A Friend Like Henry
By Nuala Gardner

    This book is the true story of Henry, a Golden Retriever that did so much to help Dale Gardner, an autistic child and son of the author, break out of his shell and become normal enough to attend a regular high school and college.  The book is, as Book Review said, "an emotional roller coaster".  You go through the highs of Dale's progress and the lows of his setbacks, the problems of helping an autistic child understand something like the death of a grandparent and the joy of making new friends.  The most emotional part, of course, is when Henry inevitably becomes too old and sick and has to be put to sleep.  I found especially interesting the part where Dales parents learned that if they changed their voices and spoke as Henry, Dale would listen to what they were saying when he would ignore them speaking in their normal voices.
    I think this is a book that should be read by anyone who loves dogs, who has an autistic child, or knows an autistic child, or anyone who enjoys a tale about overcoming  great difficulties with the help of a friend, in this case, a dog.  It's written in language that can be understood by anyone over twelve.  It has a five-star rating on Amazon.