Marcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear--part of the autism-like impairment no doctor has been able to identify--and he's always attended a special school where his differences have been protected. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "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.

Reminiscent of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" in the intensity and purity of its voice, this extraordinary novel is a love story, a legal drama, and a celebration of the music each of us hears inside.

My Thoughts:

Arturo, Marcelo’s father, feels that Paterson is not the place for Marcelo. It is too sheltered. He is sure that his son could learn to function in the “real world” if he had to. And that is Arturo’s plan, to take Marcelo out of his comfort zone and put him in the “real world.” Arturo gives Marcelo a choice: if he gives up the job at Paterson and works in the mail room at his father’s law office he may choose to go to Paterson or the local public high school for his senior year. If he insists on keeping his stable man job he will have to go to the public high school. Marcelo’s choice leads him to a summer of adventures, new experiences, and knowledge that he isn’t sure he ever wanted to have. He develops new friendships and learns that friendly people are not always friends. Through the summer Marcelo is forced to think about his life and what he wants out of it. He learns who he is and who he wants to be.

I first saw this book at the Cooperative Children’s Book Center and desperately wanted to read it. I was so pleased to not only find it listed as a giveaway but to win it! Once I received it in the mail I could not wait to read it. I was not disappointed.

As a middle school library media specialist and young adult literature enthusiast I read many YA books. I try to read across genres and formats. In a year I read many books that I enjoy but not many that are truly unique. Marcelo in the Real World fits that bill. It is enjoyable and unique, a wonderful combination.

I was pleased that Marcelo’s disorder was never named. I think that too often people read a book where a character has a certain disorder/disability and they apply the traits of that character to all people with the same disorder/disability. Stork did a great job of giving the reader an idea of what Marcelo was like without stereotyping him or anyone else. I also liked the comparisons that Marcelo makes that let the reader understand how he is feeling (ex: his brain feeling like a chewed up wad of bubble gum.)

I found the relationship between Jasmine and Marcelo to be interesting. I was surprised that Jasmine wanted to move back home. That didn’t really seem to fit my idea of her from what I had already read and I had a hard time reconsidering that. The whole Vermont scene really didn’t fit for me. It made more sense at the end.

I felt that there was a lot going on in the book but the issues were all handled/resolved. I liked that Marcelo thought through the outcomes of his actions and was prepared to deal with the consequences. I think that this is a hard thing for any seventeen-year-old to do. His final decision was really a reflection of who he is and what he believes in.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to YA readers and adult readers alike.

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