Middle-grade Books with Neurodivergent Main Characters
Laura B. asked the blog for suggestions of books with neurodivergent protagonists for the upper-elementary set. She mentioned already finding Fish in a Tree, Rain Reign, A Boy Called Bat, and Counting by 7s. I enjoyed doing research and reading to discover more options. Below are my picks. Three are realistic, contemporary fiction; the other two are fantasy.
Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen by Sarah Kapit (2020)
This highly engaging book is told in letters and emails between Vivy, a tween with autism, and her idol, a major league pitcher. Their relationship is beautifully developed as Vivy battles against her parents’ protectiveness in her desire to join a baseball team.
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor (2008)
Leslie Connor is one of my favorite middle-grade authors (I recommended her book A Home for Goddesses and Dogs earlier on the blog). Waiting for Normal centers on Addie, who has dyslexia. It is only named as such in passing in the book. Addie more frequently refers to herself as lacking the “love of learning” that others have. Addie excels at forging friendships and making the best of bad situations, including when her mother disappears for days at a time.
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty (2018)
Lucy was struck by lightning when she was eight. As a result, she has acquired savant syndrome, resulting in astronomical math skills. She also has synesthesia (which causes her to perceive numbers as shapes and colors) and OCD (which leads to behavior such as sitting and standing three times before settling). Since the accident, she’s been homeschooled, but now her Nana wants her to go to middle school to interact with kids her own age.
The Real Boy by Anne Ursu and Erin McGuire (2013)
Author Anne Ursu has confirmed in interviews the main character in this fantasy novel intended to be a person with autism (and inspired by her experiences with her son). Oscar is a servant to a powerful magician. He has secretly learned to read and uses the magician’s library to learn more about potions and herbs. His knowledge becomes essential when the magician disappears and a plague wreaks havoc in their town. (Also read my post on Ursu’s The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy.)
The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente and Ana Juan (2015)
Valente and Juan’s Fairytale series is amazing from start to finish — A Wizard of Oz for a new generation. I’m calling out The Boy Who Lost Fairyland because of the portrayal of the changeling Hawthorne. Valente has confirmed that, although not stated explicitly in the book, the character is meant to be on the autism spectrum. Hawthorne is a troll who is swapped with a human boy and raised in the real world. When he is 12, he finds a way back to Fairyland and must discover the truth about this past and himself.