Published: June 5, 2023
Last Updated: March 15, 2024
Quote byBecky Pringle , NEA President
We must continue our efforts, embrace disability and other marginalizing intersectional identities to promote, protect, and enhance public education. Ensuring books reach the hands of our students is a mission we must steadfastly pursue.
—Becky Pringle
,
NEA President
The Challenge
NEA is dedicated to championing literature that includes disability and intersectional perspectives. NEA is providing resources to help educators incorporate more literature reflecting the viewpoints and experiences of more than twenty percent of our population with visible or non-apparent disabilities. This endeavor is crucial for combating ableism, educating readers about the realities of living with a disability, and dispelling misinformation.
As part of NEA's Disability Rights and Inclusion (DRI) initiative, NEA has curated a searchable booklist of approximately 150 titles. This resource empowers librarians and educators to identify books encompassing these perspectives. Additionally, we're providing a book justification resource and a checklist for identifying high-quality books.
The Opportunity: Benefits of Disability Representation in our Libraries
Books with a disability perspective in school libraries play a crucial role in promoting inclusivity and understanding among students. Including literature featuring protagonists with disabilities benefits all students by creating a welcoming and engaging space for everyone. These books help students learn about individual differences, promote positive attitudes, and challenge stereotypes regarding disabilities. Libraries are committed to providing equal access to collections, services, and facilities for all users, including those with disabilities, ensuring that materials are diverse and accessible to everyone. By offering books that center disability narratives, libraries can contribute to breaking down barriers, fostering inclusion, and promoting diverse perspectives within their communities.
Access the Booklist and Other Resources
At NEA, we place great importance on the diverse content available on bookshelves especially given the escalating challenges educators face due to censorship and book bans. Reading serves as a mirror reflecting students' experiences while also acting as a window into different perspectives, enriching their understanding of the world. This curated booklist aims to facilitate access to a wide range of books tailored to meet your students' diverse needs. Utilize the sortable table provided below to browse books by Title, Author, Grade Level, Disability Representation, Diversity Representation, or Book Summary. For further sorting options, including genre/subgenre, links to World Cat, Awards, age range, theme/topic, format, accessible formats, languages, reviews, content warnings, and teaching resources, download the spreadsheet.
| Title: Summary | Author *denotes lived disability experience | Age Range | Disability Representation | Accessible English Formats | Diversity | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Deafo: When Cece Bell was four years old, she contracted meningitis, which caused her to go deaf. In this graphic novel memoir, Bell chronicles her early years and the skills she develops to cope in a hearing world, depicting herself as bunny who has a superhero persona, El Deafo, who turns up when Cece is faced with problems like starting a new school or making new friends. | *Cece Bell | 12-Jul | Deaf | audiobook eBook talking book | White | |
| Show Me a Sign: Mary, age 11, lives in Chilmark, where, in 1805, a significant portion of the population of this island community are deaf and both hearing and nonhearing residents know and use sign language. While Marys family is grappling with the recent death of her older brother, a scientist, who hopes to discover the origin of the residents' prevalent deafness, arrives. He kidnaps Mary, taking her to another scientist in Boston, who has his own plans to conduct research on why some people cant hear. A captive Mary tries to communicate with those around her, as she holds onto hope of rescue and reuniting with her family and friends. | *Ann Clare LeZotte | 14-Oct | Deaf | audiobook braille eBook large print talking book | White, Black, Irish, Wampanoag | |
| Song for a Whale: At school, where twelve-year-old Iris is the only Deaf student, she learns about Blue 55-a hybrid blue whale with a unique song emitted at 55 hertz, a frequency that other whales can't hear. Grieving the recent death of her Deaf grandfather, Iris, who loves to fix up old radios, uses her tech skills to come up with a plan to communicate with Blue 55. The fact that the whale is miles away from her Texas home, swimming off the coast of Alaska, does not deter Iris. With her Deaf grandmother by her side, she sets out on a journey to connect with Blue 55 and make sure he's finally heard. | Lynne Kelly | 12-Sep | Deaf | audiobook braille eBook large print talking book | White | |
| Wonderstruck: In 1977 in Minnesota, Ben, born deaf in one ear, is grieving the loss of his mother. Without her and without ever having had his father in his life, Ben feels anxious and lost. In 1927, Rose-whose story is told through the illustrations-is unhappy in her New Jersey home with a father who wants her to learn how to lip-read and speak. She keeps a scrapbook of her silent-film star mother and dreams of a place where she can belong. Just when Ben finds a clue to his father's whereabouts, Ben loses the hearing in his other ear from a lightning strike. Undeterred, he heads to New York City on his own for answers, as did Rose in her time. Rose is still in New York City in 1977 and when she and Ben meet, they both find what they've been missing. | Brian Selznick | 9 and up | Deaf | eBook talking book | White | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/12/02/review-wonderstruck-by-brian-selznick/ |
| Hands & Hearts: With 15 Words in American Sign Language: A mother and daughter spend a simple, sunny day at the beach together where they swim, dance, and build sandcastles, all while communicating with each other with American Sign Language (ASL). Readers will learn how to sign 15 words using ASL with the help of instructive yet playful sidebars. | Donna Jo Napoli | 7-Mar | Deaf | eBook | White | |
| Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, A Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion: This picture book biography about Evelyn Glennie, a deaf woman, who became the first full-time solo percussionist in the world, follows Evelyn from the moment music first held her heart. She played the piano by ear at age eight, and the clarinet by age ten. But when the nerves in her ears began to deteriorate, she was told she could never be a musician. What sounds Evelyn couldn't hear with her ears, though, she could feel resonate through her body. Evelyn learned how to listen in a new way and went on to create extraordinary music. | Shannon Stocker | 9-Jun | Deaf | audiobook braille eBook talking book | White | |
| Moses Goes to a Concert: Moses and his fellow deaf students are off to a concert, where their teacher has two surprises that make this field trip a very special event. After they take their seats up front, the percussionist appears without any shoes-she is deaf and will feel the music through the floor. Once the concert is over, Moses and his classmates get to meet the percussionist, who uses ASL to sign the story of how she became a musician and lets the students play her instruments! Later that evening, Moses, who already enjoys playing his drums, tells his parents about the concert and his new enthusiasm for being a musician. Illustrations include inset boxes featuring signed comments and the ASL alphabet. Additional titles about Moses include Moses Goes to School, Moses Goes to the Circus, and Moses Sees a Play. | Isaac Millman | 8-May | Deaf | braille eBook talking book | White, racial diversity among supporting characters | |
| The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game: William Hoy's dream was to play baseball. Deaf from age three due to meningitis and small in stature, Hoy worked hard at the game he loved. Though practice and determination did not earn him a spot on the Ohio State School for the Deaf baseball team, a chance foul ball and his powerful return throw got him invited to join his local team. From there, Hoy headed to the minor leagues in 1886 where he made mistakes because he couldn't hear the umpire and got grief from his teammates and fans. Realizing that hand signals would help him, he convinced the umpire of the advantages of this communication, which benefited everyone and launched Hoy's successful professional baseball career. | Nancy Churnin | 9-Jun | Deaf | eBook | White | |
| Emma Every Day (series): Eight-year-old Emma loves swimming, writing, and biking. She also loves her pet goldfish and tacos. Though she has typical worries for her age, in general, Emma who is Deaf, uses a cochlear implant to help her hear, and communicates using sign language, loves her life! Every day is a new chance to have fun, and Emma tries to do just that. Titles in the Emma Every Day series includes an ASL fingerspelling chart, ASL fingerspelling in the text, a glossary, and content-related questions. | *C.L. Reid | 7-May | Deaf | eBook | White, unspecified race (brown skin) | |
| Deeplight: Fourteen-year-old Hark and his manipulative best friend Jelt are on their own, getting by on swindling schemes, scavenging and selling relics of the Undersea gods. In the Myriad archipelago, where deafness is highly respected, Hark and Jelt are in competition with the elite "sea-kissed" divers who have lost their hearing to the ocean depths. Just as Hark is finding new opportunities for himself, Jelt drags him into a dangerous dive which nearly costs Jelt his life. In saving Jelt from drowning, Hark also rescues a relic-the still-beating heart of one of the old gods-that keeps Jelt alive but changes him and not for the better. With the help of the sea-kissed Selphin and an old priest, Hark wants to help his friend but must also do what's right. | Frances Hardinge | 13 and up | Deaf | audiobook eBook | Varied skin tones | |
| Feathers: When a white student joins Frannies all-Black sixth-grade classroom in 1971, he is promptly nicknamed "Jesus Boy" by the classroom bully Trevor because of his pale skin and long hair. Jesus Boy doesn't retaliate, which intrigues Frannie, as does Jesus Boy's knowledge of sign language, which Frannie uses with her older brother Sean who is Deaf. Despite his quiet demeanor, Jesus Boy's presence sparks misunderstandings and rising tensions which lead Frannie and her friends to begin to explore their own identities as they seek to find their own places and own ways to have hope in the world. | Jaqueline Woodson | 14-Sep | Deaf | audiobook braille eBook talking book | Black, white | |
| The Words in My Hands: Sixteen-year-old Piper shares her problems in her art journal: appearing "normal" like her hearing mother wants her to, navigating the increasing food and energy shortages in near-future Australia, and figuring out how to gain the independence she craves. When her mother loses her job with the bioengineered food giant Organicore, Piper begins to wonder if "wild" food is really as dangerous as she's been led to believe. In her search for answers, she meets nineteen-year-old Marley, who can't believe all Piper eats is "recon." Marley introduces her to his mother, Robbie, who is a Deaf, self-sufficient gardener, and begins to teach Piper sign language. As she learns Auslan and becomes more connected to the Deaf community, her confidence grows. She joins the wild food movement, working with neighbors to covertly convert public space into a community garden, and encourages others to do the same through guerilla posters of her artwork and speaking out with sign language. | *Asphyxia | 13 and up | Deaf | braille eBook talking book | White | |
| You're Welcome, Universe: Expelled from the Kingston School for the Deaf, for a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural, Julias two mothers send her to a "mainstream" school in the suburbs. To counter her feeling like an outcast as the only deaf student, sixteen-year-old Julia starts tagging in her new turf and soon becomes engaged in a full-blown graffiti war. Angry and wary of making friends, Julia finds her interpreter patronizing, teachers clueless, and bullies abound. And Julia trusts no one, even the girl Julia calls YP (Yoga Pants) who is making a real effort to be a friend. As she gives into YP's overtures, she finds that having a real friend breaks down the barriers she's kept up around herself for so long. And she finds that the graffiti artist altering and upstaging her work is none other than that friend. | Whitney Gardner | 14 and up | Deaf | braille eBook talking book | Indian-American, white, lesbian | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2017/03/03/review-youre-welcome-universe-by-whitney-gardner/ |
| Left Out: Bigger and taller than any other seventh grader, Landon is hopeful that a spot on the football team will help others at his new school in Bronxville see past his deafness. But while a special helmet protects his cochlear implants, his communication needs on the field are more than his teammates are willing to deal with. Surprising Landon, star player Brett Bell steps up, choosing to get to know Landon and make an effort to keep Landon from being left out, even getting the whole Bell football family to offer support and secrets of the game. But ultimately it is all up to Landon to push past the bullies that would keep him on the bench for good. | Tim Green | 14-Oct | Deaf, cochlear implant | audiobook eBook talking book | White | https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2017/01/mmgm-left-out.html |
| Give Me a Sign: Seventeen-year-old Lilah, who wears hearing aids, returns to Gray Wolf, her beloved summer camp for the deaf and blind as a counselor, eager to improve her ASL and find her place in the community. Throughout the summer, as she meets and interacts with campers and fellow camp staff, she discovers there's no one way to be Deaf. And while she didn't expect to also find romance, her friendship with fellow Deaf counselor eighteen-year-old Isaac, grows into something that will last beyond the summer. | *Anna Sortino | 13 and up | Deaf, hearing impairment, blind | audiobook braille eBook large print talking book | White, Latinx, racial diversity among supporting characters | |
| Mooncakes: Nova, a young witch who wears a hearing aid, lives with her two grandmothers and works at their bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town. Tam is a nonbinary werewolf on the run from their stepdad. The two, who were childhood friends, reconnect and soon romance is in the air. | *Suzanne Walker | 13-18 | Hearing impairment | eBook | Chinese American, queer, nonbinary, lesbian | |
| Can Bears Ski? : Little Bear is puzzled as to why he keeps getting the question, "Can bears ski?" Though he feels like he's missing something and doesn't have an answer, he doesn't worry too much about it. Then, one day, Dad Bear picks Little Bear up from school early and takes him to see an "aud-i-olo-gist," who does tests that show Little Bear is experiencing deafness. He starts hearing therapy, lip-reading classes, and gets hearing aids that make his world much louder than he likes sometimes. But Little Bear has Dad Bear to read to him and help him get used to things. And now he has an answer, "Bears can ski!" when asked "Can you hear me?" | *Raymond Antrobus | 7-Mar | Hearing loss | audiobook braille eBook | Unspecified | |
| Listening to the Quiet: Jacki's mom has a condition that is causing her to lose her hearing. Mama and Jacki are learning sign language to communicate with each other, but Jacki is worried about how they will share some of the things they both love-like music. When she realizes that Mama can feel vibrations coming from their speakers, she plans her presentation for music class to be one that Mama can enjoy, getting all her classmates to tap the rhythm and the beat while she signs the words for her mother. Inspired by the author's own experience with her mother's hearing loss. | Cassie Silva | 8-May | Hearing loss | eBook | Unspecified race (brown skin) | |
| Etta Invincible: Black 12-year-old Laureatte "Etta" Johnson loves drawing her own superheroine, Invincible Girl. But the comics fan doesn't feel her protagonist's bravery as she confronts the increasing hearing loss and vertigo that are symptoms of her "Big Maybe" diagnosis of M�ni�re's disease. She finds courage though to help her new friend Eleazar when his dog disappears on a magical train that is linked to the very strange recent storms. The pair face riddles and nightmarish obstacles in each car as they search the train, drawing on inner strengths to overcome their fears to find solutions to their challenges and to heal. | Reese Eschmann | 13-Sep | M�ni�re's disease; deafness | eBook | Black, Columbian, racial diversity among supporting characters | |
| Dancing Hands: A Story of Friendship in Filipino Sign Language: Sam is curious when she observes her new neighbors communicating with their hands. After Sam meets her neighbor Mai, she starts to learn Filipino sign language so they can communicate and the new friends play outdoors, share their dreams, and learn from each other. Deafness is never mentioned explicitly within this story of the joys of friendship, but back matter includes more information about Filipino Sign Language and sign languages around the world. | Joanna Que and *Charina Marquez | 7-Mar | Sign language use | audiobook eBook | Filipino | https://www.slj.com/review/dancing-hands-a-story-of-friendship-in-filipino-sign-language |
| She Touched the World: Laura Bridgman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer: She Touched the World details the life of Laura Bridgman, who at age two, lost her sight, her hearing, and most of her senses of smell and taste. In the mid-1800s, no one believed that Laura would ever be able to learn to communicate or lead a full life. Enter Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, a doctor and progressive educator, who saw great potential in Laura and brought her to Boston to the country's first school for the blind. Here Laura learned to communicate, read, write and eventually teach, including teaching fingerspelling to Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher. | *Sally Hobart Alexander and Robert Alexander | 12-Sep | Deafblind | braille eBook talking book | White | |
| Tenacious: Fifteen Adventures Alongside Disabled Athletes: Two-time Paralympic gold medalist Patty Cisneros Prevo shares brief biographies of fifteen disabled athletes, highlighting their personal stories along with what each of them find to be a daily challenge and a daily joy in their lives. Among those featured are a dancer, gold and silver medalists, a basketball champion, a baseball champion, a World Cup cyclist, and a mountain climber. An author's note discusses ableism and disability justice. | *Patty Cisneros Prevo | 10-Jul | Retinitis pigmentosa, amputee, spina bifida, spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, paralysis, osteoarthritis, quadriplegic, transverse myelitis, osteogenesis imperfecta, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, transverse myelitis | eBook talking book | Racial diversity among subjects, LGBTQ+ | |
