Beautifully written novel. Characters come to life on the pages. This novel teaches us that - "misunderstandings usually happen when people don't walk in other people's shoes." - to have compassion for others - to understand that we are all different - and that perception is everything. Jackson is a brilliant and creative young boy with neurodiversity which makes him perceive things differently. He takes things very literal and he responds with many different kinds of tics that he is continually trying to deal with in his day to day life. He has two beautifully creative sisters that adore him just the way he is even with the strain it puts on life at times. His mother is trying to do the best she can for Jackson even though she gets minimal help from the professionals. It takes a tragic occurrence for her to realize that she really wasn't communicating or understanding her son. I loved that much of the book is in Jackson's voice so we get a window into his thoughts and into the complexity of his day to day. It was heart wrenching and heartwarming at the same time. It leaves you with much to contemplate - I enjoyed reading this exceptional novel.

I’m almost embarrassed to write my review which is nothing like all the high praise reviews on all the book sites but I can only say it’s probably horses for courses and this one not for me.
I read one review that said it was in the style of a Jodi Picoult book and I’m not a fan of hers so that makes sense.
It’s a sad story on the whole that made me feel uncomfortable at all the situations that went wrong for Jackson so I never relaxed throughout the reading of it.

An Unusual Boy by Fiona Higgins is a story not unlike something Jodi Picoult would write. A story that takes something so simple and twists and turns it into almost a moral dilemma for the reader. Jackson Curtis is an eleven year old boy, but, as the title states,he is an 'unusual boy'. This is due to being a Nuerodiverse boy. The problem he suffers with is not a simple one to begin with, never mind explaining it.His behaviour is simply 'not quite right', as his mother, Julia explains, but his memory is staggeringly excellent. He has older siblings, a brother and sister and his dad works away quite frequently. This leaves his mother at the end of her tether and I haven't even mentioned her mother-in-law, work or even the house that is in need of renovating yet. I take my hat of to this woman, all this going on and her husbands works away?! How she must be feeling.
These characters, Fiona Higgins has brought to life brilliantly and made them seem real, even minor characters within the story feel as developed as major ones. We see Julia and her husband Andy struggling with the issues that they have in their own ways ans this reflects many marriages that are under pressure in these days from various things so it makes it easy to imagine.
The narrators of this book are Julia and Jackson himself, which works well as this story unfolds before our eyes.This is a story that all at once changes direction and you never see it coming. This is one of those moments, the ones you never want to have to deal with. It creates questions within your mind and heart, what is right or wrong? which one is the victim? All these questions that make you delve deep into yourself and they cause a wealth of emotion, everyone is dragged out of you in this heart felt story. I find Jodi Picoult does this as I mentioned previously and Fiona Higgins has written a story that is more than reminiscent of Jodi Piccoult, and as good as her as well, I might add!
Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources, NetGalley and Fiona Higgins for allowing me a copy of this touching book for my review today.

Jackson is an 11 year old boy with a neurodiverse disorder, but not a 'label' that neatly explains his behaviour. Julia is Jackson's mum, she is also mother of Milla who is 14 and Ruby who is 9. For Julia life is hard, her husband Andy has let work take him away more and more and this seems to align itself with his intolerance of Jackson's behaviour. Having moved to a newer and more socially acceptable suburb of Sydney (Andy's choice), Julia is struggling to make new friends and deal with her ever present and perfect mother-in-law Pamela, having lost her own parents in a car crash years earlier.
The story is told from two perspectives, that of Julia and that of Jackson. This was very clever and allowed you to understand what they were thinking and why they were misunderstanding each other and those around them.
I shed quite a few tears during this, parenting is hard, but I cannot imagine having to raise a child who is viewed by those around you as 'unusual'. To bear the judgements and opinions of others who have no idea must be soul crushing. It brings home even more strongly the need for people to be kind, compassionate and always open minded.
I was utterly gripped by the storyline and dreaded each moment as it occurred. A beautifully told story of heartbreak, family and love. The characters are just wonderful and the betrayal of one of these character really sucked the air out my lungs!
Thank you Boldworld Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Absolutely fascinating and intriguing story about a family, and about a neuro-diverse boy (“unusual”) whose story is at the heart of this emotional page-turner. I especially liked that the story was partially told from his point of view, as well as his mother’s, Giving us all a really good feel for what goes on inside the mind of a child so hard to categorize/label. I also loved how supportive his two sisters were, and the morphing of the family rules from the beginning of the story till the end. More families should take note of that!

PS Milla’s poem was also outstanding!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this book by the cover and the blurb. The cover is bright, and the boy’s eyes are piercing but also a little lost, and sad.

