This is an excellent tale of a family coming together to support Sam, an autistic 11 year old child. Written in the first person of the father, Alex, A Boy Made of Blocks is a fast read and a very interesting story. Mother Jody finds herself overwhelmed doing all of the work involved in this triangle of support, as Alex buries himself in his work and when not working, is caught up in an endless quest to discover what it will take to make Sam normal.

The parents separate as Jody cannot cope with both her fellas in an endless spiral of neediness. And this does help Jody, but Alex and Sam both find themselves even more disassociated with their lives. Then Jody finds an old Xbox 360 at a jumble, with a few games including Minecraft - the key to salvaging this family and making a world for Sam that he can be comfortable in. Their triangle becomes a pyramid of support that can enclose them all.

A very intriguing idea, done very well. I only wish the title were different. I would not have picked this book to read had I not read the full description first. I'm retired - I have TIME to read all the reviews, etc.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Keith Stuart for the opportunity to read this amazing book - highly recommended!

Alex and Jody are parents of 8-year-old Sam, a highly-functioning autistic child. They are worn out from trying to push and pull him through day-to-day life. So much so that they have lost each other along the way. A trial separation finds Alex living with his childhood friend and trying to figure out his life. He's in a job he hates, he can't get past his grief over a childhood loss, and he can't seem to connect to Sam or Jody. Until Minecraft, a video building game, enters their life and provides a means for Sam and Alex to connect.

I dare you to get through the ending of this book without cheering and crying! A great read and certainly very inspirational.

A truly excellent read. A feel good story....and a feel bad story at the same time. At times you like and hate every one of the characters, takes you through quite a range of emotions and is a constant page turner. Great book.

3 1/2 stars

A copy of this book was loaned to me in exchange for my honest opinion. My thanks to the author and NetGalley.

I’m a bit torn on the rating of this one. Even though I found it to be rather schmaltzie, I still enjoyed it very much. Sometimes an overly sentimental book goes down just fine, and sometimes I gag on it. This time I enjoyed it.

I’m not going to dissect this book to death. The writing flowed and the story progressed at a good pace. It was eminently readable… and I guess in the long run that’s what most important about a book.

I recommend it.

I read A BOY MADE OF BLOCKS by Keith Stuart because I got an email from Netgalley comparing it to Fredrik Bachman and I was looking for a story with a big of magic and a lot of family. I can see why they made that comparison. I'd never heard of this book or this author. From the first pages, this book hooked me. I did not like the main character b while I read but I couldn't stop reading out of faith that the dad would find some way to relate to his son.

I do not have any direct experience with autistic children but I do know how a difficult child can make you doubt yourself, your spouse, and you whole world. I loved that this book really focused on all the ways a parent can try to relate to their children, to try and see their world through their eyes and appreciate how much of what we feel is projected into our kids. This book allowed parents to be angry and make mistakes and be forgiven. That being said, I thought the interplay between the father and son and Minecraft was well done. While not very familiar with the game, I am a parent that encourages game play and imagination and I thought the concept of them finding their way together through life using Minecraft as their guide was beautiful. And it made me cry happily at the end which is also something I appreciated. This book made me look at children differently, my own and others, and I'm grateful for that. I think that this is a book that will frustrate everyone that reads it at least once (either because you see yourself in the parents, don't understand the game, or know someone that this sounds like) but one that is very rewarding and worth it to read.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Not my cup of tea. Too depressing from the start. (2-star review on Amazon)

Although well plotted this just wasn't the book for me

I cannot rave enough about this book, which tells the story of a father’s evolving relationship with his eight-year-old autistic son, Sam. Alex has never been able to relate to or deal with Sam before he stumbles onto an unusual connection with him – a computer game. This proves to be the beginning of a real relationship between the two for the first time as they meet and learn to understand each other in their own make-believe world. I wasn’t surprised to learn afterwards that the author is himself the father of an autistic son. No-one without this experience would have been able to write such an authentic account, with such gentle humour, understanding and never a false word. I was blown away - by the writing, the story and the portrayal of all the family relationships. A brilliant, brilliant book. I laughed and cried and cheered. 5 stars.

What a lovely read. Touching and insightful portrayal of a father and son relationship. As well as learning more about autism I also learned things about Minecraft I didn't know. Wonderful book.

I read this book in a day and I seriously couldn't put it down until I'd finished it.

From I was ten years old until I was twenty I was involved in a social club for people with learning disabilities. There was a few kids that went to the club with autism. My sister also took care of a young boy with autism for quite a few years. He became part of our family and so for those reasons I was certainly interested in reading this book.

This is a truly amazing read. There were times I laughed and there was times I cried. I had goosebumps reading most of this story.

Alex and Jody are parents to Sam who is an eight year old boy with autism. Although Jody is coping Alex is struggling to build a relationship with his son. Jody asks Alex to move out. As time progresses Alex finds common ground with Sam- Minecraft. He finds his son starts to progress slowly and it allows him time to spend time with Sam. Their journey is certainly an eye opener.

The author pulled on his own experiences and his real feelings to write a truly beautiful heart warming story. This book and these characters are going to stay with me for quite a while.