Neurodiversity Booklist

Recommended reads for children and teens

Updated May 8, 2024
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Thunder and the noise storms
Ansloos, Jeffrey Paul
Ebook
Also available as an eBook.
Aaron Slater, illustrator
Beaty, Andrea
Paper Book
Aaron Slater loves listening to stories and dreams of one day writing them himself. But when it comes to reading, the letters just look like squiggles to him, and it soon becomes clear he struggles more than his peers. When his teacher asks each child in the class to write a story, Aaron can't...
A day with no words
Hammond, Tiffany
Paper Book
An instant #1 New York Times bestselling picture book and Dolly Gray Award winner! A Day With No Words invites readers into the life of an Autism Family who communicates just as the child does, without spoken language. The American Library Association Booklist...
Charlie makes a splash!
Peete, Holly Robinson
Paper Book
The award-winning team who brought us MY BROTHER CHARLIE present a companion book that celebrates the power of water for those who have autism. Like many kids on the autism spectrum, Charlie finds solace and empowerment in pools, ponds, sprinklers, visiting the aquarium, and swimming in...
Figure it out, Henri Weldon
Davis, Tanita S.
Paper Book
Tanita S. Davis, author of Partly Cloudy and Serena Says, has written another funny, warm story featuring middle school and family life--all about the complex calculations it takes for everyone to balance the equations of their lives and what it takes to be part of a team while...
Bitsy bat, school star
Windness, Kaz
Paper Book
Three starred reviews! 2024 Bank Street Best Children's Book Selection A little bat struggles to fit in only to learn to celebrate differences in this "darling book for all children but especially those with autism" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)...
Good different
Kuyatt, Meg Eden
Audiobook
Also available as an eBook.
Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers
Carter, Caela
Paper Book
From the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Notable and Charlotte Huck Honor Book Forever, or a Long, Long Time comes a moving own-voices story that shines a light on how one girl's learning differences are neither right nor wrong...just perfectly individual. For fans of Alyson Gerber,...
Honestly Elliott
McDunn, Gillian
Paper Book
Schneider Family Book Award: Best Middle Grade Honor Book! Highly-acclaimed author of Caterpillar Summer, Gillian McDunn explores boyhood in a funny, big-hearted story about a kid trying to find the best way to be his best self. ...
Growing pangs
Ormsbee, Kathryn
Paper Book
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR . A PARENTS MAGAZINE BEST BOOK Inspired by a true story! Eleven-year old homeschooled Katie has always felt different . . . and now she can't stop worrying. Introducing an irresistibly relatable graphic novel about friendship, anxiety...
Also available as an eBook.
Jude saves the world
Riley, Ronnie
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Alex Gino, A. J. Sass, and Kyle Lukoff, this is the joyful and heartwarming story of Jude, a nonbinary kid who knows exactly who they are and decides to create a safe space in their community. Twelve-year-old Jude struggles with some things: focusing at school, feeling like...
Canadian author.
Buzzing
Sattin, Samuel
Paper Book
2024 Eisner-Nominated for Best Publication for Kids * A 2024 ALA Notable Children's Book * New York Public Library Best Book of 2023  ★ "Heartwarming [and] authentic" --Shelf Awareness, starred review
Also available as an eBook.
Just roll with it
Durfey-Lavoie, Lee
Paper Book
Starting middle school is hard enough when you don't know anyone; it's even harder when you're shy. A contemporary middle-grade graphic novel for fans of Guts and Real Friends about how dealing with anxiety and OCD can affect everyday life. As long as Maggie rolls...
The autistic guide to adventure : active pursuits from archery to wild swimming for tweens and teens
Mason, Allie
Paper Book
It's time for a new generation of autistic adventurers! Outdoor adventuring can be life changing - it makes you physically and mentally stronger, takes you to new places and introduces you to new friends, as well as being an exhilarating challenge - but it can be stressful...
Something more
Khalilieh, Jackie
Paper Book
Fifteen-year-old Jessie, a quirky loner obsessed with the nineties, is diagnosed as autistic just weeks before starting high school. Determined to make a fresh start and keep her diagnosis a secret, Jessie creates a list of goals that range from acquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical...

Also available as an eBook.

Canadian author.

The Luis Ortega Survival Club
Reyes, Sonora
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of the National Book Award Finalist The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School comes a revenge story told with nuance, heart, and the possibility of healing. An ideal next read for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson. Ariana Ruiz wants to be noticed. But as an autistic...
This is the way the world ends : a novel
Wilde, Jen
Paper Book
Fans of One of Us Is Lying and The Hazel Wood are cordially invited to spend one fateful night surviving an elite private school's epic masquerade ball in Jen Wilde's debut thriller, This Is the Way the World Ends. As an autistic scholarship student at the...
Racing hearts
Di Lorenzo, Melinda
Ebook
To honor the death of her best friend, teen Sienna signs up to do a triathlon and finds a connection with an unexpected training partner in this body-positive romance exploring first love, grief, perseverance and trusting in yourself. Five months ago, Sienna Shoring lost her best friend,...

Hi-Lo Fiction.

Canadian author.

Below the surface
Finley, Allison
Ebook
A thirteen-year-old boy finds a pocket watch linked to a local legend about a lost treasure. Theo is happy spending his summer searching the river for treasure. Even if he mostly just finds empty cans and fishing lures. But when he discovers a pocket watch in the waters beneath a bridge...

Hi-Lo Fiction.

Canadian author.

He who dreams
Florence, Melanie
Ebook
Juggling soccer, school, friends and family leaves John with little time for anything else. One day at the local community center, following the sound of drums, he stumbles into an Indigenous dance class. Before he knows what's happening, John finds himself stumbling through beginner...

Hi-Lo Fiction.

Also available as an eBook and in DAISY format.

Canadian author.


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