I've reviewed another book in this series a short while ago, and it quite frankly came at the exact right time in my family's life. Our 8 YO daughter is autistic, and we've recently started taking major steps in helping her learn more about herself, her autism and about neurodiversity in general.

One of the challenges our kid faces, is socializing: not because she's not social - she's a butterfly! - but because the world around her oftentimes doesn't know what to do. Which is understandable, as most of her world involves other 8/9 year olds. The onus is on us, parents, to guide our daughter into coping with relationships without compromising herself and who she is at her core. To help her find social relationships that are healthy for her. 

I was really taken with Yenn Purkis and Tanya Masterman's approach in the first book of theirs I read (The Awesome Autistic Guide to Being Proud) and welcomed reading their guide about relationships, next. Both authors introduce themselves and explain they are autistic too, which adds authenticity, authority and value to a guide like this from the start. They follow up with a description of their friendship. They also bring back Min, a meerkat character to help illustrate example scenarios. And include a short glossary explaining terms such as autism, neurodiversity, etc. 

They continue through the topic of friendship, first: briefly introducing children to the concept of friendship, then expanding on it further. What makes someone a good friend? How can you tell it's a real friend? Purkis & Masterman discuss what to do in case of conflict (also noting that the autistic child can be the one to upset their friend, not just the other way around!), and when to apply boundaries. Other relationship types are also handled in this book, except for romantic relationships, as this is geared towards children aged around 8-12. That's another book for another time. 

The authors continue from friendship-focused chapters into handling having to listen to adults - when it's non-negotiable, and when there's room to communicate. Then naturally they follow up with chapters about family: the importance of being accepted by (neurotypical) family members, not having to like everyone, and what to do when there's conflicts with either younger siblings or older siblings.  

Purkis & Masterman wrote this book as a guide, but there are many helpful workbook exercises for their readers to explore with or without their caregivers. The informative chapters provide enough background and examples for a child to find out how the guide material can apply to themselves - and that's ideally what we want from a guide 

This is another useful guide for autistic (and other neurodivergent) children, because it helps them identify THEIR needs, strengthening their identity and hopefully their confidence. Meaningful relationships are about acceptance of one and other, after all. I do like that the authors encourage the child to seek out a trusted adult when they can't figure it out on their own or when they feel unsafe (and I think caregivers should read All The Guides, too). But the guide does a lot of good work in helping autistic children identify what works for them; it gives them necessary tools while navigating a world with many (neurotypical) expectations.

Thank you NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for generously providing me with a copy of this book; all opinions expressed are honest, voluntary and 100% my own.

I love this series of books, it's aimed at middle grade kids but honestly older kids and adults could benefit just as much from them!

It uses nice simple language, but it never talks down, and it manages to explain some pretty heavy emotional concepts

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

I like this book! I'm autistic and we need more guides like this.

It provides good information that keeps us safe from being taken advantage of and I like that the authors explain the "why" of things in a manner that does not look down on or patronize us.
I feel safer knowing that both authors are also autistic and neurodivergent, they know what they're talking about and they personally understand the struggles.

I like that they acknowledge that the autistic experience is a bit different for everyone. Because of that I appreciate that between the two of them they can cover more than one point of view.

They cover a lot of topics about friendship, dealing with family, and the heavily nuanced rules in our society which every kid (autistic or not) should learn.

A few criticisms that I have is about the formatting.

I had some difficulty understanding what was being said at times because the authors will include a list of inclusive language at every chance in order to fit in a wider autistic audience (age, gender, family situation, etc). I feel like there was a better way to format it (and keep it inclusive) without losing the reader and the original message.
It also felt too much of a "wall of words" sometimes. I would have liked to see that broken up more but that's just my personal preference when it comes to non-fiction guides, haha.

I did love the illustrations and the diverse animal characters that play out points made in the book. It was very cute and I was overjoyed to see a character who talks with an AAC tablet!

