The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Mark Haddon

Average Rating 10/10 (1 Review)

On my way to school I watch the cars going past the bus and remember their colours.

3 red cars in a row mean that it is going to be a Quite Good Day. 4 red cars mean that it is going to be a Good Day. 5 red cars mean that it is going to be a Super Good Day. And 4 yellow cars in a row mean that it is going to be a Black Day, which is a day when I don't speak to anyone and don't eat my lunch and Take No Risks, because yellow is the colour of custard and double yellow lines and Yellow Fever which is a deadly disease.

Fifteen-year-old Christopher has a photographic memory. He understands maths. He understands science. What he can't understand are other human beings.

When he finds his neighbour's dog, Wellington, lying dead on a neighbour's lawn, he decides to track down the killer and write a murder mystery novel about it. In doing so, however, he uncovers other mysteries that threaten to bring his whole world crashing down around him.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is an astonishing novel - funny, sad and utterly unputdownable.

'Remarkable ...Impressive...Rewarding.'

'Believe the hype: A brilliant, heart-warming book.'

Review by Sarah (100509) Rating (10/10) Star Book

Review by Sarah
Rating 10/10
I had never heard of this book until last year when someone recommended I read it. I was a little sceptical about whether I would enjoy it or not, seeing as it was so different from what I normally read. But I was instantly hooked!

This is a really unique novel, told by Christopher Boone; a fifteen year old with Asperger's syndrome. The whole book is based around the one event of the neighbour’s dog being murdered. Christopher decides that he will be to one to solve the mystery and discover who committed the crime. What follows is a wonderful heart warming story of a boy who goes on a terrifying journey, beyond the end of his street, that changes his life.

Everything about this book is brilliant. The unique point of view is what really did it for me. Haddon seems to have found it effortless to produce such a believable main character that you can’t help but fall in love with. I also thought the plot was great. Although it’s pretty basic, it’s full of lots of little twists that it will keep you reading. It most certainly deserves to be a Whitbread book of the Year winner.

If you only read one book in your lifetime, makes sure it’s this one. You won’t be disappointed.
Sarah (10th May 2009)