| My Life with (series): Each book in this series is written from the first-person perspective of a real child who shares their real experiences about what it is like to have a disability and how they are not defined by their disability. The narrators of these titles explain their disability, share their interests and hobbies, talk about school and therapy, and about how they might do some things differently from other kids their age. The end of each book includes a photograph and brief biography of the child who was featured. Titles also include back matter with helpful terms and advice for interacting with a person with a disability. My Life with ADHD Annabelle has Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). She has friends who have ADHD too and talks about the different types of ADHD and how people with ADHD do things differently than neurotypical people. My Life with Anxiety Skyler likes cheerleading, karate, and crafts. She also talks about what gives her anxiety and the strategies she uses to be brave. My Life with Autism Meet Zen, who has autism and shares what kinds of foods are his favorites, how he is good with computers, and why he likes science club. My Life with Blindness Learn about Kadence, a girl with limited vision who attends a school for the blind, where she gains skills that enable her to be independent and do things she loves, like bake cookies. My Life with Cerebral Palsy Charles has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair at school. He talks about the special desk he has for his computer and other equipment that helps him focus on learning. My Life with Deafness Danton shares some things he does differently than people who can hear and also how much he loves his dogs and playing football. My Life with Down Syndrome Peter, who has Down syndrome, shares information about his health problems, how much he appreciates his regular routine, and his love for his dog Sheldon. My Life with Dyslexia Scott likes coding and playing basketball. He also has dyslexia, and talks about how that affects him in and out of school because words are everywhere! My Life with Epilepsy Max likes riding his scooter and playing with his dog. He talks about how he sometimes misses school and always needs an adult with him in case he has a seizure. My Life with Tourette Syndrome Emma loves riding roller coasters and playing at the beach. She shares how she likes to keep moving as Tourette syndrome makes her very energetic and staying active helps reduce her tics. ? | Mari Schuh | 10-Jun | ADHD, anxiety, autism, blindness (retinitis pigmentosa), deafness, Down syndrome, dyslexia, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Tourette syndrome | eBook | Racial diversity depicted in illustrations throughout the series | dyslexia-friendly font |
| Disability Visibility: Twenty-first Century Disabled Voices: This collection of first-person essays offers keen insight into the complex and rich disability experience, offering varied intersectional perspectives on ableism and inequality, life's challenges and losses, and celebrating wisdom, passion, and joy. The book is divided into four sections: Being, Becoming, Doing, and Connecting and includes an introduction directed to teen readers with a section that speaks directly to young disabled people. | *Alice Wong (Editor) | 12 and up | Blind, Deaf, Deafblind, cerebral palsy, Crouzon syndrome, multiple sclerosis, autism, bipolar disorder, spina bifida, fibromyalgia, dwarfism, myalgic encephalomyelitis | audiobook eBook | Racial diversity among subjects, LGBTQ+ | |
| I Am Not a Label: 34 Disabled Artists, Thinkers, Athletes and Activists from Past and Present: This anthology features short biographies of 34 people with disabilities-both visible and invisible-who have made an impact on the world. These stories of notable historical figures like Beethoven and Abraham Lincoln to modern day cultural marvels like Lady Gaga and Peter Dinklage to a host of athletes, artists, innovators, and activists who are leaders in their fields, offer a look at how unique challenges do not limit dreams or achieving great things. Back matter includes and extensive glossary and index. | *Cerrie Burnell | 12-Sep | Blind, diabetic retinopathy, Deafblind, cerebral palsy, assistive/mobility device: uses crutches or wheelchair, Down syndrome, spina bifida, depression, Crohn's disease, amputee, autism, fibromyalgia, ALS, osteomalacia, osteogenesis imperfecta, psychosis, motor neuron disease, achondroplasia, bulimia, anxiety, limb differences, chronic fatigue syndrome, epilepsy, | audiobook braille eBook | Racial diversity among subjects, LGBTQ+ | |
| Focused : School has been really hard for seventh grader Clea Adams lately. Even though she's highly motivated to keep her grades up in order to stay on the chess team, she's getting assignments wrong, not keeping up with her homework, and not able to finish tests. She feels stupid and distracted, even having trouble focusing on her friendship with Red, who needs her support right now as he deals with his feelings about his father's remarriage. Concerned teachers suggest that Clea get tested for ADHD and though Clea is resistant, she eventually agrees. Once diagnosed and given medication, new strategies, and new accommodations at school, Clea hopes that she can better control the impulses and emotions that have jeopardized her relationship with Red. Clea persists in improving her life and well-being and learns to advocate for herself with her family, friends, and teachers, even making some new friends along the way. | *Alyson Gerber | 12-Sep | ADHD | audiobook eBook large print talking book | White | |
| Honestly Elliott: Sixth grade has not been going so well for Elliott, who has ADHD. His best friend Malcolm has moved, his dad and stepmom Kate are about to have a baby, and keeping track of schoolwork is harder than ever with switching classes during the day. Elliott feels most comfortable in the kitchen and loves to experiment and create new dishes. He's saved up his money for a culinary camp this summer, but his dad, who doesn't understand Elliott's passion for cooking, thinks the more responsible thing to do is to use the money to pay him back for the "Incident," a window that Elliott broke out of feelings he couldn't name or control when he learned he was going to be a big brother. Determined to do both, Elliott sees his chance when he pairs up with the equally determined Maribel for a school project that gives them both a chance to earn some money and finally be seen for who they are. | Gillian McDunn | 11-Sep | ADHD | audiobook braille eBook talking book | White, Latina, ethnic diversity among secondary characters | |
| My Whirling, Twirling Motor: Charlie feels like he has a whirling, twirling motor inside him. This motor is the reason many things go wrong for Charlie, like when he forgets his lunch and homework or gets distracted in class or accidentally hits someone with a ball. His motor makes it hard to go to bed too, and when Charlie's mom wants to talk to him when she tucks him in, he's worried that she's upset about all the things he did that day because of his motor. But instead, Charlie's mom has a long "wonderful list" to go over the many things that Charlie did that day that made her proud of him. Back matter includes a note to parents, caregivers, and teachers with suggestions and tips on behavior management and helping children focus on the positives. | Merriam Sarcia Saunders | 8-Apr | ADHD | eBook | White, racial diversity among background characters | |
| A Friend for Henry: Henry, who is on the autism spectrum, would like to find a friend. At school, Henry is frustrated in his search for friendship, especially when his literal-minded interpretations clash with classmates' ideas. He doesn't understand why Vivienne doesn't like the rainbows he painted on her shoes even though she loves her rainbow nail polish. Or why Samuel insists that the carpet squares for reading time are magic carpets when they are clearly not. Other potential friends don't seem to follow the rules that Henry thinks a friend would. But he finds that Katie, even though she likes the "Big Slide", shares his interest in Gilly, the classroom goldfish. Bonding over building a block tower, Henry finds that though she might not share all his likes and dislikes, Katie respects his. | Jenn Bailey | 7-Apr | ASD | eBook | Asian American, Black, varied skin tones in secondary characters | |
| Benji, the Bad Day and Me: When Sammy comes home from school wet and grumpy, his bad day doesn't get any better because his autistic younger brother Benji is also having a bad day and his mom is busy. This means Sammy won't get any attention, which makes him feel even worse. But when Benji brings over his big blue blanket and wraps Sammy up like a burrito, Sammy knows that everything will be okay. | *Sally J. Pla | 7-Apr | ASD | braille eBook | Unspecified race (brown skin and dark hair) | |
| Benny Doesn't Like To Be Hugged: In rhyming verse, a young girl describes her best friend Benny, who is autistic. According to his friend, Benny likes trains, seedless grapes, and playing with the quiet kids. He doesn't like hugs, but he does like cupcakes without sprinkles and wrinkle-free clothing. She shares that he knows a lot about stars, but sometimes gets upset when things get too loud. But the girl likes Benny just the way he is and is happy that he is her friend | Zetta Elliott | 7-Apr | ASD | -- | Black, varied skin tones in secondary characters | |
| Ways to Play: When Riley's cousins Emma and Violet come over to play, he doesn't care for the noise they make or the way they flit from toy to toy. Riley would prefer to quietly play at just one thing. But Emma, who is older and a bit bossy, tells Riley his way of playing is wrong. She even disagrees with the way he colors, making pretty swirls with extra sharp crayons. Riley decides to get some help from his dog Charlie to show his cousins that there are many ways to play. When what Emma thinks is a game of fetch turns into a fun chase around the yard, Riley is able to point out that everyone's way can be the right way to play. An author's note shares what play was like for her as an undiagnosed autistic child. | *Lyn Miller-Lachmann | 7-Apr | ASD | audiobook eBook | Light skin tones | |
| Penguin Days: There's a wedding taking place at Auntie Joss' North Dakota farm and eight-year-old Lauren, who has autism spectrum disorder, is going to be a flower girl-which she is finding to be a lot to deal with. Between her high-spirited cousins, a scratchy dress, a mishap with a cow, and a confusing rehearsal, Lauren may just "flip her lid." Instead, she finds understanding and friendship in her extended family. | Sara Leach | 9-Jun | ASD | eBook | White, unspecified biracial | |
| Tornado Brain: Thirteen-year-old Frankie (short for Frances) is neurodivergent and finds it hard to make and have friends. She had been best friends with Colette since kindergarten, but things are different in middle school and Frankie believes Colette betrayed her. When Colette goes missing, it turns out that Frankie is one of the last people who saw her-along with Frankie's twin sister Tess, who Frankie also believes betrayed her. Even though she's still hurt, Frankie, with help from Tess, figures out that Colette is playing their old "dare-or-scare" game. When Frankie realizes that Colette is doing the biggest dare, she and Tess tell the police everything they suspect, but it is ultimately too late to save Colette. | Cat Patrick | 13-Oct | Attention deficit disorder, Asperger syndrome, sensory processing disorder | audiobook eBook talking book | White | |
| A Boy Called Bat: Bat is what almost everyone calls third-grader Bixby Alexander Tam. Those are his initials. But like a bat, he also has sensitive hearing and sometimes when he's excited or nervous, he flaps his hands. Bat doesn't mind his nickname. He loves animals, and wants to be a veterinarian like his mom. When she brings home an orphaned baby skunk which needs care, Bat immediately bonds to the tiny kit. The skunk is only supposed to stay for a month until the wild animal rescue center can take him in, but Bat is determined to convince his mom that he is capable of caring for him. | Elana K. Arnold | 10-Jul | Autism | audiobook braille eBook large print talking book | multiracial Asian, White | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2017/10/20/review-a-boy-called-bat-by-elana-k-arnold/ |
| A Kind of Spark: Autistic eleven-year-old Addie is not happy that her teacher this year is Ms. Murphy, who also taught-and bullied-her older autistic sister Keedie. In Ms. Murphy's class, Addie learns about-and is horrified by-the witch trials and executions that took place in her Scottish village. Concerned that the women who were put on trial were neurodiverse like her, Addie campaigns for the village to erect a memorial to the women, making a new friend along the way. | *Elle McNicoll | 12-Sep | Autism | braille audiobook eBook talking book | White | |
| All the Small Wonderful Things: Alex, who is an autistic eleven-year-old boy, is on a quest to make a friend before he starts middle school. But so far, trying to impress his classmate Jared with his OrbsWorld playing or running his fastest isn't working so well. Alex sets his sights on winning a trophy with his cockapoo Kevin in the PAWS Dog Show and becomes so focused, he doesn't realize he is making friends with Derek, who just moved to his street and is also entering PAWS, or with Angel, his classmate who, like his art teacher Ms. Frisp, is super supportive of Alex's artistic endeavors. When it is time for trophies to be awarded at PAWS, Derek and his dog win, but so does Alex, who receives a new special award and learns that his best drawing of Kevin, entered by Ms. Frisp in the PAWS art contest, will be the PAWS logo next year. | *Kate Foster | 11-Aug | Autism | audiobook eBook | Unspecified race (brown skin) | |
| Can You See Me? : As summer ends, eleven-year-old Tally Adams is anxious about starting sixth grade. Tally is autistic, but other than her parents and her older sister Nell, no one else knows except for her best friend Layla. Tally keeps a diary to record her stress and anxiety levels about what's happening along with "Tally's Autism Facts," her explanations of autism, which she hopes to share one day with her family so that they will understand autism as an experience. When Layla and their friends Lucy and Ayesha start acting differently than they did last school year, Tally tries to act "normal" at school and feigns interest in makeup and their conversations about boys. But she can't seem to fit in and one boy, Luke, is always taunting her and calling her "weirdo." The situation is exhausting for Tally which leads to frequent melts down at home. When Layla, Lucy, and Ayesha steal the tiger mask she sometimes wears so she doesn't have to make eye contact and gives it to Luke, Tally feels completely friendless and spirals out of control when she gets home. She refuses to go to back to school but before her parents can get to the bottom of the problem, her father is rushed to the hospital with appendicitis. A week later, Layla, Lucy, and Ayesha come to apologize to Tally and to share that they all know-as does their entire class-that she is autistic. While Tally tells Layla it wasn't her place to let everyone know, Tally does feel relieved that she can finally be herself. | *Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott | 12-Sep | Autism | audiobook eBook talking book | White | |
| Get a Grip Vivy Cohen: Eleven-year-old Vivy Cohen wants nothing more than to pitch her knuckleball for a team. But first she has to convince her mother, who is worried that something will happen to her autistic daughter. Vivy shares her efforts to become part of the Flying Squirrels and be accepted by her teammates through letters and email with her baseball hero, major-league pitcher VJ Capello, who offers advice Vivy can use both on and off the field. | *Sarah Kapit | 12-Sep | Autism | audiobook eBook large print talking book | White, Jewish, Black, Latino, LGBTQ+ | |
| Planet Earth Is Blue: Living at Billy and Francine's house is the first time autistic twelve-year-old Nova has been in a foster home without her big sister Bridget. Nova misses Bridget. She's the only one who knows that even though she doesnt speak, Nova is smart. Nova is counting down the days that Bridget will come, since she promised they would watch the launch of the space shuttle Challenger together. When Bridget isn't there to watch, and Nova sees the Challenger explode, she realizes that Bridget is really gone too, having died in a car accident while trying to run away with Nova. | *Nicole Panteleakos | 12-Sep | Autism | audiobook eBook talking book | White, Black, biracial | |
| Dear Mothman: Noah, an autistic sixth grader, is missing his best friend Lewis who was recently killed in a car accident. The only transgender boys at school, Noah and Lewis had a special relationship, sharing all kinds of secrets, hopes, and beliefs-including believing in the existence of Mothman. As Noah works through the loss of the one person who understood him, he pours out his anxieties and fears in letters he writes to Mothman. He also works to honor Lewis by going forward with Lewis's idea for a science project that proves the existence of Lewiss favorite cryptid. Noah risks everything-even the new friendships he's building-and heads into the woods hoping to find Mothman and the acceptance he wants for them both. | *Robin Gow | 14-Oct | Autism | audiobook eBook | White, LGBTQ+ | |
| Moonwalking: In this verse novel told in alternating voices set in 1980s Brooklyn, new Polish American middle school student JJ Pankowski, an autistic punk rock lover, befriends Pie Velez, an Afro-Latinx math geek and graffiti artist. Since JJ's father hasn't been able to get a job after taking part in the air traffic controllers strike, things are even more tense at home for JJ, especially now that he and his family are living with his grandmother. Pie, who takes care of his mentally ill mother and his younger half sister, has to navigate his neighborhood of drug users and deal with his sister's abusive father. As JJ and Pie share their artistic passions with each other, it helps them both get through some of the challenges at home and school. But a confrontation with the police reveals the differences in their situations and threatens their friendship. | Zetta Elliott and *Lyn Miller-Lachmann | 14-Oct | Autism | audiobook eBook | Puerto Rican/Congolese, Polish American, LGBTQ+ | |
| A Day with No Words | *Tiffany Hammond | 8-Apr | Autism | eBook | Black | |
| My Rainbow: When playing with her doll one day, Trinity, who is autistic, tells her mom that she needs to have long hair because she is a transgender girl. Trinity's mom listens and she and Trinity's sibling Lucien head to the wig store to find something perfect to help Trinity express her true self. They gather supplies and Trinity's mom stays up late to make a rainbow wig that Trinity loves and is as vibrant as she is. Based on the lived experience of the authors. | Trinity Neal and *DeShanna Neal | 8-May | Autism | audiobook eBook talking book | Black, LGBTQ+ | |
| The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin: This picture book biography in rhyming verse celebrates Dr. Temple Grandin, born Mary Temple Grandin in Boston in 1947. As a young girl she loved to spin, didn't like hugs, or loud noises, and even at age three, had yet to start speaking. She was misdiagnosed with brain damage and her mother was advised to "send her away." Her mother instead advocated for her, getting her speech therapy and other services. At school, Temple was frustrated with her classmates who frequently taunted her. After she was kicked out of school for throwing a book at a student, Temple went to live with relatives out west on their ranch. This sparked her passion for animals and science, and at her new school, she began to follow that passion and got the support she needed to be successful. Temple went on to earn three college degrees and is a renowned animal scientist and a speaker on autism and animal behavior. | Julia Finley Mosca | 9-Jun | Autism | braille eBook talking book | White | |
| Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: After several psychological assessments, Michael McCreary was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was five. His younger brother Matthew had been previously diagnosed, but they were "as far apart on the autism spectrum as it's possible to be." Michael starts his humor-filled memoir at this point, offering stories about moments in his life where he learned something about himself or how others view him all while offering answers to the question, "what is autism?" in factual asides. He shares his sensory issues, fixations, passions, and quirks, including his early love of performing which led to some acting roles and performing stand-up. And he offers advice gained from both his successes and embarrassments about navigating school, friendships, relationships with girls, and becoming independent. An epilogue talks about the death of his brother. | *Michael McCreary | 12 and up | Autism | audiobook eBook talking book | White | |
| On the Edge of Gone: Sixteen-year-old, autistic Denise Lichtveld and her drug-addicted mother waited for Iris, Denise's transgender older sister, so they could leave together for their assigned shelter for riding out the impact of an approaching comet. As they head for safety when Iris doesn't appear, they encounter Denise's former teacher and her injured wife who need help getting not to a shelter, but to the last self-sustaining generation ship on the planet. Denise and her mother are able to take refuge in the ship during the initial impact but are not welcome to join the colony for their journey. Denise, determined to earn spots for herself and her family, works to prove herself, and must decide what she's willing to do in order to survive. | *Corinne Duyvis | 13 and up | Autism | audiobook eBook large print talking book | Biracial Dutch/Surinamese; racial diversity among supporting characters, LGBTQ+ | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/03/24/review-on-the-edge-of-gone-by-corinne-duyvis/ |
