Willow Awards
Wild Orchid

Wild Orchid

By Bev Brenna.
Red Deer Press, 2005.
ISBN 9780889953307
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Taylor Jane Simon is 18 years old and spending the summer with her mother in Prince Albert National Park. The holiday has been planned so Taylor's mother can spend time with her latest boyfriend, Danny, and work in the pizza restaurant near the park that Danny runs. Taylor would just as soon stay at home in Saskatoon, but because she suffers from an autistic condition called Asperger's Syndrome, she can't stay on her own. Taylor's mother encourages her daughter to explore the park's possibilities on her own. For Taylor, whose life experience has been seriously limited, this means facing the test of meeting new people who work in the park's nature center-and facing it alone. Summer also holds out the possibility of finding her own boyfriend, though Taylor isn't quite sure what that may involve. What she discovers will change her life forever.

About the Author

Bev Brenna

Bev Brenna is from askatoon, SK

Beverley Brenna is a Saskatchewan author who writes for children and adults. The Moon Children, her fifth book for young people, is due from Red Deer Press this spring, and follows a recent vein of work presenting characters with special needs in central positions. Billy, the eleven-year-old protagonist, is affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and this book depicts his struggle to succeed in a talent contest. Wild Orchid, a YA novel published by Red Deer in 2005, has been celebrated on a number of levels as a fine, first person fictional account from a narrator who herself has high functioning autism. Currently a special education consultant, Brenna is interested in presenting realistic pictures of people who, although not often celebrated in popular culture, deserve recognition for their power to endure difficulties while at the same time reaching for their dreams.

Book Reviews

CM Magazine

Suggested Activities

  1. Choose a favourite scene from Wild Orchid and create a diorama.
  2. We often have friends or classmates who have special needs. Beverly Brenna presents a realistic picture of an autistic girl. Using what you have learned from her book, role play how you can better support classmates or friends with autism.
  3. Write a letter to Beverly Brenna, telling her how her book has changed the way you view someone with autism.
  4. Write a resume for Taylor that she could use to apply for jobs when she returns to Saskatoon. Include education, work experience, interests, personal qualities and references.

Teacher Resources

Booktalk (pdf)

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