The Alien Logs of Super Jewels

By B.K. Bradshaw

Why does everything seem so easy for everyone else? As Jewels recounts her adventures from Kinderprison to Muddle School, she looks for clues to what sets her apart. Could she be an alien, a superhero, or something completely different?

Join Jewels as she explores the confusing - and often hilarious - world of social expectations. Jewels' journey

• Language: English
• Publisher: Infinity Kids Press
• Release date: Jul 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781942905110

B.K. Bradshaw

Brenda "BK" Bradshaw is an award-winning author, former elementary and middle school teacher, special reading teacher, and assistant professor of elementary education. An avid reader and writer, BK has always been immersed in children's literature. In recent years, her daughters have given her the inspiration to create the resilient female characters, Crystal Brave and Super Jewels. BK has appeared on the podcasts, The Autism Show, Talkin Live with Eli, Care Activities with Neil Hogbin. She has made appearances on Ozarks Live! news show in Springfield, Missouri, volunteered with the Horse Tales Literacy project and met with hundreds of children and teachers across the Ozarks in school and barn visits.

Book preview

Alien Log #1: Alien V. Superhero

Your name is weird, just like YOU are, Jewels, Hannah Banana Akers said.

I love my name because jewels are sparkly and if you shine a light on them, they make rainbows, and everyone knows rainbows are epic, I argued back.

Hannah Banana Akers rolled her eyes at me and walked away.

That was in the fourth grade. I’m almost a teenager and people still tell me how weird I am. My dad said that all kids feel different, but I’ve always thought I might be more different than most kids.

I saw the movie E.T. about an extraterrestrial creature that came to study Earth, got left behind accidentally, and lost contact with his mother ship. I felt sorry for that little guy. He didn’t fit in. He didn’t look like earthlings. He didn’t eat the same things as earthlings. He didn’t walk the same or talk the same. He had trouble living on Earth, and if he didn’t get back to his home planet, he would die.

E.T. was like me. My doctor, Dr. Silver, said my brain was wired differently than most people and that’s why I was a picky eater, hated buttons on my pants, and had trouble understanding people’s facial expressions. Sounded like an alien to me.

Dr. Silver called it, Asperger’s Syndrome, a kind of autism. She said it made my brain different. She could call it what she wanted, but I thought I might have lost contact with my mother ship.

My older brother, Raphi, said a lot of people with autism have super abilities like playing Mozart on the piano at age three, or remembering every detail about every type of dinosaur. He said I might have a super ability, too, and that maybe if I thought about it, I could figure out what it was.

So, I started thinking about things that have happened to me to see if I could find evidence of my alien-ness, or my super-ness. Each Alien Log was kind of like the Captain’s Logs on Star Trek, only instead of logging the voyages of the starship, Enterprise, I logged evidence of my life here on Earth. Was I an alien? Maybe I had a superpower. One way or the other, I had to figure out why I was so different, and this is what happened …

Alien Log #2: Art, Darts & Cats Paws

Mom, I don’t remember anything about being a baby, I said.

No one remembers being a baby, Jewels, Mom said.

Are you sure? Maybe my memory was erased from going through a wormhole on the way to Earth from my home planet?

Very funny, Jewels, she said. Babies’ brains aren’t developed enough to remember things like they do when they are older.

What was I like as a baby? I asked.

You were adorable and very smart, Mom said.

You’re my mom, so of course you would say that, I said. Was I different from other babies?

Well, you talked later than most babies, but when you started talking you became a jabber box.

I wasn’t sure why, but that kind of felt like an insult.

You always surprised me with your art, she said.

Tell me the story of the city skyline picture!

I had heard this story before, but maybe I had missed something; some detail that would give me a clue. We walked into the hallway of our house and hanging on the wall, framed like a museum painting, was a picture of a city skyline.

When you were about five, you drew this very detailed, colorful drawing of a city skyline. I couldn’t believe you had drawn it. It was like something a child much older would draw, with dimensions and details. I hung the picture here as a reminder of how you are always full of surprises.

I didn’t see how being a good artist made me a superhero or an alien. I didn’t draw a monster that came to life and attacked my villain, and the city I drew looked like it was on Earth. I didn’t see space ships or little alien people walking around. I had just drawn ordinary Earth buildings.

Is there anything else I was really SUPER good at?

Do you remember how you got your stuffed unicorn? Mom asked.

We went into my room and sat on my bed. I hugged my unicorn.

I got it at the fair when I was three, I said.

Yes, but it’s HOW you got it that is special, she said.

So, she told me the story …

Unicorn! I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me, bumping into people and almost tripping others, trying to get to that giant, beautiful, blue unicorn with a sparkly horn.

Step right up! Hit three balloons and you get this giant unicorn!

Unicorn! I yelled again, trying to reach it.

How much? my dad asked.

Just three dollars for three darts! the man said. Hit three balloons and you’ll have one happy little girl!

Okay, I’ll give it a try. Dad gave the man three dollars and the man gave him three darts. He threw all three darts and missed the balloons every time.

Come on, Dad! the man said. Try again for your little girl!

I do it! I said.

It’s too dangerous, Jewels, Mom said. Children can’t play with darts.

Dad gave the man three more dollars and the man gave him three more darts. He threw three darts and only hit one balloon.

Aw, that’s too bad! You didn’t win the big unicorn, but you can pick from these smaller animals, the man said.

I looked at the tiny stuffed green frogs. Then I looked at the unicorn. Unicorn! I yelled.

It’s a hard game, Jewels, Dad said.

I do it! I said.

The man said, Let her try it! You never know! She can stand up here on the counter, and we will be very careful.

My dad lifted me up on the counter. The man handed me a dart. I looked at the balloon, threw that dart, and it hit a balloon!

Wow, Jewels! Dad said. Great job! Try it again!

The man handed me another dart. I threw it and it went squarely between two balloons and stuck in the wall.

"Wow, you’re good at throwing