“Call Me Mosely” by Shelby L. Jones

• 11/17/2023
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Call Me Mosely

Shelby L. Jones
Independently Published (2023)
ISBN: 979-8218266073
Reviewed by Grace Braun for Reader Views (11/2023)

“Call Me Mosely” is a great reminder of the struggles autistic youth face every day as they brave the world. This is demonstrated flawlessly by author Shelby Jones through the main character as she takes us on her first day of third grade. At the beginning of “Call Me Mosely,” the author introduces us to the main character, Miss Mosely May Brenner, who takes us on her journey as she prepares for her first day of third grade. The author brilliantly includes autism aids such as checklists and headphones, which help the main character cope with her day-to-day life challenges. As Mosely continues her first day of third grade, she struggles to relate to her peers and socialize with them, which from my personal experience and knowledge, is very common among the autistic community.

Shelby Jones is an author on the autism spectrum. Like Shelby, I am also on the autism spectrum, along with my son, who happens to be the exact age as Miss Mosely May Brenner in the book. In addition, I have a college education in Autism Studies and work for a well-known autism organization in Canada. Therefore, I offer valid insight into autism and its challenges and can offer a great perspective on this book.

I strongly admire Shelby Jones for encouraging autism acceptance with “Call Me Mosely.” I feel the message of accepting one another for who they are and honoring the fact that autistic people are different and not of lesser importance or value, came across. It speaks volumes in this book in a way children can understand. In addition, I feel this book is a great line of communication for autistic individuals to speak about their autism to whomever they read this story with.

Finally, I feel the aids the author included such as the checklists and headphones were a great strategy to help not only the main character but also the young readers as they can relate to the main character and learn new coping strategies. The inclusion of such aids also helps parents gather ideas and information about ways in which they can help their young children cope with the challenges of daily life and everyday interactions. I strongly admire the author’s inclusion of these elements in the story.

Although I feel “Call Me Mosely” could benefit from a professional editor, I feel this book was very well-structured and well-executed overall. It can be shared with more than just children because some autistic teenagers and adults are developmentally delayed, allowing them to get equal enjoyment from “Call Me Mosely.” I think Shelby Jones wrote this book with this concept in mind, and she fulfilled her goals for this publication.

Furthermore, I will recommend this book to the people I know in the autistic community and read it to my autistic son, who I know will get great enjoyment from this book and allow us to have open communication about his autism diagnosis. I hope to see more from Shelby Jones. I would love to see this book be the first of a series about young Mosely as she takes on third grade, overcoming challenges as they come her way, and both spreading awareness about autism and encouraging autism acceptance among her peers.

Impressive book. Profound Message. Talented Author.