The book is summed up in 3 sentences: An extraordinary boy. The mother who loves him. The fight for their lives.

This summary places the book firmly within the domestic drama genre, but as I’ve said before I have high hopes and expectations for this genre and they don’t always work out. In order to truly master the genre, from my point of view, you have to create a level of sympathy or at least connection between the reader and the main character(s).

Fiona Higgins certainly does this! One of the many tools she uses to do this is switching between ‘unusual boy’ Jackson’s perspective and that of his mum, Julie. I loved being able to read about their inner thoughts and get inside both their heads. I also loved the distinct and original voice Higgins gave to Jackson, as he describes things very differently, but vividly and honestly none the less.

It was also clear that Fiona had done her research in order to create scenarios and characters that were believable, and as a Welsh girl I enjoyed reading about the local Eisteddfod!

There were many good twists and dramatic plot points in this book which kept me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my mouth.

After having read the book and seeing how utterly brilliant Fiona is at creating original domestic drama, I am shocked that she has never come on to my radar before!

This book is a great roller coaster of a read and perfect for fans of Amanda Prowse and Jodi Picoult, especially if you read and enjoyed “House Rules”! Fans of domestic drama will not regret picking up this book! I’m off to add her back catalogue to my wishlist!

There was a part of me that was disappointed that An Unusual Boy was not darker (whatever that says about me). I thought it would be along the lines of Defending Jacob or We Need to Talk About Kevin but it actually turned out to be a wonderfully heartwarming book.

I just wanted to hug Jackson and, considering the reader finds out early on the reality of the incident, I didn’t feel guilty about it. I also wanted to give Julia a big squeeze and help her through everything. See, while An Unusual Boy has a really interesting storyline, it is what the story represented that I enjoyed the most.

For one, this book teaches us that there is no such thing as normal. The author is also very sensitive about not putting labels on people. Saying that, she is not unrealistic about it either. We clearly see the effort of Jackson’s family to accept him simply for who he is, yet at times they, and external people, struggle and aren’t so understanding of his personality.

I loved the alternating chapters between Julia and Jackson. The author does a great job of helping us understand what it’s like to be Jackson’s mother, and also what it’s like to be Jackson as he tries to fit in in a world full of rules he doesn’t understand.

While it may have not been what I was expecting, I truly enjoyed An Unusual Boy.

I am not a mother yet but I found this tender, heart-wrenching and harrowing. I do have experience of being seen as "different" by others because of my multiple disabilities, glasses and wheelchair.

Struggles at school are what I experienced too and this novel resonated with me. I could sympathise and empathise with the day-to-day extra struggle that it is to live with different abilities but also life's beautiful moments.

I felt like I was living with the family, this book was so immersive. I adored the family and Ruby has my extra kudos as the family fashionista which I guess I am for my family too. I loved the detail in every character to make them unique.

The word choices, pacing and plot are utterly enthralling and the family's experiences are what no family should have to go through.

Fiona Higgins' writing style oozes empathy and she deals with the tough subjects in this book with expertise. The book has wonderful visuals and details dropped here and there that just made me love everything about the novel, the characters and everything about it.

I am an advocate for books like this. If you love novels about family, neurodiversity harrowing issues that some authors do not write about, impeccably-written plots that make you think, smile, cry and tear up yet root for them, then you will love An Unusual Boy.

Thanks to Fiona Higgins and Rachel's Random Resources for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars, although I would give it more if I could.

The world needs more books like this and more authors like Fiona Higgins who are not afraid of subjects we need to be more open about.

If you love Cathy Glass novels and any honest, expertly written novels about what it's really like to live a life where people see you as different but where you are the one who really has so much to give the world then you will love An Unusual Boy.

An Unusual Boy is a heart-wrenching story about a family struggling to keep from falling apart.
Julia is trying to run her family of five single handedly since her husband is overseas with work a large amount of the time. This can be stressful on a marriage at the best of times without the added burden of a child with a neurological problem.
I have to admit I was scared to read this book but I was also scared not to read it. We have our own unusual boy and although he is only four I worry about the life that is ahead of him. I could totally empathise with the Curtis family and the long road they have already travelled to get Jackson to the age of eleven. It was easy for me to imagine the years of doctors appointments, tests of all sorts and endless speech therapy.
So many reviewers stated that they fell in love with Jackson however in reality how many people can even tolerate someone else's child running circles around the table at a cafe or hitting out because the words won't come.

"Other parents have been less forgiving, including at Jackson's old school where we were progressively shunned by parents variously irritated or disturbed by Jackson's unusual behavior."

