Blue Bottle Mystery

An Asperger Adventure

Kathy Hoopmann

• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
• Year: 2000
• ISBN:
  9781846421693
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Index: Psychology

This is a warm, fun-filled fantasy story for children with a difference: the hero is Ben, a boy with Asperger Syndrome. When Ben and his friend Andy find an old bottle in the school yard, they little realize the surprises about to be unleashed in their lives. Bound up with this exciting mystery is the story of how Ben is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and how he and his family deal with the problems and joys that come along.

Blue Bottle Mystery is a delight to read that is more than just another kid's book. For the first time, the issues and frustrations that a child may have with Asperger Syndrome are explored within a fictional format especially for children. Its portrayal of Ben as the central character offers other children with autistic spectrum disorders and their peers a positive role model. It is a valuable teaching tool that demystifies children with Asperger Syndrome, justifying their individuality as valid and interesting.

In Blue Bottle Mystery Kathy Hoopmann has combined her love of children with her passion for fantasy literature to produce a delightful read for anyone who loves an adventure and wants a unique insight into the mind of an Asperger child.

Chapter 1

Miss Browning-Lever

“Ben, stop that!”

Ben froze. Stop what? He was tilted back in his chair with the front legs off the floor. Slowly he leaned forward and let the legs touch down.

Across the room, Miss Browning-Lever still frowned. So that was not why she had yelled at him. He sat up straighter and stopped swinging his legs. No, wrong again. Miss Browning-Lever came towards him, angry, scowling. Why was she always hard to understand? Why was he always in trouble? He hated school!

“Get your pen out of your mouth,” Andy hissed. Andy was Ben’s best friend. They had been together since preschool. Five years was a long time to be mates.

Ben took the pen out just before Miss Browning-Lever got to his side. He flapped his hands nervously out of sight under the desk. He always flapped when he felt nervous, but Miss Browning-Lever didn’t approve.

“I’ve told you a hundred times to keep that pen out of your mouth, Ben. If you swallow the lid, you’ll choke,” she snapped.

“It’s not a pen, it’s a texta,” Ben pointed out.

“Are you trying to be smart with me, young man?” She spoke close to his face, loudly.

Ben hesitated. He was smart. He was so far above his class in maths and science that he helped the year sevens with their homework. Teachers called on him to help work the computers and he was the school chess champion. But then he remembered, ‘trying to be smart’ meant being cheeky.

“No,” he answered, looking down.

“No, what, and look at me when you speak to me,” Miss Browning-Lever yelled. A bit of spit sprayed his face. Ben flinched. Spit meant germs.

What did she want him to say? Ben took a guess. “No, um, I’m not being smart,” he said, still not lifting his eyes to meet hers.

“No. I’m not being smart, what! Mr Jones.”

The class was silent. Their teacher had been in a bad mood all day, even more so than usual. Andy thought she must have fought with her boyfriend, but no one believed him. Miss Browning-Lever was too cranky to have a boyfriend. Everyone had been trying to stay out of her way, but Ben always seemed to annoy her.

“Listen, son,” Miss Browning-Lever said with a hard voice, “I’m sick of your attitude. When you speak to me, you will address me as Miss Browning-Lever, understand?”

Ben felt sick. What did ‘address her’ mean? He didn’t understand any of this conversation. He didn’t know why he was in trouble. How he hated school!

“No,” he managed to say the word without crying, just.

Miss Browning-Lever looked at him as if he had gone mad.

“No,” she repeated in astonishment, “No? No what, Ben? What are you saying ‘no’ to? No, you won’t say my name when you speak to me?”

“Ah,” Ben breathed a sigh of understanding. That’s what she meant! She wanted him to say her name. He hated her stupid name anyway and could never say it right. Mr Bell, the headmaster suggested that they call her just Miss Lever, but she snapped, “My name is Miss Browning-Lever and that is what the children will call me.” Ben avoided saying her name ever since. Wriggling in his chair, he could see his shoe sticking out from one side of the desk. He felt like his shoelace, twisted round and round and tied in a knot.

