This is the perfect example of how friendships and kindness can do miracles at times.
It’s enough that being a teenager is hard and trying to understand what’s happening with one self and how life and society functions but when Leon is diagnosed with a disability that he knows nothing about, it can’t be easy at all.
I loved how the author has portrayed everyone so vividly and how much research has gone into the creation of this story.
Beautiful story

The Asparagus Bunch is a book about Leon who is 13yrs old and has had to change schools several times. He is diagnosed as having Asperger's syndrome. With the help of people around him he tries to come to terms and make sense of his diagnosis. A great example of friendship is portrayed between the characters in this book. Leon does not find life easy but tolerance, forgiveness, kindness and compassion are subjects that are all explored and fundamental to this story.

Even before the cover reveal of this book I was totally intrigued & excited about this book.

This is a fantastic book & would be great for upper middle grade readers & is particularly interesting because it highlights neurodivers characters.
This is recommended as a class reader, home read but also the audio version - it's captivating.

Struggles at school & with life, in general, are lived through the beginning of this story & we get to live through personal developments for the main character - this would be a positive experience for readers.

This is a refreshing arrival on the book scene & would be equally enjoyable for adults & youngsters.
Bravo!

I loved the voice of Leon, a 13 year old with "an attitude problem" (ASD). We see his resilience as he deals with a new new new new new new school and what that brings with it. I particularly enjoyed the way he developed friendships with Tanya and Lawrence.

Definitely a book to recommend to students, particularly for "reading for pleasure", maybe even as a class reader. Yr 5 - 8, I would say.

A sensitive but hilarious celebration of neurodiversity, friendship and obscure sweets. I love Leon’s journey, he has to have a lot of objectionable opinions challenged — it’s refreshing to see a character make mistakes and learn from them. He is not a likeable character, but you can empathise with him anyway as he finds ways to access empathy. Thank goodness for his best friends Lawrence and Tanya. Irreverent and tender.

I really enjoyed this book. I work with children with autism and some parts are so spot on. The Asparagus Bunch follows Leon and his new friends as he tackles starting yet again another new school. Here they join forces to face some of life's difficulties including the school bully.

I found this book a funny and enjoyable read. I'll definitely recommend this book to others.

I’m really enjoying the diverse range of protagonists making their way into young people’s fiction and The Asparagus Bunch is a fantastic book for representation. This book as so much humour whilst also dealing with complex and important family, friendship and education issues. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my classroom shelf.

An excellent book. I loved the friendship between the characters. This would be a good book to use in class with children as it covers a number of themes such as tolerance, forgiveness, kindness and compassion.

It's not often that I'm not sure how to start writing a review but The Asparagus Bunch has got me in a spin. It's left me thinking - what makes a good book? What am I looking for? Am I looking to be entertained, to empathise, feel represented, to be whisked away to somewhere unfamiliar, to be horrified? Just what am I looking for?! My initial thought is I'm very much a mood reader so I often want all of these things but at different times and I don't expect them to all be in the same book. I love the solitude that is afforded by reading books but equally want to wade into discussion when I feel passionately about a book that I've read. I very much want to talk about this book, I want to know the opinions of others and have the opportunity to probe into the thinking of others.



Leon lives with his Mum who he calls by her first name Caroline. He's about to start at his 7th school. He knows that he can anger and upset others. His mum takes him to see Doctor Snot who tells Leon about his neurodivergence - autism. The 7th school starts off just as bad as the rest. However, things change when he's surprised to realise he's made friends in Lawrence and Tanya - sorry 'mate' not friend in the case of Tanya! Things begin to spiral as Leon goes to take revenge on the school bully for upsetting Lawrence. While planning his revenge he stumbles upon his Mum's double life which rocks his world.



- Initially, I loved Leon's voice in the book, it's quirky and funny (however, I'm not sure Leon would say he felt what was written a comical). As someone who identifies as being on the spectrum it was a narration that felt quite comfortable. However, I found it more challenging to read in the middle of the book as I felt quite frustrated with how he responded to others. I'm so glad I persevered and continued reading as it was interesting to see how Leon's internal monologues were influenced by the new people around him in his life.