| The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester: Approaching their nineteenth birthday, autistic, nonbinary Sam Sylvester and their adoptive father Junius, move from Montana to Astoria, Oregon for a fresh start after Sam is nearly killed in a violent hate crime. Their new house is the former home of Billy Clement, a teen who died of anaphylaxis thirty years ago. Sam feels a connection to Billy and to other teens whose lives ended too soon. When Sam finds community at their new school in a student group for LGBTQ+ and allies, they also find others who are interested in finding out how Billy died, including Shep, who Sam soon sees as more than a friend. But someone is determined to keep Sam and their friends from digging into the past. As Sam gets closer to the truth, Junius is nearly killed and Sam must again fight for their own life. | *Maya MacGregor | 13 and up | Autism | audiobook eBook talking book | White, Latina, Black, LGBTQ+ | |
| Unseelie: Teenage twins Isolde and Iselia "Seelie" Graygrove have been on their own for the past three years. They left their home and parents when Seelie, who believes she is a changeling (and presents as neurodivergent), lost control of her magic and caused a deadly accident. Isolde, who has been picking pockets to keep them afloat on the run, has the idea to rob the manor of the extremely wealthy and powerful shapeshifter Leira Wildfall during the chaos of Revelnox. But their burglary attempt is bungled by two others who have the same idea: Raze, a relative of Leira's, and Olani, who was once in Leira's employ. They all argue over their find-a compass which contains a trapped faerie, who makes a connection with Seelie and offers to be a guide to Mortal's Keep and the Wildline legacy. The twins escape the manor but are soon cornered again by Raze and Olani. The four form an uneasy alliance, and as Seelie works with Raze to learn to control her magic, they make their way through faerie realms to Mortal's Keep with Leira in hot pursuit. An author's note discusses the theory that the changeling myth developed to describe autistic children. | *Ivelisse Housman | 13 and up | Autism | audiobook eBook talking book | cued Latina, Black | |
| The Luis Ortega Survival Club: Sixteen-year-old Ari (Ariana) Ruiz is selectively mute. As her parents don't believe in psychiatrists, she's diagnosed herself as autistic with selective mutism. Since she doesn't talk and is rarely noticed at school, she's pleased when popular, athletic Luis Ortega pays attention to her. This attention turns into going to a party where they have sex that Ari "hated every second of" and never consented to. Ari asks Luis to please not tell anyone what they did, but boys are soon approaching Ari and harassing her. Ari's not sure of what to make of the "me too" note left in her locker, but she checks out the tlosc Tumblr from the note and is soon connected to others who have been preyed upon by Luis, including Luiss ex-girlfriend, Shawni. As the members of the Luis Ortega Survival Club seek retribution, new friendships are born, and Ari begins exploring her sexual identity, ultimately finding love with Shawni. While some of their attempts fail, ultimately the harm and abuse Luis has inflicted on many is exposed by the Club and he is brought to justice. | *Sonora Reyes | 14-18 | Autism Selective mutism | audiobook eBook talking book | Latinx, LGBTQ+ | |
| This Beach is Loud! : A little boy and his father have been planning a trip to the beach. The boy is excited for this big day, getting ready to go before his father even wakes up. His enthusiasm for what's to come continues during the drive to the beach. But upon arrival, the beach is not exactly what the boy was expecting. It is crowded with people and busy and loud. And sand is everywhere-in the boy's boots, bathing suit, and even on his toy Sharkie. It is all too much, and the boy wants to go home. His father helps him breathe and count and puts up a sun tent fort so the boy can have a quiet space. Soon the boy is watching his father build a sandcastle and joins in, which leads to more exploration of the beach. On the drive home, the boy's enthusiasm for the beach is back and he's eager to know when they can return. | *Samantha Cotterill | 7-Mar | Autism Sensory processing disorder | eBook | Light brown skin | |
| Before the Ever After: Twelve-year-old Zachariah Johnson Jr. (ZJ) loves his dad, who, even though he is a pro football star and a hero to many, has always had time for ZJ and his trio of best pals. But years of head injuries on the field are now causing his father to have severe headaches, angry outbursts, and to forget things, including the name of his own son. In this non-linear novel in verse, ZJ shares his happy memories of his father in the "Before," and chronicles what's happening in the "Ever After" as his father has good days and bad, friends step up or fade away, and the family searches for answers and treatment. The book is set in 1999-2000, as the consequences of sports-related brain injuries were emerging. An author's note shares additional information about chronic traumatic encephalopathy | Jacqueline Woodson | 10 and up | Chronic traumatic encephalopathy | audiobook eBook large print talking book | Black | |
| I Am a Masterpiece!: Mia has Down syndrome and likes herself as she is. She tries to be patient when people "forget their manners" and stare at her because she looks different from them. Or politely assert herself if they act like she isn't there and talk to her mom instead. Mia doesn't expect anything like that to happen at school with her friends, but when her classmates criticize her Back-to-School Night self-portrait, Mia remembers to again be patient, explaining that her picture is a "double self-portrait," and shows both how she feels and how she sees the world. When her parents visit school, they recognize her work immediately and Mia knows "they love me exactly as I am, which means I can be exactly who I am." Backmatter includes Mia answering questions about Down syndrome in cartoon-style panels. | *Mia Armstrong with Marissa Moss | 7-Apr | Down syndrome | audiobook eBook talking book | White, racial diversity among secondary characters | |
| Out Into the Big Wide Lake: Its Kates first time visiting her grandparents on her own at their lakeside home and grocery store. Shes nervous but excited. Things are different from home, but Kate finds a friend in Parbuckle, her grandparents black and white dog. She helps Grandpa deliver groceries by boat, and Grandma teaches Kate to pilot the boat all by herself. She makes other friends of neighbors around the lake, all except for the grumpy Walter, who complains that she bruises his fruit, even though she doesn't. One day, just as Kate and Grandpa are getting ready to make deliveries, Grandpa feels sick. Her grandparents head to the hospital, leaving Kate with Parbuckle and the undelivered groceries. Kate decides to make the deliveries herself, even to grumpy old Walter, who upon hearing about Grandpa's illness, rides back to the boat dock with her to check on Grandpa, who is his brother. While Grandpa recovers, Kate's mother comes to stay and together she and Kate make the grocery deliveries. When summer is over, Grandma, Grandpa, and even Walter, wave goodbye to Kate and her mom at the train station. Inspired by the authors younger sister who has Down syndrome. | Paul Harbridge | 8-May | Down syndrome | eBook | White | |
| Figure It Out, Henri Weldon: Henrietta "Henri" Weldon is starting seventh grade at a new school, leaving behind the special education program that provided accommodations for her learning disability that makes math challenging to understand and process. Her older sister Kat won't give her any useful advice about Alterra Junior/Senior High. She just gets mad when Henri does things Kat doesn't approve of, like making friends with kids in the Morgan family. Henri really likes Vinnie Morgan, her math tutor and friend who, like Henri, has an unusual pet. Vinnie has a pet rat and Henri has a pet snake. With encouragement from new friends and her teachers, Henri starts to figure things out for herself and tries new things, writing poetry and playing soccer. Henris mother would prefer that she keep her focus on schoolwork instead of extracurricular activities, but Henri's Aunt Tori helps convince her that Henri needs to be her own person with her own interests. Henri does struggle to juggle everything, and while she forgets to enter her poem in the Arts Festival, she does get a chance to collaborate with her sister's nemesis, and discovers that her sister-and her whole family-does have her back after all. | Tanita S. Davis | 12-Aug | Dyscalculia | audiobook eBook talking book | Black | |
| The Swag Is in the Socks: Xavier Moon is starting seventh grade and while his braces and stutter leave him pretty contented to watch the world from his bedroom window and play video games, he would like to get into the elite Scepter League, a boys' service club. Xavier's parents are incarcerated, and he and his sister live with his great aunt Kat. Frankie Bell, Kat's brother, is a touring musician who sends Xavier a pair of wild-looking socks and some advice to find his own thing. When Xavier isn't picked for Scepter League for not demonstrating leadership skills, Xavier is discouraged but thanks to more socks and leaning into ongoing advice from Frankie Bell, starts to find his own thing, showing leadership in sewing class and starts the Sole Crew, setting up the Sock �n Sole fundraiser dance to collect socks for House of Hope. Xavier is invited to join the Scepter League, but without Frankie Bell there, he's in no hurry for his initiation | Kelly J. Baptist | 12-Aug | Dysfluency | audiobook eBook talking book | Black | |
| I Talk Like a River: After he wakes, a young boy explains how each morning the sounds of words surround him and make him think of the difficulties he has in making those sounds himself. Sounds tangle and get stuck in his throat. So, he stays quiet, sits in the back of the classroom, and is frightened to speak when called on. He can't get the words out to answer his teacher's question about his favorite place in the world. When his dad picks him up from school, he tells his son, "It's just a bad speech day," and takes him for a walk along the river. The boy appreciates the quiet, but his mind is still full of his classmates' reactions to his way of talking. His dad tells him that the way he talks is like the river and the boy thinks of both the "bubbling, churning, whirling, and crashing" of the water and the calm, flat stretches. Thinking of this helps him go to school the next day and talk like and about his favorite place-the river. An author's note discusses the author's own stutter. | *Jordan Scott | 8-May | Dysfluency | audiobook braille eBook talking book | White | |
| Golden Arm: Nineteen-year-old Laz Weathers lives in a Seattle trailer park with his mom and his half-brother Antonio. But he lives for baseball. Baseball is something Laz is good at-not like talking, because of his stutter, or school, because he just doesn't get math. When North Central High ends their baseball program before Laz can pitch his senior year, he believes his final summer community center team game was his last. But then Laurelhurst High, a school on the wealthy side of town, gives him the opportunity to pitch for a winning team-restarting his dreams of getting drafted by the major leagues. Playing for Laurelhurst means moving in with a host family and leaving Antonio, who is getting too tight with the neighborhood drug dealers, behind. But with Antonio's dad back in the picture, Laz doesn't see a place for himself anymore in the family or their small new apartment. Navigating the world of baseball scouting and the media on his own, Laz makes a few missteps, but he continues to do well on the mound, and with the championship within his grasp, feels like he could actually make his dream come true. Until game day comes, and he has to abandon his team to rescue Antonio from a drug deal gone bad | Carl Deuker | 18-Dec | Dysfluency | audiobook eBook talking book | Undetermined | |
| How to Find What You're Not Looking For: In 1967, almost twelve-year-old Ariel Goldberg lives with Jewish family in Connecticut where her parents operate a bakery. Responsible, talented older sister Leah is keeping a secret only Ariel knows-she's fallen in love with Raj, a Hindu college student. When Ariel's parents find out, they disapprove of the relationship, but Leah follows her heart and elopes. Without Leah, tensions rise at home, growing as the bakery faces financial trouble. At school, Ariel is taunted by an antisemitic bully, and she has difficulty with school assignments because of the trouble she has with handwriting. Her teacher, Miss Field, believes that she has dysgraphia, while her mother just thinks she's lazy. Miss Field brings a typewriter for her to use, and Ariel writes short poems to practice writing. Cut off from her sister, Ariel enlists her best friend Jane to help her find Leah and reunite her family, though the baby that's on the way may help heal the rift. Ariel finds her voice through poetry and helps her mother see how the typewriter helps her, even making it possible for her to write a poem accepted for publication in a magazine. | Veera Hiranandani | 12-Aug | Dysgraphia | audiobook braille eBook large print talking book | Jewish, Hindu | |
| Heres Hank: Bookmarks Are People Too! (series): When Hank Zipzer's second grade teacher Ms. Flowers announces that the class will be performing her original play, "A Night at the Library," for Children's Reading Week, Hank is excited, but concerned. He's not very good at reading and even reading the script through to decide on the part he'd like would be too big a challenge. His friend Frankie is there to help him, and Hank chooses to audition for Aqua Fly. But when audition day comes, all Hank's preparation goes out the window. To recognize his effort, Ms. Flower's creates a special role for Hank as a bookmark, a part with no lines. In rehearsals, Hank is quick to improvise to give his role a little more character. When the big performance takes place, Hank saves the day when Nick, who is playing Aqua Fly, freezes up, delivering the lines he'd memorized while listening at rehearsal. | *Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver | 8-Jun | Dyslexia | audiobook braille eBook | White, Black, Asian | dyslexia-friendly font |
| Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life: Jerry Pinkney begins his memoir in 1949 when he was nine years old with details about his community on East Earlham Street, the Philadelphia block that he, his family, and his grandparents lived on. As he raced around the neighborhood with his friends, Jerry took everything in so that he could draw it later-sometimes on his bedroom wall. School was hard for Jerry, especially reading and writing, but his teacher Mrs. Miller helped find ways to incorporate drawing into his schoolwork, made him the class artist, and showed him that his drawing was a way to learn. His father took him along on home-repair jobs where Jerry learned the value of hard work. At age 13, Jerry, anxious to contribute to his family income, got a part-time job selling newspapers. His boss, who appreciated Jerry's artistic talent, told him it was okay to draw when business was slow and soon Jerry was selling as many drawings as he was newspapers. One of his customers was John Linney, a cartoonist, who invited Jerry to visit his studio to learn what it was like to be a working artist. That meeting changed everything for Jerry, who believed now that he too could make his passion his living. Back matter includes an epilogue and timeline. | *Jerry Pinkney | 12-Aug | Dyslexia | audiobook talking book | Black | dyslexia-friendly font |
| Fish in a Tree: Sixth-grader Ally Nickerson creates distractions and misbehaves at school to hide the fact that even though she's good at math and art, she really struggles with reading and writing. Since her dad is in the military, she has been to seven different schools in the past seven years, and this has helped her keep her secret. Ally's mom, a busy waitress, doesn't have time to look over Ally's homework, and her brother Travis has his own learning difficulties. At her current school, Ally's teacher Mrs. Hall is going on maternity leave, leaving Ally to face yet another new teacher, Mr. Daniels. Though she continues to try to get out of assignments, even faking a broken arm, Ally realizes that she wants Mr. Daniels to like the real her and becomes more enthusiastic about the lessons he creates that play to his students' unique strengths. As Mr. Daniels starts to draw Ally out, she begins to connect with some of her classmates, particularly Kesiha and Albert, developing a friendship that inspires Albert to stand up to the bullies that have been tormenting him. Having gained her trust, Mr. Daniels helps Ally understand that she has dyslexia, and they work together so that she can become a reader and a writer. Motivated by her successes, Ally introduces her brother to Mr. Daniels so that he too can become a reader. | Lynda Mullaly Hunt | 10 and up | Dyslexia | braille audiobook eBook large print talking book | White, Black, Japanese | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/01/09/review-fish-in-a-tree-by-lynda-mullaly-hunt/ |
| Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen: Eleven-year-old Maple Mehta-Cohen loves words. She loves the bedtime stories her father reads to her. And she loves creating her own stories, dictating the adventures of a heroic Indian and Jewish sleuth to a voice recorder. But when it comes to reading any words herself, Maple has a lot of problems. Mrs. Littleton-Chan, Maple's fifth-grade teacher noticed Maple's struggles, and, after screening tests indicate dyslexia, Maple learns she has to repeat fifth grade. Maple gets why, but feels frustrated and embarrassed, keeping the news from her best friends Aislinn and Marigold all summer. When school starts, Maple's friends abandon her, and Maple is assigned to show the new kid Jack around. Ever the storyteller, she tells him that because of school budget issues, she's back in fifth grade on a secret assignment, serving as a special assistant to overworked teachers. Her placement in Ms. Fine's reading group makes it difficult to maintain her cover story but Maple manages until she crashes Aislinn's birthday party and things start to spin out of control. As her worries about disappointing her parents and fixing her friendship problems grow, Maple works to recognize her strengths and learn how to love herself the way she is. | Kate McGovern | 12-Sep | Dyslexia | audiobook eBook large print | Indian American/Jewish | |
| Flipping Forward Twisting Backward: While Claire is the best gymnast on her team, her wins in fifth grade are few. Claire can't read and the only person who knows is her best friend Emma Lea who helps Claire with her homework. In class, Claire tries to do what her teacher Mrs. Rose wants, but nothing is good enough. Embarrassed and taunted by some classmates, Claire frequently acts out and is sent-or sends herself-to see vice principal Mr. McCay. When Mr. McCay tells Claire he suspects she has a learning disability, Claire is relieved to know that there could be help for her. But her mother refuses to let the school test Claire or believe Claire when she admits again and again that she can't read. Claire seeks help for herself. Emma Lea, her older sister, and her gymnastics teammates all offer support, as do her teachers. After papering the house with portraits and descriptions of successful people with learning disabilities, Claire confronts her mother and is finally able to get attention, acceptance, and an apology. | *Alma Fullerton | 12-Aug | Dyslexia | audiobook braille eBook talking book | cued White | dyslexia-friendly font |
| A Walk in the Words: Author and illustrator Hudson Talbott loved to draw when he was a young boy. Drawing was his thing, but reading was a struggle. He couldn't stay away from words though. He loved stories too much. So, he decided that it was okay to just do the best he could. He wouldn't be afraid or ashamed and would keep trying. It didn't matter how slowly he read because, he learned, lots of people are slow readers. And the unique way that Hudson reads and draws is what made him the storyteller he is today. An author's note shares more about Hudson's experiences learning to read. | *Hudson Talbott | 8-May | Dyslexia | eBook talking book | White | |
