The Unlikely Heroes Club by Kate Foster

Title: The Unlikely Heroes Club

Author: Kate Foster

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Walker Books

Published: 5^th of July 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 208

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: A fun, frolicking adventure about five kids with a mystery to solve!

Eleven-year-old Oli is spending his school holidays at Heroes Club, where kids can build friendships and learn about their emotions, but Oli just wants to be home … where it’s familiar, not-so-boring and he can play his favourite game.

But when Oli and the other kids at the club see a stray dog who keeps disappearing into a soon-to-be-demolished building across the street, Oli and his four fellow heroes hatch a daring rescue plan to save the dog before it’s too late.

It’s going to take bravery, some seriously smart teamwork … and a few broken rules.

Personal and Social Issues, Disability

~*~

Oli has autism – and he has to spend his school holidays at Heroes Club, with other kids like him. The aim is to help the kids build friendships and learn about their emotions. And yet all Oli wants to do is be at home, playing his favourite game, being in a familiar place, where he knows where things are and so he can know everything that is going on. On the way to his first day of Heroes Club, Oli see a stray dog running into an abandoned building and he decides he has to help it – but Mum and Dad just want him to go to Heroes Club, and Cathy, his older sister, is busy with her drama camp and seeing her friends.

But Oli finds out that the other kids at Heroes Club – Max, Brian, Tiffany, and Layla have also seen the dog – and that’s when they know that using their differences will help them find the dog, but it means being brave when they’re not sure they can be, teamwork, and breaking a few rules to find the dog.

Anyone who has read my blog knows what a fan I am of Kate Foster and her books, because they give disabled kids and autistic kids a voice and celebrate a love of dogs. Every book she has written features an autistic main character, as Kate herself is autistic, and of course, dogs in fun and vibrant ways. Oli, the main character, spends his time at Heroes Club focused on saving the dog, and makes friends in the process – something he didn’t expect, and the way Kate wrote about this was lovely – she allowed Oli to be himself and showed that he has such good empathy – he often just found it hard to express it, much like the other kids there. Each of the kids responded to the world around them in different ways, because their autism was different. Max was obsessed with Lego and built wondrous things, and liked to chatter, and bounce and dance, and sing – as though he had endless energy. And he had parents who didn’t seem to always be there for him, so like Oli, I felt for him and hoped Heroes Club would help him. Brian was quiet, like Oli, and loved to draw – and this was one of the things that helped these two characters bond. I loved this, as it showed that quiet interests are just as important to show. Layla and Tiffany were also a bit quieter – Layla was sullen at times- or that was how she appeared – but once she opened up to Oli, she flourished, and I could see that she would be an awesome friend. Tiffany was quiet in a different way – she often repeated things, showing that she was engaging in a way that worked for her.

Showing that autism is different for different people through these characters, and that each of them had a different family situation allowed the story to move on through each day of the camp effectively as the kids planned to save the dog. This book is an adventure but on a smaller scale that works unequivocally well for the characters and the story – it fits in with how Oli and his friends are, and the way their minds work. Finding the dog becomes an obsession, a hyperfocus for Oli and I read on into the night to find out if they found the dog and saved it – and this being a Kate Foster novel, I knew I was in safe hands with the fate of the dog. I loved the positive and diverse representation of autism, as it showed that even one disability can be diverse, and that it can affect or manifest in people in different ways. It lets kids with autism and disabilities be seen, and for readers who are not disabled or autistic, it can give them a window into this world and how people like Oli function and the things he struggles with.

This book was a joy to read, filled with so much heart and friendship – and the different ways we can make friends. I also loved that Oli’s family was so supportive of him and wanted him to be the best person he could be, and to help him find ways to navigate a world that must have been very confusing for him as he was in his final years of primary school. It is a celebration of dogs, friendship, diversity, bravery and accepting yourself and doing what you can to make you a better you – that’s what I got out of this, and a respect for art – the importance of art in our lives. This is one of those books that has something for everyone who reads it, and one that anyone can get what they need out of it. I fell in love with Oli – like him, I like solitude and being in familiar places where possible, and I love dogs. And the kids were heroes in so many ways – heroes for being themselves and showing that you can have differences and similarities and that is who you are – who the world should accept you as. I hope Oli and his friends find their readers and a home in the hearts of readers of all ages. Thank you Kate, for such a beautiful novel.