- Totally adored all the sweet references and fascinating facts about the world of confectionary. These bits of the book were real highlights for me.

- I loved the characters of Lawrence and Tanya, they were such amazing friend role models. Great that they too were neurodivergent - one autistic and one dyslexic. I thought it was inspired having two autistic characters. Both characters had some similarities but lots of differences. I felt this was very important representation to show that you don't just put all autistic people in a box and they're all the same.

- I didn't like that the racist comments from Leon in the book were not challenged in a way that felt appropriate in a book designed for 11 years+. This is a particular part of the book I think would be good to spark discussion. I felt that although the comments were often labelled as racist by characters in the book I didn't feel that Leon truly understand that his words were racist and the impact of those words. The comments were often throw away lines not delved into any deeper and it made me wonder what the intention of the author was including this racist element to the storyline.



Interested to find out where Leon's next adventure goes in the next book due out 2023.

I do not feel comfortable recommending a book that includes casual racism, describes dyslexia as a "stupidity disease", and draws on countless stereotypes in portraying the neurodivergent characters.

When so many attempts are being made to make the publishing industry more inclusive, it is disappointing to me that, in introducing a Black dyslexic character, the author would have Leo, the main character, point out how much he hates her afro, referring to it as a "disco bush" and then exclaiming that he is definitely not racist.

Then, when Leo later discovers that Tanya is dyslexic, he refers to it as her "stupidity disease"; even though this is picked up on briefly by another character, the damage is already done. There seems to be little care for how dyslexic readers may receive this, and such comments follow a general trend throughout the book of "othering" the neurodivergent characters,

As an autistic reader, I felt The Asparagus Bunch was written for the neurotypical gaze. It certainly is not a book I would recommend to any neurodivergent child. There is a desperate need within the industry for more books featuring neurodivergent characters – however, this felt like a step back, not a step forward. Extremely disappointed.

This is a brilliantly funny, laugh out loud, but superbly heartfelt story about a group of unlikely friends who are thrown together by a set of circumstances. The way they form a bond is so brilliantly told through the eyes of a protagonist that will divide opinion! I loved it and it is so great to read a funny book with boy main characters that has a sophisticated storyline. I will recommend this a lot to my secondary schools.

Me and Riley (10) both really enjoyed this book, which we have been reading as our bedtime story.

Leon is a likeable main character and we liked getting to spend a bit of time in his head, which is a strong point of the book. We both found the random facts about confectionary a welcome break from some of the heavier parts of the storyline. And some parts of the book are pretty heavy, but in a way kids can understand and that's what makes this great - kids reading will get a bit of an insight into people with this condition, more so than reading something non-fiction, but still in a way suitable for them. Leon is also dealing with things that lots of children go through - such as their parent getting in a new relationship - which kids can find difficult even if they aren't on the spectrum.

You go through the whole range of emotions with Leon in this book - happiness, sadness, frustration and more - and both me and Riley loved it and would recommend!

The Asparagus Bunch is a lovely and funny book about a boy called Leon who is 13 and has had to change schools several times. He is diagnosed as having Asperger's. He has to come to terms with his new diagnosis with the help of mum and his doctor. He makes some new friends at his new school who help him.
This book made me chuckle at times which was refreshing when it was about such an important topic. Leon is a loveable character with the way he says things which are quite rude to others but he doesnt realise.

I found this book a challenge to read. Not because I didn't love it, but because I felt the pain and confusion the main character, Leon caused to his friends and family. At the start of the book Leon is so in control of everything that happens and that is how he likes it. His mum Caroline is very supportive of all the decisions he makes (some might say too supportive as some of his choices aren't in his best interests). But suddenly he has to navigate friendships, a diagnosis of neuro-divergence that he doesn't agree with and changes in his family dynamics and he finds it really hard. I enjoyed the way Tanya and Lawerence continue to fight for their friendship with Leon, even when he wasn't aware they were friends. It was also good to see so many people trying to fit their world around Leon and support him, despite his lack of flexibility or self-awareness. I just wish this was more true in the real world. I don't know for sure if I would use this book in my school, just because there is some language that I think some parents might find questionable, although I am sure that many of the children would enjoy reading it and I feel it would help them understand their peers better.

