Big brains of #KidLitUK - someone's asking for books that provide authentic disability representation. What are your top recs? Across all spectrums of disability.
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Everything by Elle McNicoll
The Cosima Unfortunate stories by Laura Noakes
Witchspark by Dominique Valente
Frankie’s World and Finding My Voice by Aoife Dooley
Cassander Darkbloom by P. A. Staff
I Got This by Cara Mailey and Chrissie Sains
Ella Jones vs The Sun Stealer by Lucy Edwards
This thread makes my heart sing!! Just some five years ago how many authors/books would we have been able to name..? Next week I'm touring schools with Deaf illustrator Lucy Rogers & would recommend any of her beautiful books. Also really enjoyed Boy Underground by Isabelle Marinov
It's so heartening, isn't it? What I'd love to see are some WBD costume lists from publishers that include more characters who aren't able bodied cis white kids, feels like there'd be some great ones on this list!
being miss nobody and ella on the outside, about selective mutism. im really sorry but i cant remember who wrote either of them (brain/memory issues! really sorry :( ) but i remember the book titles because a besties daughter has selective mutism! def available here but not sure if uk authors!
We have some at Oxford Children’s including Thunderboots by @naomijones1.bsky.social and @familyofbeasts.bsky.social (Dyslexia), Cloud Boy by Greg Stobbs (ADHD), Bear-Shaped by Dawn Coulter-Cruttenden (Autism), & How to Bath a Giraffe by Sarah Horne (boy with cochlear implant, incidental to story)
Libby Scott and Rebecca Wescott’s books, When I See Blue by Lily Bailey, The Secret of Haven Point by Lisette Auton, Paws by Kate Foster, Away with Words by Sophie Cameron, Ink Girls by Marieke Nijkamp and Sylvia Bi.
Rune by Carlos Sanchez has a deaf protagonist
I've just finished an ARC of 'How to be Disabled and Proud' by
Cathy Reay 👩🍳😘
Harriet vs the Galaxy by Samantha Baines also has a deaf mc
All the Elle McNicoll books obvs.
The Infinite by Patience Agbabi (ADHD)
Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones (cerebral palsy)
A couple of Victoria Williamson's books cover different things - Skyfleet, War of the Wind, Boy with the Butterfly Mind to name a few
Sally Doherty has one out and her Toby books feature a young carer
Frankie's World by Aoife Dooley (autism)
Alien in the jam factory Chrissie Sains (cerebral palsy)
October, October by Katya Balen
Like a Spark by Elle McNicoll
The Secret of Haven Point by Lisette Auton
Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star by Laura Noakes and other books by the same authors
the ‘Gina Kaminsky’ picture books by Craig Barr-Green and Francis Martin are delightful - the first one is on the Waterstones shortlist this year. There have also been some lovely recent books by George Webster
Joseph Elliott - The Good Hawk - MC has Down's syndrome
Tom Fletcher - The Christmasaurus - MC is in a wheelchair
Pádraig Kenny - Stitch - not stated on page, but I read the MC as autistic and another character as ADHD
For the LGBTQIA+ youth group library I help with I’d love to get books that provide decent representation. I’d like to make sure all our young people get to see themselves in the books we have available so disability representation is important!
The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree & Fillipo, Me and the Cherry Tree both by Paola Peretti, War of the Wind by @strangelymagic.bsky.social the Swop series by Lucy Noguera
#UkKidLit
I know that F. Hardinge put real work into getting the Deaf community in Deeplight right. I can't tell how well it did pan out, myself, it's not an own voice thing.
The protagonist in A Face Like Glass is one of my favourite autistic coded characters but it's very much a fantasy setting also. I guess there's a lot of autism representation around to choose from...
I quite like Sarah in the Casson family series by Hilary McKay. And Sweet Frannie, by Susan Sallis, for an older story. Both wheelchair users with a bit of personality.
