The Half-Life of Planets [Paperback]

I teach 8th grade and I work in an area with a high Asperger's population. This book nailed it perfectly.

Each chapter alternates between Lianna's point of view and Hank's point of view. Where this book really shines is in Hank's thought process, he's constantly going back to the strategies his school councilor has given him to handle conversations and social interactions. Hank is a teenage boy and thinks about all the things teenage boys do but his wording and thought process is both funny and realistic.
Best of all, the narrators are intelligent. They sound and think like intelligent teens, not like they were written by a writer who thinks that would a smart teenager should sound like.

The overall plot of the story is wonderful too. Lianna meets Hank in the woman's room of a hospital. He has a wet stain on his crotch and doesn't know how to handle the situation, Lianna steps in and helps out. Hank is in the hospital because he's older brother needs knee surgery. His older bother has "magical" abilities to talk to girls and get them to do whatever he wants. While it's not real magic, this whole process mystifies Hank. Lianna's father is in the hospital for tests, which she never takes seriously. Lianna has a kissing problem and once she kisses a boy she runs away forever from him. Over the course of the summer Hank and Lianna share their family secrets and discover they have more in common then they thought. When Hank come forward with the truth that he has Asperger's, will that change their relationship? Will Lianna run away like she does with every guy she kisses?

This story is a wonderful blend of realistic, funny, heartwarming and heartbreaking. It was by far the best book I've read all in 2010.

When I read THE HALF-LIFE OF PLANETS, I found the characters absolutely irresistible. It's a novel in two voices -- Liana, a girl who really likes to kiss boys and is trying to quit or at least not kiss any new boys this summer, and Hank, who is cripplingly obsessed with music and the polar opposite of his gets-all-the-girls brother. When girl meets boy in -- of all places -- the women's restroom, Liana is struck by Hank's cool demeanor and quirky style. Hank is struck by Liana's tight t-shirt. And while Liana remains dedicated to being kissless all summer long, spurred on by the SLUT note someone left in her locker and her summer job at an astrology lab, Hank can't get enough of her. Soon, they have regular dates at the local coffeeshop. They're connecting. But when Liana finds out that Hank's quirky charm and passion for music is actually Asperger's syndrome, she freaks out. And Hank's inability to pick up on social cues seems to be leading their relationship to disaster.

I love that this is not an "issues book" despite all the issues presented. I love that it portrays Asperger's Syndrome as part of Hank, not as his entire identity, and Liana's very real reaction to discovering Hank's secret. THE HALF-LIFE OF PLANETS is also about family and loss, with Liana's hypochondriac dad and emotionally distant mother, and Hank's jumbled family and unaddressed grief. It is a book about a boy who loves music and a girl who loves science as much as it is about a failing self-image or a socially stunting disability. It's a book about mistakes and reparations, promises and second chances.

It's the kind of book that I hope the ALA will pick up on this fall, when doling out accolades like the Schneider Family Book Award, which is a medal given to books for young people about disabilities. Because THE HALF-LIFE OF PLANETS paints a picture of two kids and the summer they fell for each other -- it is not just what the ALA refers to as "the disability experience," but it is the human experience, first and foremost.

"We all shine on, like the sun, the moon and the stars." -- John Lennon from "Instant Karma," 1970

Liana Planet, 17, aptly named as she is an aspiring astronomer, has a meteoric encounter with Hank, also 17 in a hospital ladies' restroom. Liana's father, whom all believe is a hypochondriac is there for testing. Hank's older brother is also a patient recovering from injuries sustained in an accident. A wannabe Lothario, Hank's older brother hits on the nurses until one agrees to date him after he is discharged.

Hank tells Liana that he was named after Hank Williams Sr. and Hank Williams III, the country singers. He is no fan of Hank Williams Jr. and clings to this story even after his brother and mother tell him and Liana he was not named in honor of the country music family. A bright boy with Asperger's, which is the spectrum partner to autism, Hank is also a gifted guitarist and music as well as maps, trains and atlases are his special interests. He is also a Beatles' fan who insists on using the formal title of "Mother" as a nod to John Lennon. Hank's mother feels that title makes her sound older than 42. Fortunately, Hank has a good job at a music store and a kind boss who understands him and gives him a place to shine.

Liana is suffering from the trauma of being branded a slut by some unkind classmates who leave a one-word note in her locker. She keeps it with her as a painful reminder. She also has a kissing addiction and has kissed several boys at her school, the fictional Melville West in Melville, L.I., New York.

Liana tries to disabuse her peers of their misperception of her by vowing not to kiss a single boy that summer. Meanwhile, Hank is coping with his boorish brother, angry single mother and navigating tricky social terrain with Liana. Finally, these two comets, known for their bizarre orbits collide. Rather, over time the two become more like a double star, appearing in the same line of light, yet separate and distinct. Hank shares one secret with Liana - he has Asperger's. He even explains what this neurobiological condition means to him. In a show of good faith, Liana shares her secret with Hank. At 3, she lost an older sister who died at age 7. She even shows Hank her sister's picture.

The two bond, yet Liana feels betrayed when she learns that Hank's father is dead and that he never voluntarily disclosed that. This throws a meteoric curve into their relationship and Hank fears they will spin out of control. Luckily, they resolve the matter and Liana unwittingly helps Hank develop his social skills.

Hank gives Liana a gift that does have overtones of Asperger's. He creates a list of recordings with a theme few outside of his scholarly knowledge of music know. He chooses songs that feature a singer who has done back up for many popular artists, but whose name is not as well known. On the other hand, that same gift is tailored with Liana in mind. He picks songs that he feels are representative of her in one way and goes so far as to list songs that honor her late sister that have her sister's name in the title and/or lyrics.

This is a wonderful book about how two young people balance one another well. Hank's Asperger's is part of the story, but is not the focus of the story. He is extremely high functioning and, as readers will discover, he and Liana become more like a binary star as opposed to two planets whose orbits never cross.

The 1970 John Lennon classic "Instant Karma" and Stephen Stills' stellar classic "Dark Star" could be the soundtrack of this book.