I'm just going to start this review off with saying I loved this. It's funny and light-hearted but at the same time compelling, educational and emotional.

The story follows Leon, a 13 year old boy who is just starting his 7th new school. His life is turned a bit wobbly when he is diagnosed with Asperger's and struggles to come to terms with this diagnosis especially when a mix up on his second day at school makes it a bit more difficult for him and the condition to remain unnoticed.

The story not only follows Leon, but also his supportive mother Caroline, and the two friends that he makes at the new school, Lawrence (who also has Asperger's') and Tanya (dyslexic). He has this strong support system around his but due to his difference in understanding and interpretation, he sometimes struggles to believe they are on his side.

One thing I loved about this book, was that it didn't just focus on Leon and his diagnosis. It showed how at the same time his mother was also accepting the diagnosis and the bond between the two is so beautiful to read (when it's going well). Caroline does what she can to suit Leon's routines and preferences and you can almost feel her heartbreak when he struggles. Similarly, the book also shows how his relationships with his friends can differ due to his Asperger's' and takes him on a journey on understanding why he does or says certain things and learning that although out of his control, he has his ways of resolve/apologies.

At the same time as dealing with these more sensitive issues, this book still holds its funniness. It's hard not to giggle a little at some of the remarks made by Leon. He is such a loveable character and I found myself caring and wishing the best for him, Lawrence and Tanya. I was left with wanting to know more and follow more of these character's lives and that shows how much I enjoyed it.

Overall, I bloody loved this one and have a strong feeling it's going to do amazingly well when it releases later this summer.

DNF at 20%
I tried. It did look interesting because of the neurodiverse element but I found it boring and a little bit silly. I know kids are obsessed with sweets but they don't read magazines about them.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. Firstly, I enjoyed the relationship between Leon and his mother (Caroline). When Tanya was first introduced it was immediately obvious she was dyslexic, if the book is successful I can see her story easily working as a spin off book 2 prequel. What I didn’t enjoy. As mentioned with Tanya, Leon was also obviously Autistic, and how it had never occurred to anyone / made it to 13 without being tested seemed really unrealistic to me. The book runs on stereotypes - how someone with ASD should act, how someone with dyslexia should act. Leon says frequently he may have said something that could have offended. No, I’d go further than that. The book makes full on uncomfortable, racist remarks that are just brushed over. This includes an inappropriate obsession with Germany / ww2. Also, as a book published in July ‘22, I am surprised they’re still using the term “Asperger’s” when it’s now widely accepted to be dated, and has been replaced by high-functioning autism.
I’m sure this book is going to be popular, and I love the cover design, it would certainly catch my eye in a book store / supermarket, I just could not enjoy it.

The children and I loved this book. We know someone living with this condition and feel that it gave us a little more understanding of living with it. The book is so funny and touching. This will certainly be in out top 10 books this year.

The Asparagus Bunch by Jessica Scott-Whyte is a delightful and funny book about Leon who at aged 13 and having changed schools seven times is diagnosed as having Asperger's. Leon finally learns how to come to terms with his diagnosis with the help of his supportive mother and his doctor. He also finds friends Tanya (who is Dyslexic) and Lawerence (who also has Asperger's) at his new school which also helps him.

I found myself genuinely laughing out loud on multiple occasions. I especially loved the little remarks that Leon made which while others would find quite rude, I found hilarious as it definitely reminds me of my cheeky nephew who also has Asperger's.

The Asparagus Bunch will definitely be in my Top 10 books of 2022 and I will be buying a copy for my personal library so I can reread it.

I absolutely loved this and would highly recommend to anyone.

Received a review copy from Welbeck Publishing UK and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

#TheAsparagusBunch #NetGalley

I absolutely loved this. It's not something I'd normally pick up but the title intrigued me. Not being familiar with autism in any way, I found Leon's story to be both enlightening and refreshing. I really enjoyed seeing how Leon and his friends navigate a world in which they are other and his attempts to gain insight into his diagnosis. I also really liked how the characters' diagnoses were presented as explanations rather than excuses for their actions. It's a story that manages to be sweet, moving, frustrating, and very funny. The writing style has events zipping along nicely and it's a really fresh approach to the the topic. An unexpected gem.