“M in the Middle” is the story of M, a 13 year old girl living with Autism and the unique challenges this presents.

I have worked for a number of years with individuals with learning and physical disabilities including those with ASD. I found M’s voice honest, authentic and insightful into the internal dialogue of those with ASD.
I could recognise traits within M in the people I work with, however it is important to remember (as is said in the book) if you meet one person with Autism, you have met one person with Autism.

Anxiety is an issue explored deeply in the book. M’s descriptions of how anxiety made her feel were very illustrative and her language and the changes in font actually invoked a real sense of someone drowning in anxiety and the claustrophobic, strangling, overwhelming, isolating “beast” that it is.

I liked the realism of the family relationships depicted, Toby’s struggles, her dads frustrations, and her mum struggling to cope. I also liked the librarian, Jess (Sky), Adam, Joe- I was so pleased M had people in her life who tried hard to understand M, explain things to her and just let her be herself.

There were a few things that pissed me off, firstly that M’s family were given a diagnosis and what seems to be absolutely no support- 1 year post diagnosis how had M not had a social worker, a needs assessment, a special education plan?! How did her mother seem to know nothing about DLA?! Very frustrating.

Worse than this was her school. Fair enough Jessica’s (Sky’s) mum and her boyfriend were ignorant *swear words* but educators? M mum should have sued that school for the discrimination they showed towards her daughter. The teacher who thinks she knows everything about Autism because she sat through a mandatory training session, the principal who seems to think he can discipline the Autism out of M- they make me so. fecking. cross.


In the end things didn’t get magically sorted and M floated off into the sun, but I felt hopeful for M and I think that’s the most believable and realistic ending for M.