I read this book in one day and I cried from beginning to end. The tears are welling as I write this review.
An Unusual Boy is a book everyone should read. Mothers will resonate with Julia and her busy life, her constant tired state and always wondering if she is getting it right. 
Mother-in-Laws often get a bad rap in books so I was pleased to see Pamela step in and help out and for Julia to see her MIL in a new light. 
I loved Miss Marion and I think it takes someone very special to see something more to a child than their hyperactivity and to take it and turn it into a skill. That's the magic that some teachers possess! Every child has something special inside them.
An Unusual Boy is a story about acceptance, inclusion, diversity and not judging.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an honest review. This was a quick read book and the people in it brings you into their world. Jackson is an unusual boy and people didn't understand him and at times it was heartbreaking reading what was happening to him and at other times he just made me so glad that I was meeting him.
I learned some lessons reading this book. and I walked away with more understanding. But the book also has some warnings that parents and people need to be aware of. I have grandkids and I know a lot more about the dangers that they deal with. It was a well-written book that had so much heart, The things that are going on today, I think most everyone would learn some things from reading this book.

Wow, what a special book this was, I loved it.
11 yr old Jackson has always been NQR (not quite right) His family have resisted putting a label on him but doctors say he has ’neurodiversity’. His family have adapted and accepted his ways, with strict rules but he has trouble making friends. So when he has a play over one Sunday with new friend Digby and then is involved in an incident at school the next day, it has drastic consequences for the whole family.
I must admit that I had trouble reading the first part of the book, especially around the ‘incident’. If I hadn’t chosen to review this book, I may have found it too uncomfortable to go on. I did preserver and I was swept up in Jackson and his family as they try and come to terms with accusations.
It was beautifully written, encompassing diversity, acceptance and loyality.
It left me with such a feeling of happiness and lightness when I finished and I’ve also gone straight to Spotify to get Jackson’s playlist! Thanks for including this at the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Jackson is an eleven year old Neurodiverse boy. He doesn’t have an easy diagnosis that folks can hang their hat on. His mom, Julia, has got two other kids, one having her first boyfriend, a husband that travels and a difficult mother-in-law. Oh, and a job and a house that needs renovation. I would have run away and joined the circus. And that’s before the incident at the heart of the story.
Jackson and Julia alternate as narrators. This works perfectly as we know what happened but still witness Julia’s confusion and stress.
Higgins does a fabulous job making all of the characters seem real, even the secondary characters like Pamela. The marriage between Andy and Julia seemed real, with both struggling with the hand they’ve been dealt.
The book takes a turn I never saw coming. I love when an author can catch me off guard so completely. It makes you think differently about who is a victim. Be prepared to have all your emotions engaged - joy, anger, sadness. I rolled through all of them more than once.
I’m so glad that the publisher thought to put book club discussion questions in the back because this would make a fabulous book club selection.
My thanks to netgalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy of this book.

I went into this novel not knowing much about it and found that it was a fabulous read, I do like it when you stumble upon a great and original read. It was a novel full of heart, of differences, of family and friends, a story with a warning about online gaming and lack of supervision of our children. 

This is a novel about an atypical 'neurodiverse' 11-year old boy, Jackson, and his atypical family and an incident that turns their lives upside down. I found it hard to put this down. My heart was in my throat several times throughout when the incidents with his 'friend' Digby occurred and when he has to deal with the policewoman. Fiona has done a wonderful job of portraying these characters, especially Jackson, who I fell in love with from the start. What a wonderful young boy, but I could see and understand the toll it took on his parents at times, trying to understand his differences. I loved learning about the way Jackson's mind worked and how this leads to some of the traumatic things that happened to him in this novel. I work with people with special needs and it is always good to get an insight into some of the issues they may have.

Jackson's sisters, Milla and Ruby, were both amazing the way they were with him and I loved his younger sister who came out with some great comments. His dad Andy, didn't know how to deal with him, which I found sad, but understandable, while his mum Julia, did everything she could to try and understand and work with his behaviours. I thought the way the relationship with Nana Pam changed between herself and Julia was really lovely and just shows you that when your chips are down, it can often be the people you least expect who have your back. There are a couple of secondary characters who were a wonderful support to Jackson and his family, but there were also characters in the background who because of Jackson's differences, jumped to conclusions and made things worse for them.

I highly recommend this novel if you are looking for a heartwarming read dealing with some important issues. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with a digital copy in return for an honest review.

‘It’s not hard for me to remember,’ says Jackson. ‘I’m a memory magnet.’

What a beautifully written story this is! As the mother of a child with Aspergers (long before this syndrome was given a name) and of a grandchild on the spectrum, this book stole my heart as I was reading it.

