Autism Acceptance Week

Can You See Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott

RAGE: 13 - 14 

“And then there’s the inevitable question: ‘What’s it like being autistic?’ What a stupid question! I just ask them, ‘Well, what’s it like being you?’”

A stunning story about a girl called Tally managing the start of secondary school with autism. The diary entries throughout the story were written by Libby Scott, a real 11-year-old girl who has autism herself. This one is not to be missed.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

RAGE: 8 - 10 

“Somewhere, somehow, in the thirty minutes of riding the eye, in his sealed capsule, [Salim] had vanished off the face of the earth. This is how having a funny brain that runs on a different operating system from other people’s helped me to figure out what had happened.” 

A gripping adventure you won’t be able to put down until it’s finished. Don’t read this because it’s about an autistic character: read it because it’s just good fun.

Car Wash Wish by Sita Brachmachari

RAGE: 8 - 10 

“You see, funerals are the kind of days when if you’re not able to –

             Read people’s faces

             Or

             Read people’s body language

Then it’s even harder than usual to do and say the right thing.

These are the reasons, Zed, why I could really do with someone like you to talk to today.”

This is a short book, but it’s bursting with character and interesting ideas. Managing divorced parents and a family funeral is hard enough without also having Asperger’s syndrome (a kind of autism). Watching Hudson work it all out is a pleasure.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

RAGE: 8 - 10 

“[Mrs Brook] lets me look up friend in her dictionary. It says: somebody emotionally close.

‘There’s that evil word again. Emotionally. That is not one of my strengths.’

‘But you can develop that strength.’

I look away and suck on my sleeve. I’m not ready to develop that strength just yet.”

This is a captivating story about loss, friendship, and growing up. The tone is a mixture of funny, serious, and heartwarming, and you will love the glimpse into an autistic person’s experience of the world. More than that, you’ll like Caitlin so much that you won’t want to put the book down until her story is resolved.