When Sam McLeod was 9 years old and in fourth grade at Olive Chapel Elementary School, her 8-year-old autistic brother, Tyler, was driving her crazy. She just wanted him to be normal. Sam’s mom asked Sam to figure out what normal was and they would try to make Tyler that way. Armed with a notebook, Sam went off to school the next day to make a list of all the normal people she knew. Trouble was, they were all doing weird things; one boy stuffed marshmallows in his nose that day and another good friend kept pretending to be a parrot. Sam came home with an empty list. But even though her friends had been weird that day, she still liked them. Sam figured Tyler was not as weird as she thought and she would just love him the way he was. Realizing these were pretty big revelations for a 9-year-old, Dawn McLeod encouraged her daughter to write about the experience. “I’ve always liked writing and drawing and I wrote down my ideas. My mom sort of helped me form it into a little story,” says Sam, now 13 and an eighth grader at Salem Middle School. It took four years but today Sam’s story, “Normal?,” is a bona-fide book. Local schools are finding it a great tool to help students understand autism from a kid’s point of view. Jan Hargrove, former principal of Olive Chapel and now the principal at Turner Creek Elementary School, really pushed Dawn McLeod to get the book published. “It’s just such a great story, written in such a great perspective, that it needed to be out there,” Hargrove said. The McLeods went to several publishers, but each wanted to change Sam’s artwork and wording, so the McLeods decided to self-publish “Normal?” through lulu.com. “We were just going to have it for us — in the family,” Sam said. Hargrove was thrilled when she received one of the first copies. She gave a copy to Dr. Sally Flagler, a psychologist who works on the autism team for Wake County Public Schools. Flagler loved it too, and she wasn’t the only one. “I took it to our western area meeting and shared it with the other principals there,” Hargrove said. “I think I sold 15 or 16 that day to my colleagues.” Hargrove frequently uses “Normal?” in the classroom; even Sam has done some readings. “Very typically if you have children that have learning differences or physical disabilities, we try to help their classmates understand a little bit about their differences and that that’s OK,” Hargrove said. “This (book) to me is the perfect story from a kid’s point of view. Some of the others are written by adults … but they’re a little more contrived. This one is just honest and refreshing.” Tyler McLeod is now 12. “Now he’s a lot more mature and we can go places, especially the bookstore because he really likes reading,” Sam said. “People always ask me, ‘What’s it like to have a brother with autism?’ But I don’t know any other way. I guess I act like any other sister. We eat dinner together. I used to get mad and now it’s not really a big deal.” Hargrove says kids are innately kind and nurturing, especially when they’re younger, and that Sam’s book is a great way to perpetuate a spirit of acceptance in the classroom and beyond. “I’m extremely proud of Sam; I also give some credit to Mom for encouraging her,” Hargrove said. “Parents have to be advocates for their kids and Dawn certainly is one for both.” For information on “Normal?” visit lulu.com or e-mail mcleodld@aol.com.