| Ben & Emma's Big Hit: Everything about baseball makes sense to Ben. But his dyslexia made reading a different story. Ben's teacher, Ms. Kim, coached him in reading, but it was nothing like Little League and he feels far behind his classmate and teammate Emma, who always had a big chapter book when she wasn't throwing strikes on the baseball field. When he can't even get words like bat, ball, and hit, Ben runs out of the classroom. Ms. Kim provides gentle support and brings Ben back to class, where he shares his frustrations with Emma. Emma then tearfully admits that she's just pretending to read those books she carries. Ms. Kim encourages them both to keep trying, practicing reading just like they practice baseball. When Ms. Kim returns to working with Ben and Emma on reading, she admits that she's never been able to hit a baseball. The teammates offer to coach her at recess and eventually Ms. Kim makes a hit. Ben recognizes how his teacher took her own advice about never giving up and decides he will take it too and try hard every day to learn to read. Back matter includes an author's note and dyslexia-related resources. | *Gavin Newsom | 8-May | Dyslexia | audiobook eBook talking book | White, Black, racial diversity among supporting characters | |
| Brilliant Bea: Bea is an excellent storyteller, but reading and writing are hard for her. At school, she is always the last one to finish her work and looks for ways to avoid having to read aloud. Her understanding teacher recognizes her brilliance and gives her an "ancient device"-a tape recorder so she can record her stories. Her classmate Rudy takes an interest in what she's doing and offers to draw pictures for her stories. Soon they are creating comic books and building a friendship. Reader's note defines dyslexia and talks about how to evaluate it. | Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich | 8-May | Dyslexia | audiobook eBook | Black, white | dyslexia-friendly font |
| Jack Horner, Dinosaur Hunter!: When Jack was a little boy, he loved to dig. As he grew older, he started to find interesting things in the dirt and became fascinated by fossils-especially dinosaur fossils. He was constantly asking his parents to take him places where he could hunt for fossils. His knowledge of fossils grew and grew, and Jack hoped to one day become a paleontologist. But school was hard for Jack. He didn't learn the same way his other classmates did. So, he spent time learning science and experimenting on his own. His science projects won awards, which helped him get into college. But his problems with reading forced Jack to drop out during his first year. Soon after, he was drafted into the military and sent to fight in the Vietnam War. After his return from Vietnam, Jack was determined to still work with fossils. He got a job with Princeton University's Museum of Natural History, where his knowledge and passion eventually put him in the field to hunt dinosaur fossils. His experience and expertise led to advising Hollywood on dinosaur movies, and Jack himself inspired a character in Jurassic Park. | Sophia Gholz | 9-Jun | Dyslexia | eBook | White | |
| Maybe An Artist, A Graphic Memoir: Black cartoonist Liz Montague looks back at her school years and her path to career success in this graphic novel memoir. | *Liz Montague | 12 and up | Dyslexia | eBook | Black | |
| Meena Meets Her Match (series): Artistic third-grader Meena Zee wants to be the best-make the best Presidential Portrait, be at the top of the classroom behavior chart, and create the greatest Valentine's Day box. She's in competition with everyone, but especially her former best friend Sofia. Meena has been angry with Sofia ever Sofia began choosing to stay inside for recess to do schoolwork instead of playing with Meena. But before Meena can get started on her on her Valentine's Day box project, she has seizure at home during breakfast. Meena wakes up in the hospital, unsure of what has happened. Her parents comfort her, but she's not clear about what a seizure is, and as more medical testing takes place, gets increasingly worried about "the thing" in her head that doctors keep talking about. Seeing how differently her parents and teacher are treating her now, Meena doesn't share what's happening with any of her classmates. When Meena and her relieved parents learn that she doesn't have a tumor, but probably has epilepsy, Meena realizes that it wasn't just worrying about her health that was taking all the color out of her life. Meena apologizes to Sophia, who shares that she's been struggling in math and that's why she's had to work during recess. Recognizing that not everything is as it seems and that everyone has their own problems to deal with, Meena makes up with Sophia, who is happy to have her friend back. | Karla Manternach | 10-Aug | Epilepsy | eBook | White, Latina | |
| How Are You, Verity? : Verity, who uses they/them pronouns, responds to their neighbors' "How are you?" with a long series of facts about sea life. Their brother suggests that people might not want to hear such a long response. As an experiment, Verity begins to ask others, "How are you?" to see how they respond. When the class fieldtrip to the aquarium is canceled, Verity's brother helps them set up an aquarium in their home, and they finally get to teach neighbors about sea life. With a note about neurodiversity and the author's own experiences growing up. Includes tips for supporting young people. | *Meghan Wilson Duff | 8-Apr | Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD) | eBook | Black, racial diversity among supporting characters | |
| Too Much! An Overwhelming Day: A little girl shares her feelings of being overwhelmed when the world gives her too much sensory input. Her day starts with a loud alarm clock, overly bright sunlight, cold water on the scratchy washcloth, itchy tag in a shirt, and a jacket that's too tight. At least there are soft, quiet bananas to eat! At the playground, the chaos of kids playing crowds the girl, and when one gives her a hug, that is too much for her. She hides from everything that is overwhelming her, then asks her mother for a "sheet-hug" to help calm down. The pair heads home so the girl can get what she needs to settle herself: quiet, dark, and personal space, along with some deep breathing. An author's note for caregivers and educators explores sensory systems, sensory processing issues, and specific information about how to support kids in learning to soothe themselves. | *Jolene Guti�rrez | 7-Apr | Sensory processing disorder | eBook | Unspecified race (light brown skin, dark hair) | |
| Stanley Will Probably Be Fine: Stanley Fortinbras lives with his older brother, mother, and grandfather in San Diego. With his father overseas doing humanitarian work, Stanley's anxiety is getting worse. He attends Peavey Middle School, but its hard to get through the day of commotion and crowds with his sensory processing disorder. At one of the frequent and unscheduled safety assemblies, Stanley faints and his mother decides to share Stanley's sensory processing challenges with the school guidance counselor, who offers Stanley a place he can go when he's feeling overwhelmed. In this safe space, Stanley starts drawing a new comic hero, John Lockdown, whose adventures he finds have been mysteriously added to each time Stanley uses the room. A comics trivia expert, Stan and his best friend Joon are gearing up for Trivia Quest to win tickets to Comic Fest, but Joon has been making new friends and abandons Stanley to do the quest with Dylan. That leaves Stanley to partner with his new fearless neighbor Liberty, and they do well until Liberty's overprotective mom shows up and whisks her away to Los Angeles. Stanley manages to finish the quest on his own and invites Joon to go with him to Comic Fest, where Stanley discovers that Doc, the school custodian, has been drawing John Lockdown with him. | Sally J. Pla | 12-Aug | Sensory processing disorder, anxiety | eBook | Biracial Moroccan/White, Korean | |
| Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25: Fourteen-year-old Michael Vey has Tourette's syndrome-and he has electrical powers. He tries not to attract attention to himself, but when bullies go too far, Michael zaps them, drawing the attention of his crush, Taylor, who soon seeks him out. When Michael learns that Taylor too can manipulate electricity, they band together, along with Michael's best friend Ostin, to look for answers about the origin of their powers. They soon discover that Michael and Taylor are being tracked by Elgen, an organization linked to the accident that killed dozens of newborns on the day that Michael and Taylor were born at that hospital. When Elgen kidnaps Taylor as well as Michael's mother, Michael, Ostin, and bullies Jack and Wade set out to rescue them, while Taylor, captive at the Elgen Academy, discovers the Glows, others with electrical powers who are being manipulated so that Dr. Hatch and Elgen can use their powers. When the rescue party arrives, they are captured and Dr. Hatch tries to manipulate Michael into joining the academy, sending him to Cell 25 to be tortured. During another attempt to persuade him, Michael manages to get free, and he and his friends are able to rescue the Glows who refused to bend to Dr. Hatch's will, but not Michael's mother, who is still captive somewhere. | *Richard Paul Evans | 12 and up | Tourette syndrome | audiobook eBook talking book | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/03/15/review-the-prisoner-of-cell-25-by-richard-paul-evans/ | |
| Each Tiny Spark: Twelve-year-old Emilia Torres, who has ADHD, is trying to focus on rebuilding her relationship with her Marine father, who is back from his deployment, and avoiding her overbearing grandmother, all while trying to manage without her mother who is on a business trip. At the same time, she's deciding how to handle the injustice and prejudice she discovers in her Atlanta suburb while working on her school project about the town's history. | Pablo Cartaya | 12-Sep | ADHD, PTSD | audiobook eBook large print talking book | Cuban American | |
| Smaller Sister: Twenty months apart in age, Lucy and her older sister Olivia have always been close, sharing a bedroom, a secret language, and a special bond. But when they start a new school, Olivia becomes more interested in how she looks and what other people think than she does in playing or talking to Lucy. Lucy can tell Olivia is unhappy and learns that Olivia is anorexic. Their parents are getting Olivia all the help they can, and Lucy wants her to get better, but doesn't know how to help and feels ignored and alone. Just as Olivia is beginning to recover, their parents move the whole family from Indiana to Massachusetts, another tough transition for Olivia and for Lucy. Lucy tries to start fresh at her new school with a fun, colorful image, but doesn't fit in and every attempt to make friends leads to more self-doubt and body shame. Olivia and their parents notice what's happening and are able to intervene, and Olivia and Lucy are able to renew their special bond. To further help Lucy's confidence, their parents send her to theater camp between sixth and seventh grade, and Lucy starts the new school year with the attitude to be the best version of herself. An author's note shares the author's lived experiences and resources. | *Maggie Edkins Willis | 12-Sep | Anorexia nervosa | eBook | White, racial diversity among secondary characters | |
| Stuntboy, in the Meantime: Portico Reeves loves living in the castle-size apartment building of Skylight Gardens, which is full of kind and caring folks-except for Herbert Singletary the Worst. Having his best friend Zola Brawner just one and a half doors away helps Portico navigate his "frets," the debilitating anxiety he often feels, and which is getting way worse as his parents argue their way to separation and possible divorce. To help, Zola teaches him how to breathe and meditate and together they come up with an alter ego for Portico to channel. Portico deals with his frets by imaging himself as Stuntboy, a superhero with the power to keep other superheroes-the people in his community-safe. This looks like Stuntboy rolling down the stairs to prevent an older neighbor from falling or flipping over furniture to distract his parents from fighting. As his parents split the household possessions and move to separate apartments, Portico realizes neither he nor Stuntboy can save the situation, and Portico starts to see himself as split in half, too. Fully illustrated with comic book-style panels, the book ends cliffhanger-style, waiting for a great explosion or divorce. | Jason Reynolds | 12-Jul | Anxiety | braille audiobook eBook talking book | Black | |
| Forever Is Now: Sixteen-year-old Sadie has been managing her generalized anxiety disorder for years. After she witnesses police violently attack another Black girl at Lake Merritt, Sadie's anxiety keeps her from going no further than her own front door. She resigns from her dream internship, spending time going to virtual therapy, where she receives a diagnosis of agoraphobia. When her therapist suggests that she journal, Sadie takes it a step further, livestreaming on an activist version of TikTok called Ruckus, talking about BLM and mental health. Her best friend Evan inspires Sadie to add focus to her livestreams by also talking about finding and sharing joy. Among her viewers is Sadie's new neighbor Jackson, who Sadie feels safe with, much as she did-and maybe even more so-with her ex, Aria. With help from her family, therapist, Evan, and Jackson, Sadie begins to take steps beyond the safety of home, advancing enough through the summer to help organize and take part in a public Open Mic for Joy at Lake Merritt and bring joy to her own heart as her feelings for Jackson bloom. An author's note shares the author's own mental health journey and provides a list of mental health resources for Black and LGBTQ+ kids. | Mariama J. Lockington | 13 and up | Anxiety, agoraphobia | audiobook eBook talking book | Black, LGBTQ+ | |
| Small Things: In this wordless graphic picture book, a young boy is having trouble at school. He's not welcomed by his peers and his grades keep getting lower. As his anxiety builds, it becomes visible to the reader in the artwork and causes him to express anger towards anyone who shows him compassion or kindness. When his sister reveals her own visible anxiety to him, he realizes that it is okay to open up to his family and shares his grades with his parents. The support of his family gives him strength. Going to school the next day, he's suddenly able to see that stress and anxiety are attached to many of his classmates and stops to offer some compassion of his own. Back matter discusses childhood anxiety. | *Mel Tregonning | 12-Jul | Anxiety, depression | eBook | White | |
| The Words We Keep: Sixteen-year-old Lily Larkin was the one who found her older sister Alice, razor in hand, bleeding all over the bathroom floor. Now after two months, Alice is coming home from the Fairview Treatment Center with a bipolar disorder diagnosis, and Lily doesn't know how she's going to keep everything in her life from unraveling. Lily is already severely anxious about having to be the perfect daughter, student, and track star, and under too much pressure-pressure that has her compulsively scratching herself until she bleeds. When she is paired for a school project with Micah Mendez, who was in treatment with Alice and is now a classmate of Lily's, she starts to see how powerful and how needed exploring and expressing her truths is. Micah, who has depression and is grieving for his father who committed suicide, is Lily's partner in creating anonymous art installations to provoke conversations and human connection. But Lily needs more help than getting in touch with her emotions, her new feelings for Micah, and being a guerrilla poet can provide. Events that shatter the illusion of perfect Lily lead Lily to believe that everyone would be better off without her. When her attempt to jump off a cliff is stopped by Micah, Alice, and her father, Lily is at last willing to ask for help, and gets it. | *Erin Stewart | 14 and up | Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder | audiobook braille eBook talking book | White, Mexican American | |
| Up and Down Mom: A child explains what day-to-day life is like living with a parent with bipolar disorder. Some days, Mom is full of energy and fun. On other days, Mom might do something that is loud and embarrassing or even a little scary. And there are days when Mom is sad and doesn't do anything. Granddad and friends help on the sad days and when Mom has to go away for treatment. It is good when Granddad comes to stay because he helps answer questions about what is happening with Mom, explaining that the ups and downs she has are more intense than what most people have. The child also talks about visits to a family therapist, how medication helps keep Mom well, and things that are important to know, such as contact numbers in case of an emergency. Through all the ups and downs, the child expresses love for Mom. Back matter includes further explanation about bipolar disorder | Child's Play | 8-May | Bipolar disorder | -- | Unspecified race (light skin/dark hair, brown skin/dark hair) | |
| When We Collided: Seventeen-year-old Jonah Daniels finds nothing is the same since his father died of a heart attack and his mother has fallen into deep depression. Trying to hold himself, his siblings, and the family restaurant together, Jonah is drawn to the vivacious, carefree, and attractive Vivi Alexander, who is staying in his beachside town for the summer. Vivi, who has been throwing her medication for bipolar disorder into the ocean daily, is immediately attracted to Jonah and soon brings fun and games to the Daniels' household. But responsible Jonah has concerns about some of Vivi's behaviors, which she explains as putting a high value on experiencing life. After an attempt to connect with the father she's never known fails, Vivi feels like the universe has something else in store for her and is searching everywhere for clues. Jonah agrees to go with her but gets off her Vespa when she starts speeding through stop signs. She loses control and ends up in the hospital with a compound fracture. A visit in the hospital from Jonah's best friend Ellie turns into a frank discussion about mental illness. After this conversation and a session with a psychiatrist, Vivi starts to believe that she can enjoy a full life with help and the right medication. She meets Jonah to let him know that she's going back home to Seattle to get the help she needs, promising to say goodbye before she goes. But all Jonah finds at their meeting place is a note and a parting gift of love. | Emery Lord | 14 and up | Bipolar disorder | audiobook braille eBook talking book | White | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/04/15/review-when-we-collided-by-emery-lord/ |
| The Memory of Light: After swallowing a bottle of her stepmother's sleeping pills, sixteen-year-old Vicky Cruz wakes up in the psychiatric wing of the local public hospital thanks to her beloved nanny Juanita, who found her and called 911. Dr. Desai tells Vicky she is going to recommend to her father and stepmother that she stay at the hospital for a couple of weeks of daily therapy and daily group therapy. Her high-achieving father is more concerned that she's missing school and that she's in a public hospital than he is with her actual state of mental health, but Vicky advocates for herself and gets to stay for treatment. As treatment continues, Vicky gets to know Mona, Gabriel, and E.M. as they work together with Dr. Desai on anger management, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, and schizophrenia. When the two weeks of treatment are complete, Vicky asks for more, and despite her father's negative attitude, goes to Dr. Desai's ranch with her group. There, Vicky begins to want for herself and want to help others. When the return to home and school puts Vicky in crisis, she finds support in her sister Becca and the resolve to put her own mental health care and what's best for herself, first. | *Francisco X. Stork | 13 and up | Clinical depression | audiobook eBook talking book | Mexican American | |
