Kids Need Characters with Asperger Syndrome – Bring Back the Wright & Wong Mysteries

Melinda Metz and Laura J. Burns are trying to get the “Wright & Wong” books back in print and your help is much appreciated.

On November 19th, 2012 Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz published the following post via their official Facebook page with reference to a current article which is titled Inspecting The Trend Of Autistic-Spectrum Characters:

“Once upon a time, we wrote a series of mysteries for kids about exactly this. Nobody had heard of Asperger’s Syndrome back then, so our publisher didn’t market it that way. We were ahead of our time, as this proves! And we want those books back in print. The Wright & Wong Mysteries! Look it up.”

The first book from the “Wright & Wong” series of mysteries for kids was released in April 2005. Three books followed but now, they aren’t available anymore even if the topic is not out of date and Kids just Need Characters with Asperger Syndrome.

Later, the writing duo created a petition in order to gain attention about their request.

Please share the link via Facebook, tell your Followers on Twitter and tell your family and friends about this petition:
Kids Need Characters with Asperger Syndrome! Bring Back the Wright & Wong Mysteries

They added “We think middle-grade readers need to see characters with Asperger’s Syndrome in books, so we’ve started a petition to get our Wright & Wong series back in print. Check it out, and if you agree, please sign!” – and we agree.

Please visit The Petition Site and show your support!

Kids Need Characters with Asperger Syndrome! Bring Back the Wright & Wong Mysteries

Target: Razorbill, publisher of the Wright & Wong series
Sponsored by: Melinda Metz and Laura J. Burns
When the WRIGHT & WONG MYSTERIES went out of print, the North Carolina Autism Society Book Store said:

“We wish we could beg [Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz] not to abandon the Wright & Wong series!
For those that haven’t heard of this 4-book series before, it features two best friends in middle school, Orville Wright and Agatha Wong, who keep finding themselves in the middle of mysteries that need to be solved. They make the perfect team: Orville, who has Asperger Syndrome (AS), has an amazing eye for detail, but sometimes sees so many details he can’t put the clues together into a whole picture. Meanwhile, Agatha comes from a very large and colorful family, so she is highly trained in the arts of understanding interpersonal relationships and seeing the overall story. Together, they always break the case!

The other excellent thing about this series is the way Orville’s AS is discussed. The books always mention the new things he is learning in his social skills class after school, usually one main new skill per book, and Agatha helps to make sure he practices those skills in real-life situations. The strengths he gains from his AS are emphasized many times throughout the case, as well.”

But we never intended to abandon the series! We were very sad when our publisher decided to cancel it. Now we’re trying to get the books back in print, and we hope you’ll help. If you believe the WRIGHT & WONG MYSTERIES deserve to be reissued so kids with AS can see a character who reflects their life experience (and kids without AS can gain a greater understanding of the syndrome) please sign our petition.

Laura & Melinda

Related News:
Author Interview: Melinda Metz (Roswell High), October 7th, 2012
“Roswell High” – How They Started, July 15th, 2012