostsHere · 18/01/2017 13:22

I already have a copy of this. Hopefully will get around to reading before discussion. DD is currently being assessed for Aspergers so the subject matter is interesting us.

verap · 18/01/2017 13:53

Applied, would love to read this.

DixieNormas · 18/01/2017 15:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheFlyingFauxPas · 18/01/2017 23:33

Sounds like my kind of book. Ds also has asd. Still trying to find my way around it. Him too.

thatsthewayitgoes · 19/01/2017 21:00

Done. My daughter was diagnosed with HFA 2 weeks ago and is a massive minecraft addict so this is book is very relevant to me!

SweetGrapes · 20/01/2017 14:33

Applied. It sounds a good read - resonates with me too as I have both the autosm and the block madness in my family - just not in the same child!

MNHQ
RachelMumsnet · 24/01/2017 09:48

The give-away is now closed and we'll be notifying those who have been selected by the end of the day. If you weren't lucky this time, please do get hold of a copy (it's £3.85 now on Amazon). Reminder that the webchat will take place (with author Keith Stuart) on Wednesday 1 March, 9-10pm.

OP posts:
clairet144 · 25/01/2017 11:26

Sounds like a lovely heart warming book - would love to read this!

thenightmanageress · 27/01/2017 11:04

Thanks Mumsnet -
My copy arrived this morning so will be cracking on as soon as I finish my current read.

ProseccoandPizza · 27/01/2017 11:33

Thanks mumsnet. I had my notification email and I'm looking forward to this arriving. I'm looking at seeing whether my belief that I'm probably on the scale myself as a 30 year old is worth exploring.

Waybeyondblue · 27/01/2017 12:12

Received my copy, thank you. As a mum of a 5 year old autistic boy i look forward to reading this book.

Fanjango · 27/01/2017 15:40

Woo! Just opened a surprise package. Thanks. Looking forward to reading this xx

desperatelyseekingcaffeine · 27/01/2017 22:13

Got mine today - lovely surprise in the post. Really enjoying it so far.

CopperPan · 27/01/2017 22:29

Thank you Mumsnet for the book I received today, I'm looking forward to starting this over the weekend. My DS has a diagnosis of ASD and he's a huge fan of Minecraft so I expect to relate to a lot of it.

NaughtyRed82 · 28/01/2017 05:00

Received my copy in the post today, thanks mumsnet! Look forward to reading it now Smile

FoxInABox · 01/02/2017 11:11

I'm half way through now and really enjoying this, it reads so true to life- you can tell the author has first hand experience having a child with autism. It's really well written and searingly honest about feelings I imagine all parents have at some point. Really looking forward to seeing where this goes.

pbandbacon · 04/02/2017 19:31

Just finished this lovely book - thank you mumsnet! I don't personally have a child on the spectrum, but have a few close friends who do. This book provided useful insight into their day to day lives as well as being an enjoyable read. The messages portrayed around acceptance, tolerance and understanding of others are important, especially in today's world. Also, what a bonus to now have a better understanding of the world of Minecraft, in which my three boys immerse themselves regularly!

leosmummy2010 · 05/02/2017 16:52

This is a heartwarming-and tearful story about Alex-father of Sam who is on the high end of the autistic spectrum.

Sam's wife Jody has been the primary caretaker of Sam and is emotionally exhausted and at her wit's ends. She asks Alex for a trial separation, hoping that Alex will come to his senses and get him more involved with Sam. However, this will prove difficult as Alex almost lives in fear of his autistic child. The thought of taking Sam to the park or spending any time with him alone is enough to induce a panic attack.

One day Sam is given a used Xbox and starts playing Minecraft, which he loves. Alex's then discovers that this provides a route to getting to know Sam better and interacting with him. For Sam , it also contributes to his confidence and improving his development in a number of areas. Things start to change between father and son when Sam discovers Minecraft. Alex discovers that not only can he play the game with his son, but that the Minecraft world helps Sam open up parts of him that were locked shut before. It was amazing to see Sam opening up and the skills he was learning in the game soon started to spill out into his real life.

The characters in this book were all brilliant and very relatable and we begin to discover trauma that Alex has festering inside him.

Very engaging and a fast read- you don't need to know about Minecraft and Autism in order to enjoy this.I finished it in one sitting! It was
an eye opener for me to see how relatively small things that have enormous impacts to a child on the autism spectrum. You never know what somebody else is dealing with. Make sure you have tissues when reading this. I would give this book a 5/5 and a story filled with hope and love.

I would love to join the webcast because this book moved me so much.

thenightmanageress · 05/02/2017 18:35

Finished my copy today, thank you again for an interesting read that I probably wouldn't have picked up independently.

I thoroughly enjoyed the novel & although I don't have a child on the spectrum I do think it has opened my eyes more to what parents who do have to cope with.

I empathised a lot with Jody and Alex - regardless of their struggles with Sam - I found a lot of symmetry with their lives and our family situation where pushing against a partner just happens when you are having struggles at home. We, too, met and fell pregnant quite quickly so I felt a resonance with them.

I found myself feeling really protective of Sam and wincing in places -
Esp when his castle was attacked - and even grinning like a child when he was awarded a mention at the competition. I've never played Minecraft, and doubt I will, but I'll certainly be down on the floor playing with my kids trying to join in more! Thank you for that - a reminder that being a grown up can still mean suspending reality and playing like a child!

I found the writing style funny and honest and it reminded me of David Nichols a little.

Thank you again for the copy. I'm keeping this one in the bookcase as, should my kids become friends with a wonderful boy like Sam, I think I'd like to revisit and re-read it.

Rae1000 · 06/02/2017 11:36

Thankyou mine has arrived & have made a start. Very touching so far. Will post again soon.

Belo · 06/02/2017 15:27

Thank you mumsnet for my copy. I found it a most engrossing, enlightening and enjoyable read (causing me to miss my tube stop by 4 stations on one day!). I'll be back for the webchat on the 1st March.

Belo · 08/02/2017 16:35

Since finishing the book, I've been thinking very much about the impact that having an autistic child would have on a family. This book focuses on Sam who is an only child and how his parents deal with his autism. I've been thinking about what it would be like for Sam, Alex and Jody if Sam had a sibling.

I want to ask Keith why he decided to make Sam an only child rather than mirror his own family experience?

SallySwann · 09/02/2017 16:32

I have to admit that autism is not a subject about which I had a great deal of knowledge so I definitely learnt a lot through reading this. I also learnt a lot about the world of video gaming, particularly Minecraft, another subject about which I knew virtually nothing. The nearest I have come to this latter world is seeing the weirdly dressed people going to one of these conventions in London!
The storyline is based upon the author's own experiences but how much is truth or fiction is obviously unclear. The story is beautifully written and makes you think that perhaps there is a touch of autism in all of us. I was amazed as well at how many parallels there were between incidents in this book with me and my family's experiences.
Really enjoyable read.