Abstract

This graphic novel re-telling of Kathy Hoopmann's best-selling Blue Bottle Mystery brings the much-loved fantasy story to life for a new generation of readers. The hero is Ben, a boy with Asperger Syndrome (AS). When Ben and his friend Andy find an old bottle in the school yard, little do they know of the surprises about to be unleashed in their lives. Bound up with this exciting mystery is the story of how Ben is diagnosed with AS and how he and his family deal with the problems and joys that come along with it.
I found this graphic novel both an absorbing story and an excellent way to try to better understand people with Asperger syndrome... I like the information boxes that are interspersed with the dialogues to help the reader understand situations from the point of view of someone with Asperger syndrome.
Juno Magazine
If you're looking for a short, yet intriguing read - either for yourself or for kids and younger siblings - I would definitely recommend this.
Books Biscuits and Tea
Blue Bottle Mystery is not just a solid exercise in taking an already successful work and re-imagining it for a new readership but also an object lesson in how to adapt material in a way that makes full use of the exclusive storytelling potential of the comics form. We need to see far more graphic medicine aimed at a younger readership like this that never patronises its target audience but informs and elucidates through the remarkable communicative power of sequential art.
Broken Frontier
It's short and sweet, pretty fun on its own merits, but even better because it teaches about a group of kids on the autism spectrum who are often misunderstood. Rating: Pretty Darn Good.
Newbery and Beyond
Readers will come away with a valuable understanding of Asperger's, both through the text and the very clear illustrations.
Anne Harding
The School Librarian Journal
This book is fun! I learnt a bit more about Asperger Syndrome. Would I recommend it to other kids? I sure would. I think they would understand it as well as me.
Bobby Elley, aged 12
Aukids
This is a book that offers an explanation of aspects of Asperger's Syndrome in a fun way making it accessible to a wide range of readers, especially those (on the spectrum or not) who have a particular passion for visuals... All in all this is a perceptive, optimistic story that artfully weaves information relating to the condition throughout. It should find a place on the classroom shelves of all primary schools and in lower secondary libraries: those who read it will one hopes come away with a greater understanding of what it is to be 'an aspie'. Let's hear it for individuality and difference, and the way such characteristics can enrich the lives of us all.
Red Reading Hub

Kathy Hoopmann is the best-selling author of All Cats have Asperger Syndrome, Inside Asperger's Looking Out, and The Asperger Adventure series.

Rachael Smith is the creator of Rabbit, House Party, One Good Thing and Flimsy the Kitten, and she also draws comics for Doctor Who. She lives in Greater Manchester, UK.