Jackson is a fifth grade boy in Australia that is considered "unusual" because of undiagnosed neurodiversity issues. His mother Julia is trying to cope with Jackson's issues (including a disregard of activities that might prove dangerous to him) along with raising Jackson's two sisters. She's basically doing this on her own since Jackson's father is traveling for work most of the time.

I love that a lot of the book is told from Jackson's perspective, giving us readers insight to the inner workings of how he thinks and deals with everyday life.

We also get Julia's perspective, trying to cope with providing as "normal" a life as possible for her "unusual" son and his two sisters.

The story also deals with people misunderstanding neurodiverse children and how literally they can take everything, the serious problems this can cause, the dangers of trusting the wrong people, and the dangers of unsupervised Internet and computer access to our youth today.

I highly recommend this book to all readers. It is an exceptional story.

I received this book from Boldwood Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read and review it.

Julia Curtis is a mother of three. Her husband often works away from home. Her mother-in-law is always present. Her fourteen yewr old daughter, Milla has fallen in love for the first time and her youngest, Ruby is nine. But her son, eleven year old Jackson is different. Bringing Jackson up isn't always easy. On Monday morning, Jackson follows his new friend, Digby into the school toilets. What happens inside changes everything; not only for Jackson but for the whole family.

Despite this book having some dark themes, it's still quite an easy book to read. I was pulled into this story from the first few chapters. 5here were paerts that did drag out a bit but overall, the pace is steady. I liked that we were told the story from Julia and Jacksons perspectives. This story will tug at your heartstrings.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldworldBooks and the author #FionaHiggins for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Story is told from the POV of Jackson and Julia his mother.
Eleven year old Jackson Curtis is the middle child with a fourteen-year old older sister Milla and Ruby a nine-year old younger sister. He has a special love for his grandparents ~living and dead. He talks to his dead maternal grandparents via his shoe phone. Hmmm
Jackson is described as an unusual boy. He has an amazing memory yet has difficulties in expressing the correct words to communicate. He is literal and linear in his thinking~
e.g. when the dance teacher states ~ April and Jackson have a special chemistry on stage ~ Jackson
thinks ‘No! I’ve never done any chemistry experiments with April’.
Jackson is labelled by doctors as “neurodiverse” which basically means doctors haven’t found the exact diagnose, other than a social disability.
(I looked up this word and it actually is a real diagnose ~ love that an e-reader will go to Wikipedia in the
blink of an eye!)
His family recently moved to a new suburb and Julia, Jackson’s mother is pleased that he has a new friend as Jackson has difficulties making friends. Digby is a classmate who is 2 years older and loves to play games on the internet. After soccer practice, Jackson is once again invited to play an internet game at Digby’s home; he is so disturbed by what he sees that he actually runs from Digby’s house. He runs to school where the dance team is practicing and he has a new role with the team. His mother is frantic; she has no idea where he went. Jackson was fearful of telling his parents he was on a dance team, so never told them.
Mom is relieved when she finds him, however the situation at Digby’s home isn‘t immediately solved.

Soon afterward, in science class Jackson mispronounces a word and says ‘urinal’ and the class laughed. Teacher doesn’t find it funny and send him off to the restroom (in the story it is referred to as ‘toilet’) Digby follows him and on the way talks Jackson into playing a trick on a younger female schoolmate in the girl’s toilet. Yep this ends up bad with Jackson being investigated by the authorities and he is not able to use the correct words to say what really happened.

Note: Half way in my heart was breaking. I couldn’t decide to cry or throw my e-reader across the room!
This was an emotional ride. I believe you, too, will fall in love with Jackson.
Great read truly a treasure! Additionally I was looking forward to the “Acknowledgements” as I knew Ms. Higgins did a lot of research on this!!

Nanna Pam is correct with her statement ‘Normal doesn’t exist. It’s just a cycle on the washing machine’.

Want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Publishing Release Date October 20, 2020

First, I want to thank Fiona Higgins, Boldwood Books, Rachel’s Random Resources and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

Yes, Jackson is An Unusual Boy and Fiona Higgins has a very different story to tell about this sweet and innocent 11 year old. It is one that will pull on your heart strings, want to hold your little ones tighter, and definitely one to put on your TBR list because everyone will be talking about Fiona’s newest book!! An Unusual Boy will leave a lasting impression on you.

The graphic design on the cover of this book just melted my heart! A boy with piercing blue eyes staring back at you along with the title hooked me. Not to mention the storyline.

