The Unlikely Heroes Club by Kate Foster

For any reader who identifies with, supports, teaches, or lives with a child diagnosed with autism, this beautiful story will provide incredible insight and understanding into their ever-changing feelings and struggles.

Eleven-year-old Oli is being driven to a school holidays activity known as ‘The Heroes Club’, where he will hopefully begin to learn skills of how to engage and form friendships with other children. As one can imagine, Oli is struggling with the whole concept and would rather be home designing buildings on his device. On nearing the carpark, he witnesses a small scraggy dog trying desperately to cross a busy road.  Cars stop suddenly, no one helps the dog and Oli is frozen with indecision about whether to jump out and save the dog or do the right thing and stay in the car. Finally the traffic moves forward and the dog appears to have made it to safety. This incident sets off deep and all-consuming thoughts for Oli, and finding the dog becomes a major focus for him over the week.

Oli is one of five children attending the club, all who have differing family backgrounds and quirky habits. There is the loud and extrovert Max who is a talented Lego creator with an amazing ability to sing his answers, gentle and quiet Tiffany whose mum runs an animal shelter, angry and unsmiling Layla who does not trust adults, and Brian a humble and gifted artist. Each of the children take time to learn to cope with each other’s differences but all pull together to try to save the dog who lives in a soon-to-be demolished building site which they can see from their meeting room windows.

This thoughtfully written story, with strong individual young characters, would make a wonderful novel for middle grade teachers to read aloud to their classes. It has important messages about being your own person, doing what you think is right, accepting that we are all different, but can work together to achieve a positive outcome. Another brilliant read from author, Kate Foster.

Themes: Autism, Children, Social Skills, Lost Dogs, Feelings, Kindness, Bravery, Friendship, Parents/Carers.

Kathryn Beilby