January YA Pick: Marcelo In the Real World

I can't quite remember where I recently read  that Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork was An Especially Good YA Novel, but I did read it somewhere and then saw the book at the library and remembered what I had read and checked it out.  It is, indeed, Especially Good.  So much so that now I have the Girl reading it and she actually will, even though I recommended it.  

The story is about 17-year-old Marcelo who has a condition that is not easily diagnosed, but that is similar to Asperger's Syndrome in that he has a special interest (God) and has difficulty decoding social behavior.  He is able to function very well regardless of his differences and has a rich inner life and important relationships with his mother, sister, his school and a religious mentor.  His doctor and family know that he could have managed at a regular school but he has been allowed to blossom in the shelter of a special school where he has not been forced to adapt to "the real world" at a rate that is disorienting to him.  Having secured a summer job in the stables at his school, he is looking forward to working with the ponies there.  His father has always wanted him to go to a regular school and wants him to do so for his senior year in high school, which Marcelo definitely does not want to do.  Marcelo's father makes a bargain with him that Marcelo may choose where to go to school for his senior year if he works successfully in the mail room at the father's  law office over the summer to gain some experience in "the real world".  Marcelo is very unhappy to miss his summer with the ponies but realizes that the summer job his father insists upon is his only way to get back to the ponies for his senior year so he agrees. 

Marcelo learns a number of unfortunate things about how "the real world" works - including about how his father works - in the course of his summer job.  He also learns that he has the power to make a difference for people who are in need, and that he can only really make that difference if chooses to face the real world.  He learns courage and compassion beyond his years.

It is a moving story.