Strangely billed as a children's book, Mark Haddon tells the story of Christopher Boone, a 15 year old with Asperger's, who finds a neighbour's dog murdered, and sets out to solve the case.
The book is written as Christopher's diary, and gives a real insight into the mind of a child with this condition. There are frequent forays into maths and logic, but the emotional detachment is extraordinary - Christopher is seemingly incapable of understanding what other people are feeling.
Oliver Sachs (who turned his wife into a hat, or something) found it very funny - I'm not sure funny is a word I'd have used, when I found it quite moving; sad even - but it is brilliantly written, and hugely engaging.
It is a book of surprises too - the journey does not end up where I was expecting at all, but the book is all the better as a result. However in my opinion this is a book fairly and squarely for adult readers, or at least late youth - I can't imagine (early) teens getting a lot out of it.
Buy this book on Amazon