| Finding Junie Kim: Twelve-year-old Korean American Junie Kim, who's kept quiet about the bullying and racism she encounters at school, is diagnosed with depression but is later inspired to speak out after learning about her Korean grandfathers experiences during the Korean War. The book moves back and forth between whats happening to Junie in the present and the stories her grandfather share about his younger years, until her grandfather suffers a series of strokes and dies. Her grandmother, who has been unwilling to share her history, opens up to Junie in her grief and finally shares her own stories which helps them both heal. | Ellen Oh | 13-Sep | Depression | audiobook eBook large print talking book | Korean | |
| A Blue Kind of Day: Coen is not having a good day. He doesn't want to get out of bed. He can describe the physical sensations of feeling blue but can't figure out how to describe why he feels that way. His mom, dad, and sister don't quite understand what he's going through, and each try to encourage him to get out of bed. But Coen wraps himself tighter in his blanket. His family offers him their love and support, patiently waiting and snuggling with him. Eventually, Coen asks for a story, which helps him further reach out to his family who is there for him and whatever comes next. Authors note includes information about depression and young children. | Rachel Tomlinson | 9-Apr | Depression | audiobook eBook | Indigenous Australian | |
| Pockets Full of Rocks: Ella doesn't understand her father's depression and questions him about his sadness and his behavior. She wants to know why he stays in bed and doesn't play with her like he used to. When he explains that he doesn't feel well, she looks for things that are physically wrong with him and ways she might help him feel better. Then he explains that he has depression and how that makes him feel. Ella thinks that feeling like your "pockets [are] full of big rocks that are so heavy you can't move" sounds frightening. Her father reassures her not to be scared and shares what he does to manage his depression: seeing a therapist, getting exercise, and taking medication. He also assures her that its not her job to make him better, but Ella gives him big hugs hoping that it helps. Back matter includes more information about talking about depression with children. | Yair Engelberg | 8-Apr | Depression | eBook | White | |
| Darius the Great Is Not Okay: Darius' life of dealing with depression and high school bullies takes an unexpected turn when he travels to Iran to meet his grandparents for the first time. He makes a real friend in Sohrab, the boy who lives next door to his grandparents and learns that hes pretty good at soccer. He also gets more comfortable with understanding his feelings and expressing them, finally finding the love and validation he deserves. | *Adib Khorram | 12 and up | Depression | audiobook eBook large print talking book | Iranian, White, biracial | |
| Silhouetted by the Blue: For ages, seventh-grader Serena Shaw has wanted nothing more than to star in her middle school musical. When she gets the lead in The Wiz, she is thrilled. But she quickly realizes what a challenge it will be to take care of herself, her little brother, and the home they share with their father, get all her homework done, and get to rehearsal every day. Her father is no help. Since her mother died eighteen months ago, her father's case of the blues seems to get worse every day. Realizing that she's in over her head, Serena slowly starts to accept help from a classmate. She also reaches out to her Uncle Peter, who doesn't understand how serious the situation is, even when Serena's dad is trying to give his brother some of his most prized possessions. When Serena interrupts her father's suicide attempt and Peter arrives on the scene at last, her dad is finally able to get the help he needs. | Traci L. Jones | 14-Nov | Depression | eBook talking book | Black | |
| Symptoms of Being Human: High school junior Riley Cavanaugh is starting over at a new school. Riley is gender fluid, but only Dr. Ann, Riley's therapist, who is treating Riley for anxiety, depression, and panic attacks, knows this. One of Dr. Ann's prescriptions is that Riley start an anonymous journal blog, something that Riley resisted until the first day at Park Hills High doesn't go so well. Under the name "Alix," Riley writes about gender identity and quickly gains a large number of followers after giving advice to readers with their own gender identity questions and coming out issues. Riley also makes a couple of friends in real life, the compassionate football player Solo and the nonconformist Bec, who Riley would like to be more than just friends with. Just as Riley is feeling more confident and ready to come out to family and friends, Riley is outed by the media at a campaign event for his father. Distraught, Riley seeks out Bec, but instead finds the bully responsible for the public outing. Riley is assaulted and reluctant to speak to the police, but eventually finds the courage to speak up and public speak out about not hiding anymore. | Jeff Garvin | 14 and up | Depression, anxiety, PTSD | audiobook eBook talking book | White, LGBTQ+ | |
| Iveliz Explains It All: While facing serious mental health challenges, seventh grader Iveliz must find her voice to advocate for the help and understanding she deserves. Shes keeping from her mother the fact that she still talks to her father, something Iveliz knows would worry her given her father died in a car accident. And she just cant deal with her grandmother Mimi who is critical of her for taking medication and going to therapy. By working things out in her journal, Iveliz comes to understand that she cant do it alone and that it is okay to trust others and ask for help. An author's note provides resources for mental health support. | Andrea Beatriz Arango | 14-Oct | Depression, PTSD, Alzheimers disease | braille audiobook eBook large print talking book | Puerto Rican, Afghan, Japanese-American | |
| Just Roll with It: Maggie Sankhar is a little worried about starting sixth grade, making friends, and doing as well in school as her two older sisters did. Happily, she meets Clara right away, who shares her enthusiasm for the Chosen: Adventures in Therendia (CAT) series. Maggie is also into the CAT tabletop role playing game, though the d20 (a 20-sided die) Maggie carries with her everywhere is about more than an RPG. She uses it to help her make almost every decision, including how to feel about things. Maggie is constantly afraid of making mistakes but believes if she rolls the right number, nothing can go wrong. But she's also really worried about what might happen if she rolls the wrong number. Maggie's sisters and parents are starting to worry too-about how Maggie is acting-but hearing them even talk about her behaviors as obsessive-compulsive disorder makes Maggie even more anxious. If that wasn't enough to be worried about, there also seems to be some kind of monster lurking on school property. When the RPG club decides to catch the monster (a baby albino alligator meant for the animal sanctuary), Maggie goes against her roll to help, realizing that she can work to understand and even embrace her fears. She lets her parents know that she's ready to see a therapist, sharing that she thinks things would be easier if she wasn't always feeling afraid. | Lee Durfey-Lavoie | 12-Sep | Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) | audiobook eBook talking book | South Asian, LGBTQ+ | |
| History Is All You Left Me: As he mourns the sudden drowning death of Theo, his best friend and first love, seventeen-year-old Griffin is holding on desperately to the past. Through flashbacks he shares the evolution of his relationship with Theo from the "three-dude squad" of friends made up of Theo, Griffin, and Wade to Theo and Griffin coming out to each other and happily dating to Griffin breaking up with Theo to give him space when Theo leaves for college. In an attempt to hold on to Theo, Griffin connects with Jackson, Theo's college boyfriend. But Griffin is not being honest with himself about the past, which is making his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices get worse | *Adam Silvera | 14 and up | Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) | audiobook eBook talking book | White, Black, LGBTQ+ | |
| The Rest of Us Just Live Here: High school senior Mike Mitchell doesn't face the same kind of problems the "indie" kids have-supernatural showdowns with Immortals-but he is dealing with quite a bit: worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder, ongoing worry about his older sister Mel and her eating disorder, concern about heading to college and leaving his younger sister Meredith, his alcoholic father, and his ambitious mother, who is running for office. Mike's friends give him support, especially his best friend Jared, who is descended from the Goddess of Cats. But Mike is looking for more, especially from his friend-and Mel's best friend-Henna, who seems to have taken a liking to Nathan, a new student, but is also interested in "exploring" with Mike. With "indie" kids start dying and zombie deer roaming adding to all that, Mike lets his mother know that he needs to see a psychiatrist and get back on medication. He's surprised at her understanding and also surprised later to find out that his friends have been keeping things from him to lessen his anxiety, particularly Jared, who has started dating Nathan. Though Jared does help save the day-and the planet-Mike does the work to save himself. | Patrick Ness | 14 and up | Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety | braille audiobook eBook | White, biracial, LGBTQ+ | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/03/20/review-the-rest-of-us-just-live-here-by-patrick-ness/ |
| Maliks Number Thoughts: A Story about OCD: When Malik is invited to Cora's miniature golf birthday party, he wants to go but is worried. He's concerned that his "Number Thoughts," which compel him to try and make everything he does end on a count of four, will keep him from having fun or even cause others to laugh at him. He shares his anxious thoughts with his father and his therapist, who suggest that he practice before the party and focus on his breathing techniques. Malik and his friend Jason have fun setting up their own course but even after practicing, Malik is still worried. At the party, Malik decides he wants to win more than letting his Number Thoughts win. He uses all the strategies his therapist taught him to score a hole-in-one on his final putt and wins the round. | Natalie Rompella | 8-Apr | Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety | eBook | Black | |
| Trowbridge Road: June Bug Jordan is hungry. Not just for food, of which she gets very little because her mother, who hasn't left the house since they lost June Bug's father to AIDS, only lets Uncle Toby bring food once a week and won't go into the kitchen since she fears the germs that might come in through the outside door. June Bug craves escape. When bullied and neglected Ziggy, with his long red hair and pet ferret, comes to live on Trowbridge Road with his Nana Jean, he and June Bug find refuge in each other and the magical Majestica that springs from their imaginations. As June Bug gets closer to Ziggy and Nana Jean, she recognizes that she needs to tell the truth about what's happening at home, get help for her mother, and start her own healing. | *Marcella Pixley | 14-Oct | Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, anxiety | audiobook eBook large print | White, LGBTQ+ | |
| (Don't) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health:Thirty-three actors, athletes, authors, and artists share their perspectives on and personal experiences with mental illness through essays, lists, comic panels, and graphics. With diverse contributors representing different genders, ethnicities, and sexual orientations, the spectrum of voices also addresses intersectionality and marginalization. Individual experiences, support, listening, and seeking help are stressed in these entries, which also address many misconceptions about mental health. Backmatter includes a reading list and resources for those seeking help. | *Kelly Jensen (editor) | 13 and up | Obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, misophonia, schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, trichotillomania, borderline personality disorder, PTSD, addiction, anorexia, body dysmorphic disorder | eBook | Racial and LGBTQ+ diversity among essayists | |
| Challenger Deep: Fifteen-year-old Caden is living in two worlds, the real world and one that is real in his mind. In the real world, he's a high school student, an artist, and a good brother. His friends and family are starting to notice that Caden can't focus on anything, constantly needs to walk, and is anxious and paranoid. In the world that's in Caden's mind, he's on a mission to explore Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench, and is unsure if he can trust the ship's captain, who promises riches to loyal crew members, while his parrot calls for mutiny and life ashore. When his parents commit him to Seaview Hospital's psychiatric unit, the patients and staff join the crew of the Caden's ship. Progress then setbacks have Caden hospitalized for nine weeks until medications and therapy bring him "within striking distance" of becoming "one with the real world once more," and he returns home to his family. | Neal Shusterman | 14 and up | Schizophrenia | audiobook eBook large print talking book | unspecified | |
| Thanks a Lot, Universe: With his father on the run from the police and his mother hospitalized for attempted suicide, thirteen-year-old Brian's anxiety quickly grows worse. Brian and his younger brother are put in foster care and Brian copes by acting out, getting in fights, and running away. Ezra, his fellow basketball teammate, notices Brian is going through something but is slow to help out of fear that his friends will discover that he has a crush on Brian. But Ezra makes the effort and he and Brian forge a friendship that helps them learn more about each other and discover themselves. | Chad Lucas | 13-Sep | Social anxiety | audiobook eBook | White, Trinidadian and Polish | |
| Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes: Sixteen authors draw on their own experiences for this anthology which includes short stories, verse, a play, and a graphic novella, and cover a wide range of mental health struggles, including severe anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, PTSD, schizophrenia, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Among the diverse characters readers will meet are a socially anxious vampire who when tasked by a to save his town will have no choice but to talk to people, a girl who is writing letters to win back her ex-boyfriend and revealing that her angry outbursts are related to premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and a teen who jumps in front of a car to save his brother who died of cancer five months ago. Each author wrote a note that appears after their entry to speak to readers about their own lives with mental illness. Back matter includes author biographies, mental health resources, and writing prompts. | *Nora Shalaway Carpenter and *Rocky Callen (editors) | 13 and up | Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), PTSD, anxiety, schizophrenia, ADHD, depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder | audiobook eBook | Racial diversity among story characters, LGBTQ+ | |
| Handbook for Dragon Slayers: Thirteen-year-old Tilda (Matilda of Alder Brook), princess of a tiny medieval fiefdom, has clubfoot and uses a crutch for mobility. She loves to write and copy books and dreams of spending all her time doing that rather than her duty to her people, who she believes think she is "cursed." When Tilda's greedy cousin kidnaps her and puts a plan in motion to steal her lands, she sees it as an opportunity to escape the life of a princess. When her loyal handmaiden Judith and Parz, a disgraced squire, rescue her, Tilda wants to head to the nearest cloister. But Parz and Judith want to first slay a dragon, so that Parz can prove himself to his knight, and Tilda agrees, excited by the idea of writing a Handbook for Dragon Slayers. While they never kill a dragon, the adventurers do meet the ghostly Wild Hunt, free Elysian horses, fall under and break enchantments, thwart an evil knight, and learn that there is much more to dragons than they knew, leading Tilda, upon her return to Alder Brook, to instead develop a handbook for dragon protectors. | Merrie Haskell | 13-Oct | Assistive/mobility device: uses a cane Clubfoot | eBook | White | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2017/02/17/review-handbook-for-dragon-slayers-by-merrie-haskell/ |
| The Chance to Fly: New to New Jersey, thirteen-year-old musical theater enthusiast Nat Beacon lands a role in a local production of Wicked over the objections of her overprotective parents who want her to continue to focus on wheelchair racing. But Nat is determined to shine on stage, and when disaster threatens the production, she and her friends get creative so that the show can go on with the entire cast, Nat included. | *Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz | 12-Sep | Assistive/mobility device: uses a wheelchair | audiobook eBook talking book | White, racial and LGBTQ+ diversity among secondary characters | |
| Ali and the Sea Stars: Everyone in Breezy Beach had heard about Ali's ambitions to sing and dance on stage one day. But when asked "Why wait for someday?" Ali (who uses a wheelchair) is inspired to put on a show, inviting friends and family to participate in mounting a performance of Peter Pan. With posters hung up all over town, sets built, costumes ready, musical numbers rehearsed, everyone is ready for the big day until a storm rolls in and wrecks the sets. Determined that the show will go on, Ali makes do with flotsam and jetsam for new sets and props. An enthusiastic audience turns out and the play is a big hit. An author's note shares the real-life inspiration for the story. | *Ali Stroker | 7-Apr | Assistive/mobility device: uses a wheelchair | audiobook | White, some racial diversity among secondary characters | |
| Best Day Ever!: Written in verse, a lively puppy narrates her day, which starts out as the best day ever with her boy (who uses a wheelchair). It begins with a good scratch, then digging, playing chase with a cat, swiping a hot dog, and swimming-with a snake. But after a tromp through the mud and rolling in some stinky dead fish, her boy is not so pleased and a bath is in order, making it no longer the best day ever. Things get worse when a good shake leads to a broken lamp and the pup gets reprimanded. But later, when her boy comes to find her, he apologizes and decides that they should go to training school. In the meantime, they should play ball outside, making it again the best day ever. | Marilyn Singer | 7-Apr | Assistive/mobility device: uses a wheelchair | eBook | brown skin tones | |
| Hello Goodbye Dog: Zara loves her dog Moose. Moose loves Zara too-so much so that he puts on the brakes of her wheelchair when she has to leave him to go to school. Determined to not have to say goodbye, Moose tries to go to class with Zara and Zara's parents have to retrieve him. But Moose escapes again and again, finding his way back to Zara at school each time he is taken away. Zara gets the idea to take Moose to therapy dog school so that he doesn't have to say goodbye anymore. After testing and training, Moose gets to come to school and do something else he loves-listen to stories. | Maria Gianferrari | 7-Apr | Assistive/mobility device: uses a wheelchair | eBook | racial diversity depicted in illustrations | |
| King for a Day: It is spring and time for Basant, the annual kite festival. Malik is ready to fly the kite he made sitting in his wheelchair on his Lahore rooftop. He's determined to have his small yet mighty kite, Falcon,�capture the most kites today. His sister helps him launch Falcon while his brother is strategically positioned to retrieve the kites Malik knocks out of the air. Though Malik's skills help him win the most kite-flying battles, what truly makes him King of Basant is the anonymous gift of the kite he won battling the bully next door to the young girl he saw being abused by the bully. | Rukhsana Khan | 8-May | Assistive/mobility device: uses a wheelchair | braille eBook | Pakistani | |
| Look Up!: With illustrations that offer a young girl's bird's-eye-view from her balcony, this nearly wordless picture book tells the story of what she watches-the tops of heads, open umbrellas, and how people hurry by. She wishes someone would look up and see her. Then one day, a boy notices her watching. Recognizing that she can't see all of him, he lays down flat on the sidewalk, and others soon join him. This brightens the girl's outlook and she too comes down to the sidewalk with her wheelchair to meet her new friend | Jin-Ho Jung | 7-May | Assistive/mobility device: uses a wheelchair | eBook | Korean | |
