Children's Books About the Autism Spectrum (Juvenile Fiction/Juvenile Nonfiction)

These are just a sample of recommended Juvenile fiction and Juvenile nonfiction on the topic of Autism. These books are all available through the Sussex County Library System.

Updated December 13, 2024
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Bat and the end of everything
Arnold, Elana K.
Paper Book
The third book in the funny and joyful series Katherine Applegate has called "tender and important," by National Book Award finalist Elana K. Arnold. Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat) has been the caretaker for Thor, the best skunk kit in the world...but the last day of...
A boy called Bat /
Arnold, Elana K.
Paper Book
The first book in a funny, heartfelt, and irresistible young middle grade series starring an unforgettable young boy on the autism spectrum. For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises--some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a...
Henry, like always /
Bailey, Jenn,
Paper Book
A Schneider Family Book Award Winner  A Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book  A NPR 2023 Books We Love Pick A School Library Journal Best Book of 2023  A 2023 Chicago Public Library Best of the...
Al Capone does my shirts /
Choldenko, Gennifer,
Paper Book
Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school.  But Natalie has autism, and when she's denied admittance to the school, the stark setting of Alcatraz begins to unravel the tenuous coping mechanisms...
Anybody here seen Frenchie? /
Connor, Leslie.
Paper Book
A big-hearted, beautiful, and funny novel told from multiple viewpoints about neurodiversity, friendship, and community from the award-winning author of The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, Leslie Connor. Eleven-year-old Aurora Petrequin's best friend has never spoken a word to her. In fact,...
Uniquely wired :
Cook, Julia,
Paper Book
Some people say I have a disability. But I say that I?m UNIQUE This heartwarming story features Zak, a young boy living with autism who wants you to understand how he experiences the sights and sounds of the world around him. Zak knows he?s not quite like his siblings...
Frankie's world /
Dooley, Aoife.
Paper Book
From acclaimed Autistic Irish comedian Aoife Dooley comes a fresh and funny debut middle-grade graphic novel about fitting in and standing out. Frankie is different from everyone in her class, and she can't figure out why. She has trouble concentrating, and her classmates tease her for not...
Mockingbird /
Erskine, Kathryn.
Paper Book
In Caitlin's world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That's the stuff Caitlin's older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon's dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with...
Dear Mothman /
Gow, Robin,
Paper Book
Winner, LGBTQ+ Middle Grade Lammy Award (Lambda Literary Award) Robin Gow's acclaimed middle grade novel in verse about a young trans boy dealing with the loss of his friend by writing to his favorite cryptid, Mothman Moving and...
How to build a hug :
Guglielmo, Amy,
Paper Book
Amy Guglielmo, Jacqueline Tourville, and Giselle Potter come together to tell the inspiring story of autism advocate Dr. Temple Grandin and her brilliant invention: the hug machine. As a young girl, Temple Grandin loved folding paper kites, making obstacle courses, and building...
Slider /
Hautman, Pete,
Paper Book
Competitive eating vies with family expectations in a funny, heartfelt novel for middle-grade readers by National Book Award winner Pete Hautman. David can eat an entire sixteen-inch pepperoni pizza in four minutes and thirty-six seconds. Not bad. But he knows he can do better....
Get a grip, Vivy Cohen! /
Kapit, Sarah.
Paper Book
In this perfectly pitched novel-in-letters, autistic eleven-year-old Vivy Cohen won't let anything stop her from playing baseball--not when she has a major-league star as her pen pal. Vivy Cohen is determined. She's had enough of playing catch in the park. She's ready to pitch...
Rules /
Lord, Cynthia.
Paper Book
This Newbery Honor Book is a heartfelt and witty story about feeling different and finding acceptance--beyond the rules.Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years...
Team players /
Lupica, Mike
Paper Book
Cassie must learn that you can't "fix" someone else after a girl with Aspergers joins her softball team in the fourth and final book of the Home Team series from New York Times bestselling author and sports-writing legend Mike Lupica. Cassie Bennett is great at being in...
Rain reign /
Martin, Ann M.,
Paper Book
A New York Times bestselling novel by the author of The Baby-sitters Club, about a girl on the autism spectrum and the dog she loves. Rose Howard is obsessed with homonyms. She's thrilled that her own name is a homonym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a name with...
A kind of spark /
McNicoll, Elle,
Paper Book
Perfect for readers of Song for a Whale and Counting by 7s, a neurodivergent girl campaigns for a memorial when she learns that her small Scottish town used to burn witches simply because they were different. "A must-read for students and adults alike." ...
The girl who thought in pictures :
Mosca, Julia Finley,
Paper Book
NSTA Best STEM Books for K-12 Selection NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books Selection Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award Recipient A Mighty Girl Book of the Year If you've ever felt different, if you've ever been low, if you don't quite fit in, there's a name...
Planet Earth is blue /
Panteleakos, Nicole,
Paper Book
"Tender and illuminating. A beautiful debut." --Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me A heartrending and hopeful debut novel about a nonverbal girl and her passion for space exploration, for fans of See You in the Cosmos, Mockingbird, and...
All my stripes :
Rudolph, Shaina.
Paper Book
This helpful story for kids with autism spectrum disorders follows a young zebra who learns to understand how he is different from the rest of his classmates. "It teaches us to embrace not only who we are, but also to embrace the people around us who are brilliantly different thanks to...
Counting by 7s
Sloan, Holly Goldberg
Paper Book
In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family. Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and...
Autism
Squire, Ann.
Paper Book
Autism affects millions people around the world by limiting their ability to communicate and interact socially with other people.Some face minor difficulties, while others are so severely affected that they require special assistance throughout their lives. Readers (Grades 3-5) will find out what it...

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