Adding the Jayben series by Thomas Leeds for much needed epilepsy & seizure rep, Laura Noakes Cosima series for Ehlers Danlos, Elle McNicoll for autism & dyspraxia (Like a Curse/Charm), Vanya series by Sangu Mandanna for ADHD
The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais (Deaf teen Maya Harris must navigate a new life---and love---in this own-voices novel from award-winning author Alison Gervais. When forced to attend a hearing school, she sets out to prove that her lack of hearing won’t stop her from chasing her dreams.)
Oh! I started writing a fantasy about using jumping realities to represent ADHD then realised I'd planned everything everywhere all at once but for kids :p oops
I might not do the adhd bit but I've got a whole bunch of notes that is eeaao and Groundhog day where a kid keeps reliving her first day at a new school across realities.
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If so, The Girls I’ve Been by @sharpegirl.bsky.social springs to mind as a YA option.
https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FAdrienPrize
Highly recommend all books by Lisette Auton (The Secret of Haven Point is her debut) and the Cosima Unfortunate series by @lauranoakes.bsky.social
Sorry, Sally! I made a complete hash of that, didn't I.
https://bennewmark.wordpress.com/2022/02/01/book-review-the-queens-fool-by-ally-sherrick/
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/book/r/rune-the-tale-of-a-thousand-faces/
The Cosima Unfortunate stories by Laura Noakes
Witchspark by Dominique Valente
Frankie’s World and Finding My Voice by Aoife Dooley
Cassander Darkbloom by P. A. Staff
I Got This by Cara Mailey and Chrissie Sains
Ella Jones vs The Sun Stealer by Lucy Edwards
https://www.librarything.com/work/23181880/t/Ella-On-The-Outside
And (except one book only German) @fuchskind.bsky.social
More info here: https://chrisbonnello.com/underdogs
Witchspark by Dominique Valente.
Thomas Leeds, Lizzie Huxley-Jones, Patience Agbabi, Lisette Auton.
https://bsky.app/starter-pack/barrowmember.bsky.social/3lejp4xcayw2h
Covered fair few on https://Ciadish.co.uk too https://ciadish.wordpress.com/2024/05/07/interviews-kate-foster/
https://ciadish.wordpress.com/2024/07/01/interviews-richard-o-neill/
https://ciadish.wordpress.com/2024/08/07/accidents-of-nature-by-harriet-mcbride-johnson/
I've just finished an ARC of 'How to be Disabled and Proud' by
Cathy Reay 👩🍳😘
Harriet vs the Galaxy by Samantha Baines also has a deaf mc
All the Elle McNicoll books obvs.
The Infinite by Patience Agbabi (ADHD)
Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones (cerebral palsy)
Sally Doherty has one out and her Toby books feature a young carer
Frankie's World by Aoife Dooley (autism)
Alien in the jam factory Chrissie Sains (cerebral palsy)
Like a Spark by Elle McNicoll
The Secret of Haven Point by Lisette Auton
Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star by Laura Noakes and other books by the same authors
Tom Fletcher - The Christmasaurus - MC is in a wheelchair
Pádraig Kenny - Stitch - not stated on page, but I read the MC as autistic and another character as ADHD
https://www.walmart.com/ip/5251069489?sid=6b43657d-c4a0-4ab1-a842-74aeec5e8cc0
For the LGBTQIA+ youth group library I help with I’d love to get books that provide decent representation. I’d like to make sure all our young people get to see themselves in the books we have available so disability representation is important!
She writes books for children that explain their special ability to them and others..
https://theabilitiesinme.com/
#UkKidLit
Adding the Jayben series by Thomas Leeds for much needed epilepsy & seizure rep, Laura Noakes Cosima series for Ehlers Danlos, Elle McNicoll for autism & dyspraxia (Like a Curse/Charm), Vanya series by Sangu Mandanna for ADHD
Just got a copy of Ella Jones and the Sun Stealer by Lucy Edward’s & Katy Birchall that I expect will be great, about a Blind girl.
Do you want YA recs too?
I might not do the adhd bit but I've got a whole bunch of notes that is eeaao and Groundhog day where a kid keeps reliving her first day at a new school across realities.
I'll have a think :)