Children's Book Suggestions | Disability Pride Month Chapter BooksUnpublished

Share

A talented young gymnast learns to advocate for herself when her mom prevents her from seeking a dyslexia diagnosis in this novel in verse. Plenty of white space and a dyslexia-friendly font make this a great choice for readers with dyslexia as well! (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Disability in KidLit founder Kayla Whaley is at the helm for this reboot of the classic A to Z mysteries for newly independent readers. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

A fast-paced adventure set in the Oregon Coast Range in which a boy with ADHD helps protect an endangered species from international trophy hunters. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

A mysterious white elephant helps an Indonesian girl navigate friendship and disability when she takes up a new sport after a life-changing injury. (Children's Graphic Novel Grades 3-5)

Deaf author/educator LeZotte crafts a suspenseful historical fiction tale set on Martha's Vineyard in 1805, in a real-life community where many residents were Deaf and everyone communicated using a unique form of sign language. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Tony award-winning performer Ali Stroker co-authors a novel inspired by her own experiences of getting involved in musical theater as a wheelchair-using middle schooler. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

A boy on the autism spectrum convinces his veterinarian mom to let him adopt a pet skunk in the first installment in this popular chapter book series. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

A science-loving middle schooler with Turner syndrome enters a contest, hoping that her research will earn a cash prize to help her older sister out financially as she and her husband await the birth of a new baby. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A young girl with cystic fibrosis finds her poetic voice when she assists an injured dolphin stranded in the creek behind her house. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A tween who uses hearing aids encounters unusual and unsettling things at her dad's creepy old summer camp in this spooky mystery. (Young Teen Graphic Novel Grades 5-7)

A middle schooler with dyscalculia, a math disability, struggles with schoolwork, family conflicts, and friend drama after she leaves her school for kids with learning disabilities to attend a traditional public school. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A middle school girl with cerebral palsy and a passion for baking blossoms when she and her single mom relocate to Oklahoma to care for her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A teen boy discovers that his disability is linked to his Mayan heritage as son of a deity and central figure in a powerful prophecy related to a war between the gods. From the Rick Riordan Presents imprint featuring stories from world mythology that appeal to fans of the Percy Jackson series. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A baseball-loving middle school girl with autism begins writing letters to her MLB idol in social skills class, while also navigating sexism and ableism when she becomes the first girl to join her school baseball team. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A young teen navigates the twin challenges of middle school and a cancer diagnosis that threatens his sight in this novel inspired by the author's adolescent experiences. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

When she learns of a whale whose song can't be heard by other whales, an empathetic Deaf girl sets out to help him find a way to communicate. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A middle school girl secretly helps her fashionable older brother, who has Down syndrome, launch a YouTube channel after his parents restrict his Internet access after a bullying incident. A great look at positive, supportive sibling relationships between disabled and non-disabled siblings. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

An award winner with lots of kid appeal, this historical fiction novel about a girl from London who finds freedom when she's evacuated to the English countryside during WWII. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

One of several books for middle schoolers about Crohn's/IBD that have been published in the last year! For more representations of this experience, try The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Jake Maia Arlow or Gut Reaction by Kirby Larson & Quinn Wyatt.

Sent to live with her sister after their mom goes to jail, an angry young teen with a degenerative eye disease bonds with a hard-to-adopt pit bull at the local animal shelter. (Young Teen Grades 5-7)

Author/artist Cece Bell explores her experiences growing up as a D/deaf child in the 70s in this award-winning graphic novel. It's also an animated series on AppleTV! (Children's Graphic Novel Grades 3-5)

A young swimmer diagnosed with juvenile arthritis pursues her passion for the water in spite of her mother's fears. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Siblings of kids with disabilities often struggle to find stories that mirror the complexities of their family life! This award-winning novel explores the experiences of a non-disabled sibling of a kid with autism. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Used to being one of the popular kids at his school for the blind, a young teen struggles to find his place when he transfers to a mainstream school. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A middle school girl with autism struggles to navigate social situations in real life but shines online as an anonymous social media singing star. (Young Teen Graphic Novel Grades 5-7)

A short chapter books series focusing on the everyday life of a young girl on the autism spectrum. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

An author/illustrator crafts a memoir of his childhood and adolescent experience with ADHD in the 80s and 90s. (Young Teen Graphic Novel Grades 5-7)

A middle schooler with OCD finds solace in a role-playing games group, one of several graphic novels on this topic for tween readers in recent years. For more perspectives on this experience, try Just Roll With It! by Veronica Agarwal & Lee Durfey-Lavoie, Growing Pangs by Kathryn Ormsbee, and Puzzled by Pan Cooke.

Our biography section is full of books about amazing individuals with disabilities! This entry in the popular She Persisted biography series features iconic surfer Bethany Hamilton, who became a professional surfer after she lost her arm in rare shark attack. (Children's Nonfiction Age 6-9)

One of America's most famous disability rights activists tells her story in this kid-friendly story about her childhood experiences as a disabled kid pre-ADA and her work as an adult to ensure equal access for people of all abilities. (Children's Nonfiction Age 10-14)

For many kids, their experience of the disability community comes through having a parent with a disability--sometimes shared and sometimes not. This memoir explores the author's childhood experiences as a hearing kid of deaf parents and the challenges that came with society's lack of understanding of Deaf culture & ASL. (Children's Nonfiction Age 9-12)

Hudi, who lost a lung due to a childhood illness, follows his doctor's advice and tries a variety of sports--even though he'd rather be practicing for his SNL debut in this colorful, hilarious graphic novel memoir. (Young Teen Graphic Novel Grades 5-7)