A review by nexttotheblues
The Danger Box by Blue Balliett

5.0

Reminds me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. Although it is never stated that the child has Asperger's Syndrome, I would say it's definitely a possibility. The way Zoomy thinks, lists, taps his chin and loses it when things change unexpectedly point to Asperger's for me. As I lay in bed after I finished this book though, I thought to myself about what it matters whether or not Zoomy has Asperger's, and for this story it really doesn't. He is also legally blind, which affects the way he sees the world. He mentions this many times. If Zoomy does have Asperger's, it doesn't matter at all. It's never mentioned but readers will be able to tell that he thinks and goes about life differently. Not bad, just different. This is also the point he tries to make about his vision. He sees differently, and better than some because he can see things up close and concentrate on them.
All in all, I loved this book and the slow quaint town feel to it. Kids will pick up some fun country phrases, and hopefully a lot of new info/respect about Darwin. Handles the subject of Charles Darwin beautifully, offending neither scientists or creationists, but making it obvious that it does not have to be one or the other.