| Mama Zooms: A young boy explains his mother's "zooming machine" and all the different things he imagines them doing when he sits on her lap as she uses her wheelchair. He might race like a jockey, drive a race car, pilot an airplane, or steer a covered wagon. And while he loves his zooming adventures with Mama, his favorite time involves no pretending-bedtime hugs when "Mama is just my mama." | Jane Cowen-Fletcher | 6-Mar | Assistive/mobility device: uses a wheelchair | braille audiobook eBook large print | White | |
| Henry the Boy: Henry is a boy who uses forearm crutches for mobility which makes him feel like a heron, until someone at school calls him a robot. Henry's friend Joel tells him that he walks "more like a chicken," and Henry doesn't like that any better. When Henry falls in the school bathroom, Joel helps him up and then he and Joel play together at recess with a sponge dinosaur. They keep playing together after school, rolling around in the grass and mud. After a snack, Joel goes home, Henry takes a bath and then looks back on his day. | *Molly Felder | 7-May | Assistive/mobility device: uses crutches | -- | White, Black | |
| My Ocean Is Blue: A curious young girl who uses crutches is exploring the ocean and beach with her mother. She swims, kayaks, plays in the sand, and uses all her senses to observe and experience the seaside's rich textures, colors, sights, smells, and sounds. | Darren Lebeuf | 6-Mar | Assistive/mobility device: uses crutches | eBook | White | |
| We Move Together: Drawing the reader in with the collective "we," the book represents a wide range of visible and invisible disabilities and shows the many different ways a group of kids move and navigate everyday life in a city, including the barriers that keep them from moving together. Includes a kid-friendly glossary and details of disability-justice organizers whose images are included in the book. Activities, image descriptions, and other accessible reading resources available at www.wemovetogether.ca. | *Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire | 10-Apr | Assistive/Mobility devices | Access tools eBook | Racial, gender, age diversity throughout all illustrations | |
| The Fantastic Freewheeler: Sixth-grade Superhero! (series): On his twelfth birthday, Drew Daniels, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, is gifted a piece of an alien spacecraft from his best friend Mikey. While holding the shard, he makes his birthday wish to have the power to "learn things with just a touch." The Martians looking for this missing spacecraft tune into his wish, and when they arrive to retrieve the shard, they grant his wish. Now Drew can ace his math test and knows exactly what's in the tuna surprise. And when new student Max loses her personal journal, Drew is able to find it. Drew lets the Martians know that he'll use their gift for good, helping others, and Mikey and Max help Drew come up with his superhero name. | *Molly Felder | 10-Aug | Cerebral palsy | braille eBook talking book | White, limit racial diversity among secondary characters | |
| This Kid Can Fly: It's About Ability (NOT Disability): Fourteen-year-old Aaron Philip provides a straightforward look at his life, from his birth in Antigua to his move to New York City to find medical attention for cerebral palsy to the Aaronverse, his Tumblr blog. In recalling the early days in New York, Aaron details the pain of family separation, financial hardship and homelessness, arduous physical therapy and multiple surgeries, and the agony of living in buildings with no elevators. He also shares his gratitude for all the "angels" who have helped him and his family, and his triumphs, including speaking engagements, a solo art show, and a successful Kickstarter to fund Tanda, a graphic book and short film. | *Aaron Philip | 12-Aug | Cerebral palsy | eBook talking book | Antiguan American | |
| Out of My Mind: Eleven-year-old Melody Brooks was born with cerebral palsy. She cannot walk, talk, feed or dress herself, or write. But she is very smart. But without a way to communicate all that she thinks and knows, Melody feels stuck. Things finally start to unstick in fifth grade when Melody gets a motorized wheelchair, her school starts an inclusion program, and she gets an aide at school who helps her research electronic communication devices. When Melody gets her Medi-Talker, she gets the chance to show just how smart she is. After acing the practice test for the Whiz Kids competition, Melody decides to try out for the team. Even after Melody earns her spot and the team wins, some classmates and the team sponsor are skeptical and remain so. Some too are jealous of the attention Melody is getting, and so when travel plans to the national finals change, no one lets Melody or her parents know. Devastated at being left behind, when she returns to school days later (after her little sister is hit by her mother's car), she faces her teammates but does not accept their excuses or apologies, just laughs at the situation and rolls away. | Sharon Draper | 10 and up | Cerebral palsy | audiobook eBook large print talking book | Unspecified race | |
| Sam's Super Seats: Sam has cerebral palsy. But sometimes needing to rest her tired legs doesn't keep her from having fun times with family and friends-like shopping for new back-to-school outfits! After her dad helps her with her hair, her mom takes Sam and her friends to the mall where they have great success finding new clothes. When Sam feels tired, they all find a bench to share, but it's not comfy like Misty, her couch at home. So Sam and her friends head back to her house, where Misty awaits and the group tries out accessories to add to their new looks. | *Keah Brown | 8-May | Cerebral palsy | audiobook eBook talking book | Black, racial diversity among supporting characters | |
| We Want to Go to School! The Fight for Disability Rights: Janine Leffler, who was born with cerebral palsy, talks about her public-school education and the support she got through physical, occupational, and speech therapy. But, she shares, there was a time in America when kids with disabilities were not welcome in public schools. Janine explains how children with disabilities were denied the chance to go to school or provided substandard educational opportunities. Thanks to seven kids and their families, who filed a class action lawsuit known as Mills v. Board of Education in the District of Columbia, that began to change in 1972. When the case was decided in their favor, 18,000 students with disabilities in Washington, DC, could now go to school. This led to more court cases and new laws that eventually made it possible for all children to attend public school. Back matter includes more information about disability education rights in the U.S. and a time line of the fight for the rights of individuals with disabilities. | Maryann Cocca-Leffler and *Janine Leffler | 8-May | Cerebral palsy | eBook talking book | White, Black, racial diversity depicted in illustrations | |
| All the Way to the Top: When Jennifer Keelan, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, is forced to switch to a part-time kindergarten because she can't make it up the steps at her neighborhood school, her parents take her to a meeting of activists with disabilities. At age six, she joins them and begins to work for disability rights. When she's eight, she joins activists who propose the Americans with Disabilities Act to make the world more accessible for people with disabilities. To get her voice heard by Congress, Jennifer and other disabled activists crawl up the steps of the Capitol. Press coverage of the event helps pressure Congress into passing the bill. A special notes section in the back includes a timeline and talks about disabilities, the fight for rights, and The Capitol Crawl. Foreword by the book's subject. | Annette Bay Pimentel | 9-May | Cerebral palsy | braille eBook talking book | White, some racial diversity among secondary characters | |
| The Pretty One: Keah Brown's memoir takes the form of essays that explore disability representation and intersectionality as Keah, who has cerebral palsy, shares what she's learned after years of introspection and connecting with others in her community. She recounts her complex journey as the disabled sister to her twin, the jealous feelings she regrets, and what she's done to make amends and bond with both her siblings. Keah openly discusses her mental health issues, her struggles with body image, and her move to self-love, exploring the intersectionality of her identity and the importance of embracing all aspects of herself. She also shares her love of fashion and pop culture, her triumph of making her own ponytail, her desire to be in a romantic relationship, and her love for her friends, along with her frustration and disappointment in the distorted view of disability and narrow beauty standards that are prevalent in society and the media. | *Keah Brown | 16 and up | Cerebral palsy | audiobook eBook talking book | Black | |
| Where You See Yourself: Effie Galanos has a few hopes and dreams for her senior year, but things are not off to a great start. Effie, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair for mobility, finds that yet again the school's accessible entrance is not working, and her accommodation plan wasn't shared, so her second locker was emptied. Effie's mom thinks she needs to handle these issues on her own, given Effie is going to have to speak up for herself when she goes to college next year. But Effie is tired of having to advocate all the time with no results and would rather focus on getting her parents to let her go to the college she wants to go in New York City and on getting the attention of Wilder, her long-time crush who is also applying to her dream school. | *Claire Forrest | 13-18 | Cerebral palsy | audiobook eBook talking book | White | |
| Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling: Almost-seventeen-year-old Chess winds up in the emergency room after something goes mortifyingly wrong during her romantic summer evening with her crush David. Chess is given a colonoscopy and admitted to the hospital. Her roommate, Shannon, has Crohn's disease and had already diagnosed Chess as having the same. As Chess comes to terms with her new reality, the two girls begin to talk through the curtain drawn between their beds. Shannon is blunt and straightforward when it comes to giving unsolicited advice and quick to air her grievances loudly to hospital staff and others. Learning about Shannon's experiences and multiple surgeries gives Chess hope and helps her accept her diagnosis but also makes her worry about how her life will change and what she'll need to do to not have this disease define her. | *Lucy Frank | 14 and up | Crohns disease | eBook | White | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/10/21/review-two-girls-staring-at-the-ceiling-by-lucy-frank/ |
| A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome: Ariel Henley and her twin sister Zan were born with Crouzon syndrome, a rare condition that affected the growth of their skull bones and caused problems with breathing, hearing, and vision. The twins spent their childhoods having multiple invasive, painful surgeries, which cause the twins to look less and less like one another over time, and as Ariel points out, less and less like herself. While they have friends, they often find themselves stared at, taunted, and rejected for how they looked, as was the case with the first local cheerleading team they tried out for. In middle school, bullying intensifies, and Ariel looks back at seventh grade as the point when the way she "was treated by ... peers was far worse than any surgery." Even as her awareness of Western beauty standards grew, Ariel still felt she wanted to meet societal expectations of beauty as she struggled with not feeling accepted for her facial appearance as well as her weight, resulting in body dysmorphia and an eating disorder, for which she is still in recovery. Ariel discovers the therapeutic value of writing in seventh grade, aiding her development into a young woman who starts a mentorship program for middle school girls, goes to college across the country from her family, and finds healing in telling her story on her terms-not the lens of Picasso's art. | *Ariel Henley | 13 and up | Crouzon Syndrome | audiobook braille eBook talking book | White | |
| No Matter the Distance: Eleven-year-old Penny Rooney's cystic fibrosis (CF) means nebulizer treatments, digestive enzymes, and periodic hospitalizations, but Penny is more than her chronic illness, even though sometimes she doesnt feel that way. When she and her sister are swimming in their backyard creek, they are amazed to spot a dolphin. Penny feels a bond with the dolphin, which grows when she learns that her best friend Cricket is moving away in a few months. When a Duke University marine biology team is invited by Penny's dad to check on the dolphin, they find that the dolphin is sick and needs to get back to the ocean. With the impending departure of both Cricket and Rose, Penny's name for the dolphin, Penny has her worst CF flare in years. As she goes through treatment, her parents recognize how alone Penny feels and helps her find online community with others who have CF through social media. This connection helps Penny say goodbye to Rose and she helps the scientists guide her back to her ocean pod. | *Cindy Baldwin | 7-Apr | Cystic fibrosis | audiobook eBook | White | |
| The Thing About Georgie: Fourth-grader George Washington Bishop, known as Georgie, is a dwarf. He and Andy have been best friends since kindergarten, and they have a dog walking business together. But when Andy wants to bring Russ into their business and Georgie's parents announce that he's going to be a big brother, Georgie is suddenly very out of sorts. To make matters worse, after an argument with Andy, he gets paired with Jeanette Wallace, known as Jeanie the Meanie, for a class project, and she signs him up to portray Abraham Lincoln in their class play. Missing Andy, Georgie worries more and more about the new baby and imagines all kinds of reasons why his parents will love it more than him. Georgie and Andy's friendship is too strong to dissolve over one fight, they apologize to each other, and Georgie gets over his fears of losing Andy and making new friends. Jeanie turns out not to be so mean and helps transform Georgie into an amazing Abraham Lincoln. And his parents offer their reassurances and help Georgie recognize how great he is and how much he's loved-love that he can pass along to his new baby sister. Throughout the book, handwritten notes ask for "favors," encouraging readers to try different activities to help them understand Georgie's perspective. | Lisa Graff | 11-Aug | Dwarfism | braille eBook large print | White | |
| Little Imperfections: A Tall Tale of Growing Up Different: Peet Montzingo, an Internet personality who grew up as the only "tall" sibling in a family of little people, fits society's idea of what a "normal" person should look like, but at home, he felt like the odd man out. By the time Peet was a year old, his mom couldn't pick him up and he didn't fit on her lap. Peet grew up in a house where everything was lowered to help his family reach things. He played sports on his knees with his brother and was the one who got to change all the light bulbs. Peet shares that he even was jealous of his siblings and the attention they got for the surgeries they needed, though he found great comfort in falling asleep to his brother's breathing machine. Peet also shares his fractured relationship with his father, how he acted out in his teen years, and his ADHD diagnosis. Back matter includes an author's note and a link to a video adaptation of the book. | Peet Montzingo and Rockwell Sands | 10-Jul | Dwarfism | -- | White | |
| Breathe and Count Back from Ten: Seventeen-year-old Ver� (Ver�nica) Renter�a's family came to Florida from Peru years ago seeking a better life for Ver� and her younger sister Dani, and better treatment options for Ver�'s hip dysplasia. Vero's overprotective parents forbid normal teenage activities, including dating, using their shaky permanent resident status to insist that Ver� and Dani do nothing to attract attention. But Ver� has a dream to become a mermaid at Mermaid Cove, a local attraction, where she would get to perform underwater. Ver� loves to swim, feeling free in the water and far from her parents' control. Lying her way into an audition and then a position at Mermaid Cove, Ver� keeps both her job and her budding romance with Alex, the son of the new apartment manager, a secret from her parents. But her parents have secrets too, keeping the full truth about Ver�nicas medical condition from her. When Dani, who is tired of covering for her sister, unleashes on her, and when Alex, who has depression, cant be the perfect boyfriend, Ver�nica comes to realize that the people around her have lives and needs that have nothing to do with her. At a crossroads, Ver�nica knows is that its time to take control of her own life, and like her surgical scars, just wants "to be allowed to be." | *Natalia Sylvester | 14 and up | Hip dysplasia | audiobook braille eBook talking book | Peruvian American, Mexican American, LGBTQ+ | |
| Aniana del Mar Jumps In: Twelve-year-old Aniana, a Dominican American girl who must keep her love of swimming a secret from her mother, is diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis, and is forced to reimagine her future. | Jasminne Mendez | 12-Sep | Juvenile Arthritis | audiobook eBook large print talking book | Dominican American | |
| Cursed: Recently diagnosed with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, fourteen-year-old Ricky Bloom now lives with dad since her mom's house is three stories. To avoid the pain of getting there and the bullying she experiences, Ricky has been skipping school, opting instead for sleeping and hot baths to ease her joints. When she's caught, it's bad, but not all bad as her dad does battle the principal to get her the accommodations she needs. But that doesn't help Ricky's anger and frustration with her chronic pain. She does temper her cursing, as she risks having to repeat 9th grade if she can't make up all the assignments she missed. Getting to know Oliver, a fellow student who is a cancer survivor, and staying after school with her speech teacher, Mr. Jenkins, empowers Ricky to become an advocate for herself and to learn to reach for other words to better express her pain and anger. | *Karol Ruth Silverstein | 12 and up | Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis | audiobook braille eBook talking book | White | |
| Born Just Right: Jordan Reeves, who was born without the bottom half of her left arm, and her mom, share Jordan's story of growing up in Columbia, Missouri: getting her "helper arm," meeting other kids with limb differences at camp, and exploring all interests, including dance, piano, singing, Girl Scouts, kayaking, biking, soccer, basketball, softball, and Crossfit. Jordan also has a keen interest in design and developed Project Unicorn, a prosthetic which shoots glitter. Her invention and her passion for design and STEAM have helped elevate her and her mission of spreading awareness about limb differences. Her efforts have included petitioning for representation of limb differences in dolls and toys, even working with Mattel to design a new doll with a prosthetic leg. Back matter includes STEAM resources for getting involved with design and the maker movement. | *Jordan Reeves and Jen Lee Reeves | 9 and up | Limb difference (congenital amputation) | eBook talking book | White | |
| Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah: Emmanuel was born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg. He could have been hidden away or left to become a beggar but for his Mama Comfort who raised him to be confident and strong. He hopped the more than two miles to school and back after he grew too heavy for Mama Comfort to carry. He learned to play soccer and to ride a bike. But when he was thirteen, Mama Comfort became ill, and Emmanuel left home to earn money to take care of his family. For two years he shined shoes and served drinks, returning home only when Mama Comfort was near death. A dying Mama Comfort reminded him to never give up and her words inspired his new mission: to educate others that "disabled did not mean unable." He rode four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, raising awareness. An author's note shares that Emmanuel's activism prompted the Ghanaian Parliament to pass the Persons with Disability Act that entitles people with disabilities to the same rights as other citizens in Ghana. | Laurie Ann Thompson | 9-Jun | Limb differences | audiobook eBook braille | Ghanan | |
