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Strange Sayings and Confusing Conversations

Short stories for autistic kids about the weird things people say

Debby Elley

$37.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
21 May 2025
Why do people sometimes say the opposite of what they mean? Why do they pretend to like terrible gifts? And...perhaps the oddest thing of all, why use a weird phrase to describe something instead of basic words? I'm pretty sure I'd rather be in trouble than 'in hot soup', as they say!

Welcome to the ultimate confusion-busting guide to the use of slang, sarcasm and the confusing conversations that hurt our heads! Over seven stories, we uncover what you can do when the people around you insist on being super-hard to understand (and what they should do to help)!

Packed with humour and brilliant illustrations by Tim Stringer, this book is the perfect companion for autistic children trying to navigate non-literal conversational customs.
By:  
Imprint:   Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm, 
ISBN:   9781805018179
ISBN 10:   1805018175
Pages:   128
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 8 to 12 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Children/juvenile ,  Primary ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming

Debby Elley is the co-founder of AuKids magazine and the author of Fifteen Things They Forgot to Tell You About Autism, and co-author of the children's book The Ice-Cream Sundae Guide to Autism (JKP 2020). She is a mother of twin sons on the autism spectrum. She lives in Cheshire, UK.

Reviews for Strange Sayings and Confusing Conversations: Short stories for autistic kids about the weird things people say

I'm a huge fan of Debby's writing and was very much looking forward to reading 'Strange Sayings and Confusing Conversation' - I was far from disappointed. As a resource this is fabulous; as a piece of writing it is insightful, charming, and hilarious. A fantastic informative text which is also brilliant fun to read. -- Dr Luke Beardon, Senior Lecturer in Autism, The Autism Centre, Sheffield Hallam University. A fantastic collection of short yet concise stories that clarify a range of everyday social situations. Sure to ""strike a chord"" with all who read them -- Michael Barton, data analyst, Autistic TEDx speaker and author of It's Raining Cats and Dogs and A Different Kettle of Fish. Stories are such a valuable tool for kids to learn about themselves, the world around them, and language. I was therefore delighted to see that this book uses stories to explore how sayings, sarcasm and metaphors can be very confusing for literal-minded kids. Many children will identify with the feelings of confusion that the story characters experience, and how they figure out their confusion. The illustrations really add to the book, bringing a fun and attractive element to this book. -- Niamh Garvey, author of Being Autistic (and What That Actually Means) and Looking After Your Autistic Self


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