Suddenly Miss Browning-Lever stood tall. “This is the last straw. Get out of here, Ben,” she snarled, “I am so sick of your behaviour. Out. Now!” She pointed to the door.

Ben shuffled out from his desk and stood up, his head bowed low looking at the floor. Where was the last straw she talked about? What did it have to do with anything? He went to the troughs at the side of the room and turned on the water.

The class gasped. What was he doing?

Miss Browning-Lever went crazy. “What the hell do you think you are doing, Ben?” she shouted. The rest of the class gaped at each in amazement. The teacher said “hell.” Wasn’t that a swear word?

Ben froze again. Finally he got the nerve to reply, “I’m washing my face. You spat on it.”

Miss Browning-Lever went purple in the face. She smashed her hand down on his desk so hard that it snapped his ruler. “Get out!” she screamed.

Ben stared at the broken ruler, horror on his face. “You broke my ruler,” he said as he began to cry. He swallowed hard, his face screwing up into an ugly, blubbering mess. Coming back to his desk, ignoring how close he was to his furious teacher, he picked up his ruler. It was as clean as the day he got it six months ago. His name that had been neatly written on one side was shattered along the JO of Jones. In a sudden rage he kicked over his desk, scattering his book tray everywhere. Girls screamed and the boys yelled and Miss Browning-Lever turned in a barely controlled fury and snatched up the phone from the wall and called the headmaster.

Ben didn’t hear what she said. He was too busy trampling his ruined ruler into a thousand pieces; his hands flapping wildly, two out of control propellers.

Chapter 2

The Playground

“What did Mr Bell say?” Andy asked. He took a bun out of his lunchbox and bit into it.

“I’ve got to pick up all the papers round the little kids playground and then apologise to the teacher,” Ben grumbled.

He took his sandwich out of the plastic wrap and looked at it in disgust. Cheese. He always had peanut butter. Always. Then he remembered. Grandma told him that they’d run out of peanut butter that morning. Ben’s mother died when he was little, so each morning his Dad dropped him off at Grandma’s on his way to his job. Dad was the local handyman so every day he did something different. Each afternoon, Ben went back to Grandma’s place until his Dad could pick him up again. Ben hoped Grandma would go shopping today and get more peanut butter. He tossed the cheese sandwich in the bin and peeled open his banana. At least he got that. A banana for lunch was the first thing that had gone right all day.

“Aw, bad luck about picking up papers and I can’t help you either,” Andy said. “The basketball try-outs are today. I want to get on the team. At least you don’t have to go to that.” Ben hated basketball and most other sports, and Andy knew it.

“Yeah, that’s good,” Ben agreed, “and I don’t mind picking up papers on my own.” Andy knew that too. Ever since preschool, Ben enjoyed searching at the base of shrubs and behind walls to find tiny bits of rubbish. The little kids’ area would be spotless by the end of play time.

“I don’t want to say sorry though,” Ben said. “She broke my ruler and she doesn’t have to say sorry to me.”

“Teachers are always right, Ben.” Andy wiped the blobs of cream from around his mouth, missing bits, smearing others.

“No they’re not. She spelt computer byte with an ‘i’ yesterday,” Ben pointed out.

“No, I didn’t mean that,” Andy smiled. Ben always believed exactly what he heard. Last week when the music teacher said, “Jump to it,” Ben actually jumped on the spot.

“I mean that they think they are right and there’s nothing we can do about it. We’re kids, remember.”

“Well, it’s still not fair,” grumbled Ben.

“That’s life!” Andy said as he bounded to his feet ready for basketball. He walked his friend as far as the playground, ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Dedication
• Chapter One: Miss Browning-Lever
• Chapter Two: The Playground
• Chapter Three: The Blue Bottle
• Chapter FOur: Friday Night
• Chapter Five: What To Buy
• Chapter Six: Growing Up
• Chapter Seven: The Wisp
• Chapter Eight: Which Wishes
• Chapter Nine: Asperger Syndrome
• Chapter Ten: Sue
• Chapter Eleven: The New House
• Chapter Twelve: The House Warming Party
• Epilogue: One Year Later
• Useful addresses