I love when authors think outside the box when it comes to names, storylines, or careers. It shows they are truly creative and are passionate about what they do. This is one book that did a little bit of everything. Career wise I love how the Mom was a Music Therapist in a Nursing Home. The story behind how she got to that point was an interesting story as well.

An Unusual Boy deals with a sweet, loving and caring 11 year old who as his Mom calls him not just right. In this book Fiona gives him very adult problems and issues to deal with and I don’t mean medical. This book deals with taboo subjects that no child should have to witness or go through. Even though this was a perfect platform for these issues to be addressed I was surprised that the book went there.

That being said this is a perfect book for book clubs especially made up of Moms or
Proud Aunties (like me). Reason being is Fiona in the back of the book has discussion questions about the book. These questions will let you think and open up on your thoughts and feelings on the subject.

Virginia Lloyd thank you for believing in Fiona’s novel from the beginning and walking with her through the tough road of early evolution and beyond.

This book was told in Jackson’s (the child) and the mother. So, we get two perspectives on the story and what was going on. Even though there was some serious scenes in the book there were some comical ones told by each. For example Jackson would talk about big silver discs you play music on called CD’s. Heck, I still play CD’s. I feel old, lol. There were other references to my past as well-that seems like yesterday.

There was a lot of mystery, suspense, shocking moments, twists that you never saw coming in this book.

There was one huge thing I didn’t comprehend in the book nor understood why he was written in was Jackson’s father. He was “overseas” in NY (I live in NY so that just sounds funny to me). He never seemed to be there for his wife or kids until some big event happened; he rushed home to save the day! So, he was MIA for most of the book. I just think he could have been written out and she have been a single Mom.

Eleven-year-old Jackson Curtis loved his parents, Julia and Alan, and sisters, nine-year-old Ruby and fourteen-year-old Milla. But Jackson was different – neurodiverse was as much as the doctors could say – with a phenomenal memory, a stress level higher than most and a penchant for finding himself in trouble, even though it was always an accident. His headstands helped him when the beans in his head came and some coping measures his doctor had worked on, also helped.

With his new friend Digby from soccer and school, Jackson went on his first play date at Digby’s house. But things happened and Digby told Jackson to keep it a secret, then the following day at school found trouble, with the principal and police involved. Alan was in New York with his job at the time – always away when Julia needed him – which made Julie’s decision making harder. Nanna Pam, Alan’s mother, was there to help with the girls and suddenly life changed in a way no one had imagined. Julia would do anything for her children and fighting for Jackson was just a part of it.

An Unusual Boy by Aussie author Fiona Higgins is an excellent read which shows the love and devotion of a mother for her children, the struggles when things go wrong and how things escalate out of control when the full picture isn’t gathered. Jackson was an amazing child with an amazing family behind him. Especially his sisters. An Unusual Boy is a unique and heartwarming, occasionally traumatic novel which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

As a parent to a son on the spectrum, I’m always on the lookout to read more books that feature or focus on this and An Unusual Boy didn’t disappoint!

I will warn you now that this does cover the topic of child abuse and there were moments which were tough to read, but the author handled them so well.

The story is told from both Julia and Jackson’s point of view, alternating between chapters. This was done so well and perfect to see just how Jackson sees the world compared to how Julia (his mum) sees him. They are all aware that Jackson is ‘different’ but they don’t have an official diagnosis yet.

I was hooked immediately. It draws you in and as you know something bad is going to happen I constantly had a knot in my stomach. The time Jackson spends at his friend Digby’s house really sets the scene as to what is coming and to hear Jackson’s thoughts on what happened were utterly heartbreaking as you could see how desperate he was to tell someone but didn’t know how to, or quite understand how severe the situation was.

After the incident happens it follows the aftermath, along with police interviews (which left me feeling so angry and frustrated as they didn’t understand Jackson at all) and how this family try to rebuild their lives. The author really does portray perfectly how the victim isn’t the only one who’s life has been ruined, whilst what happened to her is truly awful, everything that happens affects every single member of Jackson’s family as well.

Finally I need to mention the huge plot twist that I did not expect to happen at all, it completely shocked me but once it was explained it made perfect sense and I can’t believe I never spotted it. I won’t say anymore but it was shocking and I loved that I never suspected anything!

One more note, I loved how the author included Jackson’s Jives Playlist at the end. Some pretty good songs on there and just made me adore Jackson that little bit more!

Overall this is such an important book to raise awareness for those who may not be ‘normal’ and the struggles they face daily. They’re taken advantage of when all they really need is to be listened to and not put in a box. At the end of the day are any of us truly ‘normal’.

I can see the appeal of this but it just wasn’t for me. Picked wrongly but clearly very much enjoyed by the target audience so don’t be put off.