| What Happened to You?: Joe is in his own world at the playground, playing pirates and keeping an eye out for sharks when he's interrupted by other kids who want to know what happened to his leg. Joe doesn't want to have to explain why he only has one leg which prompts more questions and some outlandish ideas about what happened. Joe is only interested in playing and when one girl realizes this, everyone else follows her lead, understanding at last that they don't need to know what happened. | *James Catchpole | 8-Apr | Limb differences (congenital amputation) | eBook | White, racial diversity among supporting characters | |
| Aven Green Sleuthing Machine (Aven Green chapter book series): In this first book of this prequel series to Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, mysteries are piling up around third grader Aven Green, who was born without arms. Food is getting stolen at her Kansas elementary school and her great-grandmothers dog, Smitty, is missing. Also unexplained is why Sujata, new to Aven's class, seems so unhappy. With the help of her detective kit, her family, and a new friend, Aven is up to cracking every case. Other titles in the series include Aven Green Baking Machine, Aven Green Music Machine, and Aven Green Soccer Machine. | Dusti Bowling | 9-Jun | Limb differences (congenital amputation) | audiobook eBook | White, Indian American | |
| Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus: Born without arms and adopted at age two, now thirteen-year-old Aven Green is moving from her home and friends in Kansas to Arizona, where her parents have been hired to run Stagecoach Pass, an old Western theme park. Though she is very independent and has a great sense of humor, Aven has trouble getting her new classmates to see her for who she really is and avoids the cafeteria and calling attention to herself. Aven meets Conner, a boy with Tourette syndrome, who also avoids the cafeteria and the classmates who mimic his tics and laugh at him. Along with Zion, whose weight contributes to his low self-esteem, the three discover and solve a mystery at Stagecoach Pass involving a necklace, a locked desk, and an old photograph of a girl who looks a lot like Aven. | Dusti Bowling | 13-Oct | Limb differences (congenital amputation) Tourette syndrome | audiobook braille eBook large print talking book | White | |
| A Life of Service: The Story of Senator Tammy Duckworth: Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Ladda Tammy Duckworth grew up moving around Southeast Asia because of her father's refugee work and his job with the United Nations, living in places "never far from the echoes of war." When her father lost his job, her family moved to Hawaii where Tammy worked hard to be successful in school, but also to help put food on the table at home. In graduate school, Tammy joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps, choosing to pilot helicopters. She continued her military service in Iraq but in 2004, her helicopter was shot down and she was gravely injured. During her long recovery, Tammy, now a double amputee, worked to help other soldiers get the medical care they needed. Finding there were other ways that she could serve, Tammy launched into politics, representing Illinois in the House of Representatives and now in the Senate. Back matter includes a timeline of major life events. | Christina Soontornvat | 9-May | Limb differences (double amputee) | audiobook eBook talking book | Thai American | |
| Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship: When Rescue learns he's going to be trained as a service dog rather than a seeing-eye dog, he's anxious about doing a good job. Jessica, a girl who has had her left leg amputated, worries about learning to walk again. In his training, Rescue works hard to learn how to be a good partner and helper. Jessica is working hard too but is frustrated by how different things are for her now. When a friend visits Jessica with her service dog, Jessica decides to apply for her own service dog. Rescue has graduated from his training and is ready to help. When Jessica and Rescue are introduced, they are both happy to meet each other. Rescue shows Jessica all the ways he can assist her, and they learn how they can work together. Rescue has to help Jessica in even more ways when she has to have her right leg amputated. But together, they meet their new challenges and find happiness. Authors' note shares that the authors are survivors of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. | *Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes | 8-Apr | Limb differences (double amputee) | braille audiobook eBook talking book | White, racial diversity depicted in illustrations | |
| A Sky-Blue Bench:A ria is heading back to school with her "helper leg" for the first time after her accident. She is a little worried about how things will go, especially since there will be no place for her to sit as all the school's benches were burned for heating fuel during the war. Aria tries sitting on the floor and leaning on the wall, but without a bench to sit on, Aria can't get comfortable and concentrate. At home that night, Aria thinks about not going back to school, but her family encourages her to keep trying. She decides to build herself a bench and shares her idea with her classmates, but only one friend helps her scavenge for wood. With materials in hand, Aria's mother takes her to visit the local carpenter who loans his tools, advice on how to build, and a can of sky-blue paint. Aria, with help from her mother and brother, designs, builds, and paints her bench which is received enthusiastically by her classmates who are now all ready to pitch in and build even more furniture for their school. | Bahram Rahman | 8-Apr | Limb differences (leg amputee) | eBook talking book | Afghan | |
| Stars in Their Eyes: Fourteen-year-old Maisie and her mom are going to Maise's first fancon where Masie is excited to meet the actress Kara Bufano, who is an amputee like her and stars in her favorite show. The excitement and the crowds lead to a panic attack before Maise gets through the ticket line, but her mom is there with support. Checking tickets at the convention is fifteen-year-old Ollie who is there volunteering with their dad. Maise and Ollie have an instant attraction, and when Kara's appearance is cancelled, the two spend time together bonding over fanfic and fan art. This time together includes a first kiss for both of them and feelings they've never had before. Saying goodbye is hard knowing that they live in different states and Maise is sad on the drive home, cheering only when her mom gives her a t-shirt autographed by Kara Bufano. | *Jessica Walton | 12 and up | Limb differences (leg amputee) | eBook | Unspecified race (variety of skin tones), bisexual, nonbinary | |
| A Time to Dance: A teenage dance student in Chennai, India, Veda Venkat has wanted to perform Bharatanatyam ever since she was a young girl. When she's returning home after her first place win at the regional dance competition, Veda is in a traffic accident and her right leg is amputated below the knee. She is devastated, but as Jim, the young American doctor who Veda has a crush on, works with her and designs a special prosthesis, Veda becomes determined to dance again. After her old dance teacher rejects her, Veda joins a new studio, learning to dance again in beginner classes. When she begins to work with-and fall for-Govinda, a young man who sees dance as spiritual and meditative, she finds a new way to dance and finds the "three kinds of love.... A healthy love of one's physical self, compassion for others, and an experience of God." | Padma Venkatraman | 13 and up | Limb differences (leg amputee) | audiobook braille eBook talking book | Indian | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/09/02/review-a-time-to-dance-by-padma-venkatraman/ |
| Hummingbird: Twelve-year-old Olive Martin has always been homeschooled due to her osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, and spends most of her time in a wheelchair. While she loves her home in Wildwood, Tennessee, with her mom, new stepdad, stepbrother Hatch, her father Jupiter in a yurt in the backyard, and her Uncle Dash and grandfather next door, she very much wants to go to Macklemore Middle School and find a best friend. After her parents agree to let her attend, Olive has a rough start until she finds a best friend in the entrepreneurial Grace Cho and gets involved with theater club. Olive, like Hatch, Grace, and many of her classmates, is also focused on finding the legendary wish-granting hummingbird. She'd very much like a stronger set of bones. Olive's search is curtailed when she breaks her leg in an onstage accident, but the hummingbird finds her instead. Recognizing that while her bones are fragile, she is not, Olive makes a very different wish. | *Natalie Lloyd | 12-Aug | Osteogenesis imperfecta | audiobook eBook large print | White, Asian, Black | |
| The Oracle Code: Teenage hacker Babs Gordon, daughter of Gotham's Police Commissioner Gordon, is paralyzed from the waist down after attempting to intervene in a robbery. To help with her mental and physical rehabilitation, her father has her admitted to the Arkham Center for Independence when what she really wants is to be home hacking with her friend Benjamin. Angry, despondent, and creeped out by Dr. Maxwell, the only one who gets through to Babs is Jena, a survivor of a house fire full of ghostly tales. When Jena disappears, Babs is told Jena has left the facility, but Babs' hacking tells her otherwise. Helped by Yeong and Issy, patients whom she gradually befriends, and outside help from Benjamin, Babs comes to accept her new reality, uncovers the sinister medical experimentation taking place at Arkham, and finds Jena and other missing patients. | *Marieke Nijkamp | 13 and up | Paralysis | eBook | White, racial diversity among secondary characters | |
| Marshmallow and Jordan: Paralyzed from the waist down, Balinese, basketball-loving Jordan befriends a magical white elephant who helps her discover water polo and continue her athletic dreams. But Marshmallow's magic doesn't solve Jordan's problems. She has to work hard to learn a new sport, be accepted by her teammates, and find a balance with her old friends. | Alina Chau | 12-Aug | Paraplegic | eBook | Balinese, racial and ethnic diversity among secondary characters | |
| A Kids Book About Disability: Best read by a child and grownup together to start conversations, the message of this picture book with no pictures is that disability is normal and disabled people are normal. The author introduces herself, shares what she looks like, and explains that she was born with spinal muscular atrophy which makes her muscles weaker and is a disability. She then defines a disability and helps readers to understand how she wants to be treated and included, providing information and advice about what kinds of disabilities there are, how to talk about disability, and how to talk to people with disabilities, giving examples of questions that aren't nice to ask. | *Kristine Napper | 9-May | Spinal muscular atrophy | eBook | cued White | |
| Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability: Author and a disability rights activist Shane Burcaw was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). In this book, Shane gives straightforward answers to some of the questions he frequently gets asked about his life with a disability which range from "Whats wrong with you?" to "Why is your head so much bigger than the rest of your body?" to "How does your chair work?" to "How do you play with your friends?". There's a humorous approach to the Q&A, including the lively photographs which are often posed for maximum comic impact. An authors note provides more details about SMA and Shanes activism. | *Shane Burcaw | 10-Jun | Spinal muscular atrophy | braille audiobook eBook talking book | White | |
| Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse: In this collection of essays, Shane Burcaw offers a frank and humorous look at living with spinal muscular atrophy. From his refusal to pee at school when he was a kid to the road rage he causes by having his drivers take it easy on the gas to keep his head in position to people presuming that the woman he's eating dinner with is anything but his girlfriend, Shane explores the assumptions others make about his life as well as digging into some of his own misperceptions. Shane also shares some of the wild adventures his taken with his brother, details of his sex life, and how his relationship with his girlfriend Hannah evolved. | *Shane Burcaw | 14 and up | Spinal muscular atrophy | audiobook eBook talking book | White | |
| The First Thing About You: Fifteen-year-old Harris Jacobus his family's move from California to New Jersey is an excellent opportunity to reinvent himself. He can't change that he has spinal muscular atrophy, uses a wheelchair, and needs a nurse to accompany him at school, but he's more than ready to make some friends to hang out with, go to parties, and maybe get a girlfriend. His strategy for figuring out whether he'll get along with someone is to ask their favorite color, believing that favorite colors can tell you a lot about a person. First though, he needs a new nurse so his mom can step out of that role. He's pretty happy when his mom hires Miranda, a twenty-year-old nursing student, who he starts falling for. Miranda is a graduate of his high school and is quick to coach him on winning the affections of Nory Fischer, who refuses to share her favorite color. Miranda helps him get in with the football players and he gives some much-needed coaching advice that they respect so much, he finds himself sitting on the sidelines during games, sometimes with his new friend Zander and Nory. He gets to a party and he and Nory even go out. But he isn't being the best friend he could be to either of them, trying to instead be someone else for Miranda. When Harris gets sick, Miranda's past trauma of losing her friend to a heroin overdose overwhelms her and she quits without any warning. Harris is heartbroken but realizes he's better off and rebuilds his relationships with both Nory and Zander. | *Chaz Hayden | 14 and up | Spinal muscular atrophy | audiobook eBook | White, Mexican American | |
| Sal & Gabi Break the Universe: Though his new Miami school is supposed to be a fresh start for thirteen-year-old Sal Vid�n, he is already spending a lot of time in the principal's office. On his third visit, he meets Gabi Re�l, who comes to defend Yasmany, the bully who picked a fight with Sal and knocked his diabetes kit to the ground. Sal dealt with the incident by putting a raw chicken in Yasmany's locker. But evidence of the poultry has disappeared, and Gabi doesn't believe that Sal is that good of a magician to have created such an illusion. Sal soon shares his secret with her: he can open portals into other universes. He can bring chickens and all sorts of things, including sometimes bringing a version of his deceased mother. But each time Sal brings something from another universe, calamitrons--chaos particles that may eventually destroy his universe--come with it. When the portal Sal created in Yasmany's locker continues to release calamitrons, Sal and Gabi need to find a solution all while trying to understand Sal's powers, be there for Gabi's baby brother who is very ill in the hospital, and help Yasmany deal with a difficult family situation. | Carlos Hernandez | 13-Sep | Type 1 diabetes | audiobook braille eBook large print talking book | Cuban American | |
| Dancing with Daddy: Elsie (who uses a wheelchair and a PODD book to communicate) is very excited about the upcoming father-daughter dance. She and her mom find the perfect dress-with matching hairbow-but all the snow coming down has Elsie worried that the weather might cancel the big event. Happily, the dance goes on as scheduled and Elsie and her sisters get dressed up for a night out with their father. Being on the dance floor with her daddy is even more magical than Elsie had dreamed and they dance the night away. | Anitra Rowe Shulte | 8-Apr | Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, assistive/mobility device: wheelchair, PODD book | East Asian American | ||
| Pinned: Ninth-graders Adonis Miller and Autumn Knight couldn't be more different. From his wheelchair, Adonis, a high achiever who is happy to tell you how intelligent and disciplined he is, gets straight As, manages the wrestling team, tutors, and volunteers in the school library. Openhearted Autumn struggles academically but is an amazing chef and excels at wrestling. She is the one the stars of the team-and the only girl. She's also madly in love with Adonis and is doing everything she can think of to get him to like her. Even though he wants absolutely nothing to do with someone who isn't as smart as he is, Adonis appreciates Autumns skills on the mat, and for some reason, she's always in his dreams. When Autumn's parents, who themselves struggle with reading, tell her she has to focus solely on schoolwork and can't wrestle anymore, Autumn feels "stuck" trying to figure out what she can do to help herself. She shares her stuck observations with Adonis and asks him to help her with reading. He won't but he does start to think about the ways that he is stuck too-compassionless and friendless. Both take steps to make changes. Autumn recognizes that she can apply the same focus she did to wrestling and be "intentional" about learning. Adonis opens up to Autumn and realizes that he can like for who she is and not worry about what she isn't. | Sharon G. Flake | 13-18 | Limb differences (congenital amputation) | eBook audiobook talking book | Black | |
| Six of Crows: In Ketterdam, seventeen-year-old Kaz Brekker always wears gloves, walks with a limp, uses a cane, and is a ruthless gang leader. Well-known for his cunning, Kaz is approached by a wealthy merchant and promised a fabulous reward for preventing the release of a drug that enhances the magical abilities of the Grisha by rescuing an imprisoned scientist in hostile Fjerda. For this heist, Kaz assembles a crew that includes spy and former sex slave Inej Ghafa, sharpshooter and gambling addict Jesper Fahey, religious former Grisha-hunter and convict Matthias Helvar, former soldier and Grisha Heartrender Nina Zenik, and demolitionist Wylan Van Eck, the son of the wealthy merchant. Events in their pasts and emotional attachments threaten to complicate the execution of the heist, but they manage to rescue Kuwei, the orphaned son of the scientist, who is being forced to continue his father's work. Kaz turns Kuwei over to the merchant Van Eck, only to have Van Eck go back on his word. When Kaz reveals that he's actually turned over Van Eck's son in disguise, Van Eck retaliates by capturing Inej, leaving Kaz to plot and scheme to rescue her in the sequel Crooked Kingdom. | *Leigh Bardugo | 13 and up | Assistive/mobility device: uses a cane Dyslexia, ADHD | audiobook eBook large print talking book | varied skin tones, LGBTQ+ | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/03/26/review-six-of-crows-by-leigh-bardugo/ |
| You, Me, and Our Heartstrings: Violinist Daisy Abano is excited when she's paired with her crush, cellist prodigy Noah Moray, to perform a duet for the winter holiday concert of the Manhattan Academy of Musical Performance. Both Daisy, who has cerebral palsy, and Noah, who has severe anxiety, see the concert as critical to landing a Julliard audition, but can't agree on what to play. They do reach a compromise, and as they practice, they find both their musical talents and themselves very in tune with each other. An amazing concert performance ends with an onstage kiss, all of which ends up online bringing lots of attention to Noah and Daisy. Daisy feels exploited and is upset by ableist comments, while Noah finds himself feeling even more pressure than ever to live up or be even better than his talented musician brothers. Their budding relationship is jeopardized, but Daisy and Noah find what they need to grow and reach their goals. | * Melissa See | 13-18 | Cerebral palsy Anxiety | eBook | White | |
