The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon 🔖🔖🔖

First published July 31, 2003

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Literary awards: Booker Prize Nominee for Longlist (2003), James Tait Black Memorial Prize Nominee for Fiction (2003), Whitbread Award for Novel and Book of the Year (2003), Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (2003), Booktrust Teenage Prize (2003), McKitterick Prize (2004), Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction (2003), Exclusive Books Boeke Prize (2004), ALA Alex Award (2004), Zilveren Zoen (2004), Lincoln Award Nominee (2006), Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book Overall (2004), North East Teenage Book Award Nominee (2004), Carnegie Medal Nominee (2003), Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award (2004), Premi Protagonista Jove for Categoria 14-16 anys (2005)

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This is a story "about a 15-year-old boy, with Asperger’s Syndrome, who investigates the death of a neighbour’s dog and uncovers dark truths about his family." (Source: time.com)

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I enjoyed this point of view from an autistic young man trying to solve a mystery. It was simple in many ways, complicated in others, creating a great balance. Great character development of the parents (even though I didn't much like them) and the main character. I liked having a glimpse of what it might be like inside the mind of an autistic person and found the representation quite believable. Yet ... This doesn't fall into my category of one I'd recommend others read. I think because I didn't feel the book left me with a feeling of having read something with meaning and purpose, or that anyone had any great redeeming quality.

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Why this was banned:  

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was banned from a summer reading list in the Westmont Hilltop School District after complaints about “foul language,” “profane use of God’s name,” and a “negative portrayal of a character with autism or a similar disorder”. The book was also taken off a summer reading list after parents complained about swear words and the book “taking of God’s name in vain”. 

My take: 

There were about 28 F words, lots of S words, and the C word once. The name of Christ was taken in vain. 

They did not seem "out of place" or "out of character" and seemed more realistic than if they were not used. 

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For further discussion: 

Ms. Lara Rankin's Educational Escapade

Penguin Random House Reader's Guide

Empathy Explorers

Reading Heroes Book Discussion Guide

Teaching Ideas

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