Livvie Owen Lived Here

August 9, 2010
Told from the perspective of an autistic 14-year-old, this poignant first novel explores the frustrations that come with being different. Since their house burned down years ago, the Owens have moved from one rental property to another, and now, after receiving their latest eviction notice, they may be forced to relocate to a neighboring town. But Livvie doesn't want change ("It was hard to start fresh with a new group of neighbors when your daughter was a kid like me"). Her desperate attempts to cling to the familiar lead to angry outbursts and secret late-night excursions, which create even more problems for the family. It takes a lot of love, patience, and understanding from Livvie's parents, her two sisters, and her new substitute teacher to calm her frazzled nerves and help her accept hard truths. Dooley, a special education teacher, offers readers a rare opportunity to experience the day-to-day struggles of a special-needs student. Livvie's internal growth is convincing, and her ultimate triumphs are inspiring. Ages 10–14.

September 1, 2010

Gr 6-9-Livvie, 14, is living with her family in yet another rental with neighbors who complain about too much noise, noise she makes when something frightens her or her routine changes, or when she wakes from a nightmare. Her parents and sisters show her abundant love, but others don't always know how to react to her behaviors. Dooley has written a sweet story about the value of love within a family and the importance of each person, even those with disabilities. Livvie's voice is strong and flowing, but not necessarily the voice of an adolescent with autism. Other authors have done this much more effectively; for example, Suzanne Crowley in The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous (HarperCollins, 2007) and Beverly Brenna in Wild Orchid (Red Deer, 2006) have successfully captured the voices of young people with autism spectrum disorders, portraying a person with somewhat aberrant thought patterns both realistically and sympathetically. While Livvie and her family are sympathetic characters, there are too many contradictions in character/voice to make this is a realistic portrayal of a person with autism.-Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2010
Grades 6-9 Severely autistic ninth-grader Livvie Owen has written one complete sentence in her life: Livvie Owen lived here. Her family moves often within their small town, prompted by both economic and Livvie-related reasons, and each time they leave a house, Livvie leaves her mark by writing her sentence on a wall. Livvie seeks comfort in small things: her favorite mug, slippers, nine layers of blankets, and real-estate guides, which she pores over in search of the perfect new home for their next move. Astute readers who notice the striking cover art and pay attention to the textual clues will realize long before Livvie does that her dream of returning to her favorite sunshine house, which her family left long ago, cannot be realized. Dooley draws on her experience as a special-education teacher and her own string of childhood moves in an accomplished debut novel with memorable secondary characters whose believable emotions highlight the importance of having a place to call home.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)