Marcelo Sandoval, a teen with an Asperger's-like condition, is about to start his last year of high school. His father, wanting him to be able to deal with "the real world," asks that he spend the summer working at his law office before deciding whether to continue at his sheltered special-needs school. Though Marcelo prefers his school, where he does good work with therapy horses, he strikes up a compromise with his father and enters the real world for the first time. It's difficult for someone like Marcelo, who thrives on routine, processing one thing at a time, and studying his special interest, God and religion. The summer tests him in many ways, but he remains true to himself. This is one of the best coming-of-age stories I've read. When you first realize that there is good and evil in the world, especially in those you admire and in yourself as well, how do you process the suffering that comes from this new knowledge? 
 Favorite quotes: 
 "'I don't believe in suffering. If a kid is happy, understood, and appreciated, he will bloom in his or her own time.'" 
 "Routine. Whenever I hear that word I think of a route that is not a full route, only a tiny route. I wonder if it's the change to all my tiny routes that is making me nervous, or is it just that I am still resentful at being forced to do something I don't like?" 
 "I am not situated to lose what you might lose. Every time you decide, there is loss, no matter how you decide. It's always a question of what you cannot afford to lose." 
 "It is not possible here in the real world, as Arturo calls it, to be protected by a shield of plastic. There does not seem to be a way to maintain throughout the day the peace I found when remembering. 'Be in the world but not of the world.' The words are from Jesus. But I have not the slightest idea how to accomplish that or if it's even possible. The world will always poke you in the chest with its index finger." 
 (view spoiler)["'Are you attracted to Jasmine?'/'Attracted.' I am at a loss as to what to say. I like being with Jasmine. I like the comfort and the ease and the not worrying about how I sound or look when I am with her. I like hearing what she says and how she responds to my questions. I like what I see through her, what she leads me to discover, and what her presence opens up for me. I like talking music with her and I like being here with her. I am pulled toward her in a way that resembles the pull of the IM. Is this the kind of attraction Jonah is asking about?" (hide spoiler)] 
 "I am looking up at the night sky. The stars seem like tiny pricks on a dark ceiling through which you can see the brightness that exists on the other side." 
 "'She doesn't need to believe in God or even remember Him to do His work. Her belief is in her deeds, which is okay.'" 
 "'How I found out what God wanted me to do is that the urge to do it got too painful to ignore. I ended up going to seminary just so I could finally get some sleep.'"