I like how the book talks about autism. It normalizes autism to where it's seen as ordinary and accepted as another part of life. I struggle with loud noises, the character of Min wears headphones and it's not a big deal. The authors cover the difference between how neurotypicals and neurodivergent interact and there's no shame against us.

I feel very seen and I want to check out these authors' other awesome autistic guides. I feel like I have two older autistic siblings watching out for me.

Thank you to Yenn Purkis and Tanya Masterman for writing this! Thank you to Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What's brilliant about this approach is the acknowledgment that "other humans can be difficult to understand sometimes"- it normalizes the confusion rather than pathologizing the autistic person's perspective. The book seems to offer a decoder ring for neurotypical behavior without asking autistic readers to fundamentally change who they are.

this book is aimed at autistic children and i think that the way that it has been written will help people to understand themselves and others, this book will help them to feel less alone and worried about life

I wish I’d had this book series when I was growing up. As an (currently but hopefully soon resolved) undiagnosed AuDHD Mama who has two daughters with an Autism diagnosis, and a young baby, I feel this is such an important series for both neurodivergent people, and neurotypical people for better being able to understand neurodivergent people. This book was great for suggestions for social interactions. Some of the things as an adult I still struggle with, and so it was immensely helpful to have some new tips I can implement, and help teach my kids, too. I am so grateful for both authors for writing this book. I hope having these tools will make my children’s lives a little easier in both social interactions and determining true friends from toxic friends. I could have really used a handbook as a child and teen, and I’m so glad my children’s lives will be changed for the better by this.

I loved this book!! “The awesome autistic guide to other humans” by yenn purkins and Tanya masterman is a wonderful book for young autistic people who want to learn more about themselves and the world. I’m not a child, but I am autistic, and I learned actually a few important things while reading this. Most autism guides are catered towards children, so I expected that.

I’m neurodivergent, AHDH, and I think these books are an excellent way to help autistic people in their travel to self-discovery and living to the best
Highly Recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this copy, all opinions are mine

This book was so cute and exactly what I would have needed to read as a kid.
I enjoyed reading this both for myself, and also with my brother, as a talking point. It's perfectly suited for little ones and the discussion questions at the end of each chapter supported in shaping some really good discussions

A wonderful read!
Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was so stinking cute! As a mother to a child who has been struggling to get diagnosed but has many hesitancies when it comes to other kids socially, this book was such a great read. I had to read it to him, but we absolutely loved the little creature stories intertwined to give us examples of the scenarios played out. Another favorite part of mine were the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. This gave me and my son a great way to have actual conversations centered around hard topics. Did I mention that the chapters are super short? The best way to break this up in my opinion is to read one chapter each evening and have a discussion with your child about that one specific situation. This made it so easy for me to connect with my son when he usually has a hard time focusing on things like reading (since he isn't old enough to read himself). And although my daughter is not on the spectrum, she does have ADHD and sometimes finds making friends difficult as well. I am thinking of also having her read this book because I feel the information in it is valuable for all kids - not just those with autism.

Thank you to Yenn Purkis, Tanya Masterman, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and Netgslley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review (unpaid).

This was a fantastic book for helping not only children but adults too with understanding autism - I'm 23 and autistic and learned a little bit about myself while reading. However, I feel like some things could be made clearer like how children should never be "friends" with an adult that a parent/guardian or their teacher does not know. It's important not to skirt around uncomfortable topics because autistic people have a hard time reading between the lines.

Another highly valuable guide in the series. I will definitely recommend these books to the young people and parents I work with.

I appreciate this book. This is guide book with activities that empower autistic people in their communication, social relations, and bonds.

This is my second book of the series to read. After reading the first one, I could see how I could easily incorporate it into social emotional learning activities that I use in my occupational therapy practice or as a resource to give to teachers. This book does a great job covering all the aspects of friendship with friends and family. It makes it clear what a good friend is and what a not so good friend is. I like how it thinks to incorporate siblings into the conversation and highlights how to keep yourself safe in relationships. Great resource to have if you work with children with autism.