| Vision: My Story of Strength: Born prematurely, weighing only one pound with eyes that did not develop completely, Precious Perez and her mother heard again and again about what she could not or would not be able to do. Growing up in Boston, Precious heard many cruel and unkind things said about her and faced bullies in middle school who would steal her lunch tray. Precious found solace in music, singing along with her Barbie karaoke machine, and as she grew older, learning more about music production. In high school, her music production teacher, impressed with her talents, connected her with a producer to develop an album and helped launch a crowdfunding campaign to pay for it. Accepted to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, she appealed for additional funding so that she could attend. While there, she encountered discrimination by some professors and lack of accommodations and became an active advocate for herself and her communities. | *Precious Perez | 13-Sep | Blind | audiobook eBook | Latina | |
| As Brave as You: While their parents work on their relationship, eleven-year-old Genie and his soon-to-be-fourteen-year-old brother, Ernie, are shipped from their Brooklyn home to rural Virginia to spend a month with their estranged grandparents. With no access to the internet access, the always-curious Genie attaches himself to Grandpop, who is blind from glaucoma, to try to get answers to the many questions he has about how Grandpop lives his life. There's a lot Genie wants to know-why don't his dad and grandfather speak, why does Grandpop have a gun, what's in the secret room, how do you help someone who's hurting-that he can't find out online anyway. Instead, Genie gets answers by getting to know his Grandpop, taking him on walks around the yard at night and caring for the birds in his secret greenhouse-like room. Genie works out that his grandfather is putting on a brave face to mask his grief and guilt over the death of his oldest son Wood in Operation Desert Storm as well as dealing with generational family trauma that goes back to Genie's great-grandfather and has led to the rift between Grandpop and Ernie's dad. | Jason Reynolds | 10 and up | Blind | audiobook eBook large print talking book | Black | |
| Dark Was the Night: Blind Willie Johnsons Journey to the Stars: to make music, singing and playing his cigar box guitar. When he lost his mother and went blind at a young age, music helped him make his way in the world. He made a name for himself, first singing in churches then busking on Texas street corners with his powerful voice and his unique slide guitar. When a man from a music company heard him on the street, Willie got the opportunity to make a record and get his songs heard on the radio by people all over the country. His best-known recording, the wordless "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" endured and was chosen to represent the "loneliness that all people feel" on the Voyager I space probe's Golden Record in 1977. | Gary Golio | 10-Jul | Blind | eBook | Black | |
| Song in the City: As young blind Emmalene and her Grandma Jean head to church Sunday, Emmalene delights in all the sounds of her busy city, pointing out the music of everything from the clickety-clomp of shoes to the drumming of the backhoe. But all a rushing Grandma Jean hears is noise and commotion, distractions that slow their journey. After the service, Grandma Jean sees Emmalene's frustration at having her musical perceptions dismissed, songs unheard. When at last Emmalene gets Grandma Jean to close her eyes and really listen, she finally hears Emmalene's song. | *Daniel Bernstrom | 8-May | Blind | braille | Black | NEA Vice President Princess Moss reads Song in the City by Daniel Bernstrom, illustrated by Jenin Mohammed (Amistad Books for Young Readers) |
| Thukpa for All: Sweeping his stick as he heads home, Tsering, who is blind, can't wait to taste his grandmother Abi's delicious noodle soup, humming in anticipation, "Hot, hot thukpa/Hearty, chunky thukpa/Yummy, spicy thukpa." As he walks, he meets friends and neighbors and invites them to come for soup. With their meal for two now a large gathering, Tsering helps Abi plan for more guests, who arrive with ingredients to make enough soup for all. But as they start cooking, the electricity goes out. Tsering, however, is not bothered by the dark and keeps the soup preparation going so that by the time the power is back on Tsering's soup is ready share. | Praba Ram & Sheela Preuitt | 8-Apr | Blind | eBook | South Asian (Ladakh, north India) | |
| The Black Book of Colors: Thomas experiences colors differently. He describes them in terms of other senses, offering how "yellow tastes like mustard, but is as soft as a baby chick's feathers." Thomas shares what the colors yellow, red, brown, blue, white, and green hear, feel, smell, and taste like to him. In contrast to Thomas' metaphors, the artwork of raised line drawings on dark, black pages with accompanying text in white and in braille give readers the opportunity to experience colors from another perspective. | Menena Cottin | 5 and up | Blind | braille eBook | Unspecified | |
| Not If I See You First: Parker Grant lost her vision at age seven in the same car accident that killed her mother. Now, at age sixteen, Parker has recently lost her father to a medication overdose. Parker's friends and her set of unbreakable rules of things people should not do when interacting with her have helped her cope and survive. Even though having her overbearing aunt and her family now living with her in the home she shared with her father feels wrong, Parker is acting like everything is normal, continuing to dish out tough-love relationship advice, going running on her own, and planning to join the track team. But when Scott, her former best friend/boyfriend who broke her most important rule in eighth grade when he let a group of boys watch them kiss, is suddenly back in Parker's life, Parker starts to question her rules. She begins examining her coping skills and exploring her grief, ultimately deciding she wants to both give and ask for forgiveness. | Eric Lindstrom | 14 and up | Blind | audiobook braille eBook talking book | White | https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2015/12/11/review-not-if-i-see-you-first-by-eric-lindstrom/ |
| My City Speaks: A young blind girl walking with her father notes all the ways the city "speaks" to her. Her city "rushes and stops and waits and goes" at traffic intersections, "buzzes and tweets and flocks" in the community garden, and "walks and runs and climbs and slides" at the playground. Other senses tell her that sometimes her city is "smelly," as they pass by garbage on the street, and "sometimes its sweet" as they stop to sample ice cream. At the end of their walk, the girl joins other musicians to play her violin in an outdoor concert in front of an enthusiastic audience that is there to just listen. | Darren Lebeuf | 7-Apr | Blind, cane use | braille eBook talking book | Unspecified race (dark skin and hair) | |
| My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay: First grader Zulay, who is blind, is happy at school. She gets to hang out and be silly with her three best friends. But she can't wait to tell her whole class about her new pink running shoes-though Ms. Seeger would rather she not. So Zulay focuses on drawing new shapes, helping a friend with math, and writing with her brailler. When the time comes for the class to go to the gym, Zulay is not so enthusiastic. She doesn't go to the gym because she has to work with Ms. Turner to learn how to use her folding cane and she doesn't want to. But she does want to run in the race on Field Day and wear her new running shoes. With Ms. Turner's help and encouragement, Zulay practices using her cane so she can do just that. | Cari Best | 8-May | Blind, cane use | braille talking book | Black, racial diversity among supporting characters | |
| Lucky Me: Bruno loves going over to his friend Sanjay's house to play. They can move around furniture for battles and leave their toys anywhere when they stop to eat. And Sanjay has a cool pet iguana. This is different from how things are at Bruno's house, where everything needs to be in its right place for Mateo, Bruno's blind older brother. There's no pet at Bruno's house, but a "very nice Labrador named Rocco" is there to help Mateo. But as much fun as he has at Sanjay's, Bruno always likes to come home to his brother, who can read in the dark, tell really good stories, find things that are missing, and has an excellent memory. Bruno feels lucky to have both Sanjay and Mateo in his life. | Lawrence Schimel | 9-Jun | Blind, guide dog use, braille use | eBook | White | |
| Erik the Red Sees Green: Erik is frustrated. He's missing assignments at school, can't see the board, and having trouble at soccer. When his classmates point out that Erik, with his bright red hair, has painted a green-haired self-portrait, Erik learns that he has color vision deficiency, which is confirmed by a trip to the doctor. He couldn't see his assignments, because they were red ink on green paper or read the yellow chalk on a green board. And when the colors of the practice vests are changed to blue and white, Erik doesn't have any trouble passing the soccer ball to his teammates. | Julie Anderson | 8-Apr | color vision deficiency | eBook | White, varied skin tones in secondary characters | |
| Wink: With a rare form of eye cancer, seventh grader Ross Maloy is finding it hard not to stand out in middle school. His best friend Abby, who embraces standing out with her bright hair and unique fashion choices, jokes with him about his cancer and treatment, which helps him feel normal. This is in total contrast to his other best friend Isaac, who has ghosted him. When someone starts sending around cruel memes about Ross, he channels his anger into learning how to play the guitar. In addition to his Batpig comic character, where he expresses his feelings about everything that's happening, he finds music gives him an outlet. Ross rocks out at the school talent show, shows the bullies whats what, gains a new friend, and bittersweetly sees Abby off to her new home. | *Rob Harrell | 12-Sep | Eye cancer, visual impairment | audiobook eBook large print talking book | ||
| A Blind Guide to Stinkville: A new job for Alice's dad takes twelve-year-old Alice and her family to Sinkville, South Carolina, aka Stinkville, far away from Seattle where Alice, born with albinism and 20/200 vision with glasses, knew how to get around. With her dad busy with his job at the stinky paper mill, her mom depressed, and her brother James wanting time for himself, Alice realizes she's going to have to get used to this new environment on her own. When Alice's parents start talking about Alice attending a school for the blind in the fall instead of public school, Alice asserts her independence. Accompanied by her pet dog Tooter, she finds refuge at the local library and a friend, Kerica. At the library, Alice also learns about the Sinkville Success Stories essay contest, which is a big challenge for someone new to the community. But she's determined and it becomes a way to meet people and make new friends while also helping her to reconnect with her family. | Beth Vrabel | 12-Sep | Legally blind | audiobook braille eBook talking book | White, Black | |
| Tangerine: Twelve-year-old Paul Fisher, legally blind from an incident that he can't remember, has just moved to Tangerine County, Florida from Houston. Once school starts, Paul takes an interest in playing soccer, but Paul's parents only have eyes for his favored football-star older brother Erik. When a gigantic sinkhole opens up underneath Pauls middle school, Paul transfers to another school where he joins the soccer team and begins to make friends. When his friend Tino comes to visit Paul, Erik viciously knocks him out. And when Tino's brother comes to talk to Erik, Erik strikes him with a blow that he later dies from. Paul supports Tino in avenging his brother, which results in Paul finally remembering that he lost his vision because of Erik's cruelty. | Edward Bloor | 11 and up | Legally blind | audiobook braille eBook large print talking book | White, Latino | |
| Run: Both Bo Dickinson and Agnes Atwood want to get out of their small town in Kentucky. Seventeen-year-old Bo feels suffocated by her family's addiction problems, their bad reputation, and the unfounded rumors about her promiscuity, while Agnes, who is legally blind, feels smothered by all the restrictions placed on her by her overprotective parents. The pair become friends when Bo helps a lost Agnes find her way home one day and Agnes is thrilled to be seen by Bo as just another person. When Bo's mother is arrested, she turns to Agnes, who steals the keys to her sister's car so she and Bo can leave town before Bo is sent to foster care. Secrets unfold and emotional baggage is unpacked through chapters that alternate between Bo sharing their life on the run and Agnes's flashbacks to the beginning of their friendship. | *Kody Keplinger | 14 and up | Legally blind (Leber congenital amaurosis) | audiobook braille eBook talking book | White, LGBTQ+ | |
| Blind Spot: Roz Hart has macular degeneration. But she'd rather been seen by her Alaska high school classmates as shy or rude or stuck-up than someone who is disabled. So she's angry that she gets put into a special education "Life Skills" class. She wants to be "normal" and adored by people like Jonathan Webb, hockey team hero and student aide in the class, not paired with strung-out Tricia Farni. But when Tricia gets Roz to buy her some marijuana, Jonathan helps Roz out and then the two start going to parties together. At a party the night of homecoming, Roz finds Tricia and Jonathan together, then gets drunk. When Tricia's body is pulled from the river six months later, Roz has to try and make sense of what happened that night to clear her name. | *Laura Ellen | 14 and up | Macular degeneration | eBook talking book | White | |
| Lila and Hadley: Twelve-year-old Hadley is frustrated, angry, and sad. With her mom in prison for embezzlement, she has to move to Kentucky to live with her older sister, Beth, who Hadley hasn't seen since she was seven. And now her retinitis pigmentosa is so bad that her sister wants her to take mobility classes, which Hadley refuses to do. She does, however, accompany Beth, a dog trainer, to Right Choice Rescue, where she encounters Lila, a depressed pit bull who has not responded to anyone else but immediately takes to Hadley. The sisters agree to foster Lila, training and socializing her so she can be adopted. Working with Lila is harder than Hadley thought, but it drives Hadley to start accepting some of her own hard truths and make some changes in her own life. | *Kody Keplinger | 12-Sep | Retinitis pigmentosa | audiobook eBook talking book | White, Black supporting character, LGBTQ+ | |
| The Last Cuentista: Petra Pe�a, a twelve-year-old Mexican American aspiring storyteller with retinitis pigmentosa wants nothing more than to be like her cuentista grandmother and tell stories for a living. But that doesn't seem likely with Halley's Comet on a crash course to Earth. Petra, along with her brother and scientist parents are able to leave on one of the last ships to Sagan, a three-hundred-year journey. Something goes wrong during Petra's cryo-sleep and when she is woken up, she's the only person on board who remembers Earth. Petra soon discovers this is because the governing body-the Collective-has been erasing all memories of the planet to establish a perfect society. Her memories of Earth's complex and diverse past make her an enemy of the Collective and she must use the stories she holds dear to convince others to act against them. | Donna Barba Higuera | 14-Oct | Retinitis pigmentosa | audiobook braille eBook large print talking book | Mexican American | |
| My Travelin' Eye: Jenny Sue has both "travelin eye" (strabismus) and lazy eye (amblyopia). Her right eye looks in one direction, while her left eye sometimes wanders. Jenny Sue appreciates her "travelin' eye" and all the different things it gets her to look at. She is apprehensive about what a trip to see Dr. Dave the ophthalmologist will mean for how she sees the world. With Dr. Dave's prescription to wear an eye patch and glasses to wake up her lazy eye, Jenny Sue feels lost and sad. But when her mom helps her design "fashion patches" to wear, Jenny Sue, finds her creative perspective again. | *Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw | 8-Apr | Strabismus, Amblyopia | eBook | White | |
| Ten Ways to Hear Snow: After a blizzard, Lina dresses warmly to go to Sitti's place at an assisted living facility so that she can help her grandmother, who is losing her vision, make warak enab (stuffed grape leaves). As Lina walks, she discovers that things sound different in the snow. She can hear the snow in all kinds of ways, from the sound of shovels on the sidewalk to the stomp of her own boots. Lina and Sitti have fun cooking together and while they enjoy their lunch, Lina is excited to share all nine different ways she heard snow with Sitti. But not before they head outside together to find and appreciate the tenth way to hear snow. | Cathy Camper | 8-Apr | Vision loss | braille eBook talking book | Lebanese | |
| So Much More to Helen!: The Passions and Pursuits of Helen Keller: The book follows Helen Keller, the most well-known Deafblind American in history, through her many pursuits, as an author, adventurer, activist, and changemaker. Told in rhyme, each page also offers brief text that further explains different aspects of her life-from the people in her life, like her beloved teacher Annie Sullivan, to her academic achievements, her love of dogs, her writing, her travels, her advocacy for people with disabilities, and her sense of humor. Back matter shares more about this influential woman. | Meeg Pincus | 10-Jun | Deafblind | eBook | White | |
| Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law: Haben Girma, who was born deafblind, grew up in California with her Eritrean parents, refugees who fled war-torn Ethiopia. While her parents believed Haben could do anything, they also were very protective as Haben's vision and hearing continued to deteriorate. Undeterred, Haben exerted her independence to go away to college, learn to dance salsa, climb an iceberg, and travel extensively, including a trip to Mali, where she helped build a school. In college, she also took her first steps as a disability advocate by getting the cafeteria to email its daily menu to her. While at Harvard Law School, she came up with a system that pairs a braille computer with a standard keyboard before becoming part of the legal team that helped expand the Americans with Disabilities Act to cover the digital world. | *Haben Girma | 13 and up | Deafblind | audiobook braille eBook | Black | |
| Unbroken: All the diverse protagonists in this anthology have disabilities, which may play a role in-but are not the focus of-these short stories. Stories range from realistic fiction to romance to fantasy to science fiction to horror where characters have eerie adventures, fall in love, give advice, fight intergalactic wars, use magic, and grant wishes. Each story is authored by a disabled creator. | *Marieke Nijkamp (editor) | 13 and up | Autism, anxiety, chronic pain, depression, retinitis pigmentosa, agoraphobia, irritable bowel syndrome, schizophrenia, cane use, cerebral palsy, | audiobook braille eBook talking book | Racial diversity among story characters, LGBTQ+ |
Coming Soon: Opportunity for Library Mini-Grants
NEA acknowledges the funding obstacles confronting school libraries and will be offering mini-grants to schools to aid in the procurement of books featured in the book list.
- Who is eligible to apply? School librarians/media specialists and educators.
- What is expected in return for the grant? Successful grant recipients will be asked to demonstrate how they have promoted the books in their library, including providing a brief book talk or self-recorded video showcasing how the books have contributed to raising awareness of disability perspectives.
- When will applications for the grant open? Spring 2024
- Where can I submit my application? Complete the form below to receive an alert and application when open.
- How much funding is available through the grants? The maximum grant amounts vary based on the size of your local affiliate: $500 grants to small locals (< 200 members); $1250 grants to medium locals (201-500 members); $2500 to large locals (500+ members)
Including books with a disability perspective in school libraries is not just about having a diverse collection of books; it's about creating a more inclusive, empathetic, and educated community. These books offer opportunities for all students to see the world through different lenses, promoting a culture of understanding and respect that extends beyond the library walls.
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