Neurodiversity Booklist

Recommended reads for children and teens

Updated May 8, 2024
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Thunder and the noise storms
Ansloos, Jeffrey Paul
Paper Book
When the world gets too loud and chaotic, a young boy's grandfather helps him listen with wonder instead.    Kids laughing, sneakers squeaking, balls bouncing--for Thunder, the sounds of the school day often brew into overwhelming noise storms. But when Thunder's mosom asks...
Also available as an eBook.
Different : a great thing to be!
Avis, Heather
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . This joyful rhyming book encourages children to value the "different" in all people, leading the way to a kinder world in which the differences in all of us are celebrated and embraced. Macy is a girl who's a lot like you and me, but she's also...
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...
I am odd, I am new
Giroux, Benjamin
Paper Book
View the world through the eyes of a 10-year old boy with autism and a poem he wrote for a school assignment Foreword by the National Autism Association "I am odd, I am new. I wonder if you are too. I hear voices in the air. I see you don't, and that's not fair." ...
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...
I am a masterpiece! : an empowering story about inclusivity and growing up with Down Syndrome
Armstrong, Mia
Paper Book
Tween actress Mia Armstrong celebrates her fun, funny, beautiful childhood living with Down syndrome in this debut picture book. Mia likes many of the things other people like--going to the beach, the color blue, drawing. But she doesn't like when strangers stare at her because...
The u-nique Lou Fox
Carmichael, Jodi
Paper Book
Award-winning author Jodi Carmichael, who has ADHD herself, affirms and celebrates those who struggle with their uniqueness and triumphantly discover its gifts It isn't easy being Louisa Elizabeth Fitzhenry-O'Shaughnessy--especially with dyslexia. She prefers Lou Fox, the dream name she'll...

Also available as an eBook.

Canadian author.

Lost inside my head
Vigg
Paper Book
Key Selling Points An imaginative take on what it's like to have attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD)--like having a huge house in your head with all sorts of different rooms that change their location or distract you with their flashing lights--and the isolation it can...
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.
At the Speed of Gus
Scrimger, Richard
Paper Book
A smartly funny and sympathetic story about being different and finding your way. Meet the compelling, charismatic 13-year-old Augustus Constantine, a boy whose mind (and mouth) operate at a different speed than the rest of society. Gus has ADHD, and he's on medication to help him focus....

Also available as an eBook.

Canadian author.

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...
Mon cerveau a besoin de lunettes : vivre avec l'hyperactivite /
Vincent, Annick, 1965-
Paper Book
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.

I got you babe
Coccia, Paul
Paper Book
This year's fun fair will have a Pride Carnival theme and twelve-year-old Mac couldn't be more excited. Mac convinces his best friend, Amy, to do a Sonny and Cher drag number. He has their outfits all planned out, right down to the bellbottoms and fur vests. And he wants their performance...

Hi-Lo Fiction.

Canadian author.

He who dreams
Florence, Melanie
Paper Book
Juggling soccer, school, friends and family leaves John with little time for anything else. But 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 classes...

Hi-Lo Fiction.

Also available as an eBook and in DAISY format.

Canadian author.


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