Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2014. 978-0312643003

Summary

Rose Howard is different from the other kids in her class: she has an aide, she is obsessed with homonyms, and she has Asperger’s Syndrome. Rose loves homonyms so much that when her Dad brings home a dog, she gives him a name that’s a homonym, because according to her rules names that are homonyms are very special. When her dog goes missing during a storm Rose has to break her very comfortable routines in order to find her dog and bring him home.

Impressions

Rain Reign is a very moving story about how important a pet can become to a young girl. I enjoyed the fact that while Rose has Asperger’s Syndrome, which plays a very large role in defining her as a character, the story isn’t about that. The story is about Rose’s journey outside her comfort zone in order to find her dog, and ultimately do the right thing even when it makes her sad (don’t worry, the story ends with Rain very much alive!). Rose has so many challenges she must face throughout the story, but with support from her Uncle and her classmates she thrives and shines. Rain Reign not only has a character with Asperger’s Syndrome, it also has a father who does not handle a challenging daughter well and turns to alcohol to cope.

Further Information

Rain Reign is written for upper Elementary School and Middle School readers. It would be a wonderful addition to booklists or displays about diversity within our communities, pets, challenges and a display featuring characters with ASD. There are many discussion points within Rain Reign making it a good Book Group book as well, and is one of the titles selected for the Central Rappahannock Regional Library’s 2015-2016 Cafe Book Program.

If you enjoyed Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin you may also enjoy Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten, and El Deafo by Cece Bell.

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