I thought this was an amazing first book by author Kiara Brinkman. Told from the point of view of an 8 year old boy, Sebby, after the death of his mother, this was a sad book. However, the path through grief is different for each person and the way they need to deal with it makes this book hard to put down until completed. ( )

This is an unusual book about an unusual boy. This story's narrator is young Sebby Lane, who is trying to make sense of life in his crisis-striken family. A number of reviewers / blurbers describe Sebby as autistic. The book itself never labels him thus. He does clearly have many characteristics of the Autism Spectrum, though he also expresses some thoughts that would be very uncharacteristic of someone on the spectrum. Of course, it's a spectrum -- nobody has all the possible traits.

I found myself drawn into Sebby's story through his eyes which see the world in a unique way. This is a quick read. While the book weighs in at over 300 pages, many of the pages are not full. Sebby tells his story in bits and pieces, so there is a lot of "white space" on many of the pages. Sebby's voice takes some getting used to, but by the end of the book I felt like I knew him -- and he seemed one of the most "normal" people in the book. Some aspects of the family situation seemed a little implausible at times, but the story worked.

A thought-provoking story. ( )

Up High in the Trees is an endearing story told completely from the perspective of an 8 year old trying to come to terms with concepts too broad for his small shoulders to bear. Sebastian “Sebby” Lane lives with his father, a music professor, and his older sister and brother. Sebby exhibits symptoms of autism, probably a milder form called Asperger's syndrome. He can speak, but only in short sentences that sometimes seem inappropriate or illogical. He takes great comfort in routine and shuts down when stressed, retreating to hiding places under his bed or under tables. But he displays none of the savant abilities associated with autism in the popular imagination. Five months earlier Sebby's mother was hit and killed by a car while jogging at night. She had been pregnant; carrying a baby they had already named Sara Rose. All of them are rubbed raw with grief, barely clinging to their routines just to stay alive. In narratives that range from just a few lines to a couple of pages, Sebby describes the months that follow his mother's death and ominous implications about his mother's mental health seep through; her death seems less and less accidental. It’s profoundly clear that he and his mother adored each other and sought refuge in a special emotional space amid this family. I used to write notes to Mother and hide them in places. Now, he's left with his memories of her, memories he's desperate to retain. I can't fall asleep because I know what I want is to remember everything Mother did.
Up High in the Trees is not a novel about autism, it's about grief, and Sebby's innocent voice speaks for anyone bravely grasping for order and solace amid unspeakable loss. This poetic novel provides real insight into the soul of a unique child through simple observation and it is a novel in which the smallest, quietest moments are the most shattering. ( )

difficult to read, as it's close to the bone. Written from a child's perspective....and the child is most certainly ASD. You feel what he feels through words you wouldn't choose yourself....a brilliant experience. ( )

[Up High In The Trees] by Kiara Brinkman

This is a story told from the POV of an eight year old boy whose world has suddenly tilted him into a darker version of what it used to be. His mother died. The boy Sebastian, or Sebby as he is called is the main character. It may be that Sebby has Asperger's, although no one comes out to say so. He has a view of life that is very individual, and although endearing, it is often very sad.

This young boy tells of his mother's death and how the family copes, and in some cases fails to. Very important characters are Leo and Cass, his older brother and sister, who each demonstrates a strength and determination far beyond what is typical.

This is not an exciting book. It is rather sad, but even though sadness is a thread that runs through it from beginning to end, there is so much more to it.
Hope is important to me. I like having hope. I like reading stories that give me hope. This story is hopeful, but not until the very end. Still, having hope when you need it is the most important time to have hope.

And then, there's love...and then there's love. ( )