"The Ziggerty Zagetty Road of a D-Kid" (Dyslexia) by Gea Meijering , illustrations by Mads Johan Ogaard

Multicultural Children’s Book Day passed my reviewer info to Gea Meijering, author of  a useful amusing book about Kees, a kid who can’t write two pages in four hours. His best friend, Pete, knocks out his essay in a half hour and is ready for outside fun and games, pranks and adventures. Pete and him are a team! In 4th grade, they had to make a paper mache volcano. Kees made the volcano and Pete wrote the journal. But in 5th, last year in elementary school, there’s more writing to be done “separately”. Kees knows he’s falling behind in his classes. He dreads being called-on to read. He tries to decipher a paragraph two pages ahead, and hopes for a picture to help him make sense, but then stutters amid laughter, though there’s Pete’s encouraging “thumbs up.”

Dyslexia is the issue. The two friends have fun doing what they do best, that’s not sitting in class. Kees knows he can build things, figure out ways to navigate his issue, like wearing different colored socks for right and left. He’s full of original ideas but his teacher wants him to sit and write. He wonders if there’s a special code. He reasons the problem is like “Apple” and “android” phones, whose systems don’t think the same way. He is an Apple Brain, Pete’s an  Android brain. He forms a secret club, where members can learn each other’s mental codes. How does this work out?  

Hacking the Code: “The Ziggerty Zagetty Road of a D-Kid” by Gea Meijering with illustrations by Mads Johan Ogaard (icarepress.com) follows Kees’ 5th grade world, a great adventure. As Kees figures out “tricks” to navigate school, he’s bolstered by his ability to attract friends.  And, though his creative “inspirations” can backfire, he is fortunate in his grandfather, an adventurer and traveler with skills not learned in books. 

Could Kees pull this off in our real world? I liked that a kid with a diagnosed learning problem was allowed to pursue a creative option and work with friends and family. The press also offers a free lesson plan and activity guide at http://icarepress.com/learn-plan-hacking-the-code. The can-do attitude of this book is pretty empowering to kids, who may think they are “slow” or “stupid.” I found it sad that there was no “special ed” for Kees. The teacher’s solution of more time–his recess time–was a punishment for a high-energy 5th grader. But his spirit prevails.

As a child, I couldn’t do math. Recalling phone numbers, understanding numerical systems, dates in history were beyond me. I tried and failed. In my era, the belief was a failing kid could succeed if they really applied themselves.  I was “lazy,” no need for math tutors or diagnosis. As an adult, a learning specialist found I had Discalcula, a subgroup of Dyslexia. There are people who are Dyslexic, who have both issues. (Fortunately, I became a super reader to compensate for failed math.) Like many people, whose learning issues aren’t diagnosed until adulthood, I learned to hide my deficits. Our digital era, which requires quick recall of numerical information, can be tortuous. 

So buy this book for D-Kids in your life, parents, teachers it’s available on Amazon, B&N, and on the site. (And it’s never to late to work with yourself if you’re a D-Adult).

S.W.