Boyd, Brenda. Parenting a Child With Asperger Syndrome: 200 Tips and Strategies. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2003.

Brenda Boyd is the mother of Kenneth Hall, a 12-year-old child who wrote his own book about his experience with Asperger syndrome. In her book, Boyd offers advice to parents with AS children, not only on how to help their children with Asperger’s flourish, but also on how to cope with their own emotions and stressors.

Conan Doyle, Arthur. “Silver Blaze.” In The Complete Sherlock Holmes. New York: Gramercy Books, 2002.

In this story, Holmes solves the mystery of a missing racehorse, Silver Blaze, and the apparent murder of its trainer, John Straker. The case’s most crucial clue is what Holmes calls “the curious incident of the dog in the night-time”: the fact that the dog did not bark at the time of the crime, indicating that the dog knew the culprit. Haddon drew the novel’s title from this story.

Conan Doyle, Arthur. “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” In The Complete Sherlock Holmes. New York: Gramercy Books, 2002

In this story, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate the sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville, who was found dead on his property after an apparent heart attack. Baskerville’s friend, Dr. Mortimer, believes Baskerville was scared to death by a giant demonic hound that has cursed the family for generations. This book is Christopher Boone’s favorite because it’s a detective story and he likes Sherlock Holmes’ detective style.

Conan Doyle, Arthur. “The Sign of Four.” In The Complete Sherlock Holmes. New York: Gramercy Books, 2002

In this story, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate the disappearance of Mary Morstan’s father, who has apparently just returned from India but is never seen from again. The investigation involves four convicts, “The Four,” and a stolen treasure in India. Christopher Boone loves Sherlock Holmes mysteries like this one.

Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? New York: Del Rey Books, 1996

This dystopian novel is set in post-apocalyptic San Francisco. Due to a devastating nuclear war, all animals are either extinct or endangered, and owning a real animal has become a status symbol for the wealthy. Human-like androids have also been designed and employed to serve humans who relocate to outer space, but many of the androids have rebelled and remain on earth. The novel explores the confines of empathy and what it means to be human.

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin Books USA, 1988

Chaos: Making a New Science explains the history, principles, and applications of chaos theory in a way that is accessible to people without advanced mathematical knowledge. Chaos theory explores the structures of observable physical systems, like the weather, that are so complexly organized that their manifestations appear random.

Heyer, Georgette. The Masqueraders. Naperville: Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2009

The Masqueraders is a novel about two young, 18th-century political exiles of Great Britain: Robin and his younger sister Prudence, who flee to London and assume new identities. In order to disguise themselves, they switch genders and become Kate and Peter, respectively, and the novel follow their misadventures.

Nappi, Frank. The Legend of Mickey Tussler. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2008

In this novel, a minor league baseball manager discovers Mickey Tussler, a seventeen-year-old boy with autism, throwing apples into a barrel with exceptional speed and accuracy. He brings Mickey onto the team, and the story follows Mickey’s hard-fought triumph over harassment, alienation, and the demands of baseball.

Welton, Jude. Can I Tell You About Asperger Syndrome?: A Guide for Friends and Family. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2003 This book is an instructional guide, designed …