[CASL-L] Seeking YA book recommendations

[Jennifer Van Keuren]

You could try these stories for the autism theme:

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll (2020)

An autistic girl, Addie Darrow, lives in a small English village with a
dark history. Addie discovers that her town was involved in the burning of
women during the 17th century witch trials and becomes determined to build
a memorial to honor the victims. However, she faces many obstacles,
including a reluctant town council and a cruel teacher who bullies her.
With the support of a new friend at school, Addie fights for what she
believes is right.

McNicoll is a neurodivergent writer who uses her writing to show readers
that neurodiversity is “an alternative reflection of the human condition,”
not a narrative that they need to be “cured or fixed.”

Awarded ALA’s Schneider Family Book Award.

*From an interview with the National Autistic Society
<https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/stories/stories-from-the-spectrum-elle-mcnicoll>…
“I wanted to write an autistic heroine who had agency. A drive. A strong
moral compass. An enormous heart. Because that is my experience. I’m tired
of books about autistic characters that don’t centre autistic people. Where
they are made to seem like burdens. Where they are told that their families
love them, just not their autism. That they need to be cured or fixed. I’m
tired of those narratives.*

*So, I wrote the opposite. My book shows autism for what it truly is. A
neurological difference that affects everyone in specific ways. Not a
superpower, not a curse. Just an alternative reflection of the human
condition.”*

In April, McNicoll, published Keedie (a prequel that takes place 5 years
earlier)


Jennifer Van Keuren
Library Media Specialist
Stadley Rough Elementary School
Danbury, CT
vankej at danbury.k12.ct.us
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