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Middle Grade Book Spotlight--Neurodiverse Characters!!!

Our Middle Grade book spotlight this week is focused on books that feature Neurodiverse characters!   Neurodiverse individuals are ones who see the world differently and have unique behavioral traits; their brains work in a way that is different from those who are neurotypical.  The books this week all feature characters who fall under this group and they will open your eyes to see the world differently!  All of the titles this week are realistic fiction, but they all have plot lines that anyone can relate to and will want to read from beginning to end.   These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthneurodiverse as well as on Libby and Hoopla.  Check back next week for a new Middle Grade book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!

Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry--In this novel in verse, Calliope June, who has Tourette syndrome, is tired of moving so much with her mother. At each new school she tries to hide her tics, but soon everyone thinks she's weird. Then she meets her neighbor, Jinsong, who is popular and also the student body president, and the two slowly become friends. However, Calli worries that it won't be long before her mother wants to move again.

Focused by Alyson Gerber--After Clea fails yet another test, her parents take her to the doctors and she is diagnosed with ADHD. Her attention is all over the place, and that has to change, life can't continue the way it has been--Clea has to fight through to find a way to focus and get her life back on track.

The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla--When 12-year-old Charlie's father, a journalist, returns from the war in Afghanistan with a severe brain injury, Charlie and his three siblings—who have already lost their mother—face an uncertain future. As they travel from California to Virginia with a woman they hardly know to see their father in the hospital, Charlie turns to his obsession with birds to help him cope with his feelings. 

A Boy Called Bay by Elena K. Arnold--Bixby Alexander Tam is a third-grade boy on the autism spectrum. Call him “B.A.T.,” everyone else does! Bat's days are full of surprises. Some are good, some not so good. He needs a lot of structure throughout his day due to his autism, but he has learned that surprises can be fun. Today is a good surprise! His veterinarian mother brings home a kit, a baby skunk, she needs to care for before she can bring it to a wild-animal shelter. Bat and the kit become friends immediately, but how can he convince his mother that a baby skunk would be the perfect pet?

Tune It Out by Jamie Sumner--Neuro-sensitive Louise has a powerful singing voice but is afraid of loud noises and of being touched. Raised by her single mother and living out of a truck, Louise doesn't attend school but auditions at cafes and sings for anyone who will listen. When social services catches up with her situation, she's removed from her mother's care and sent to live with an aunt and uncle, where she begins school, learns to manage her sensory issues, and relies on her singing to make it through the abrupt transition.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine--Caitlin, a 10-year-old girl with Asperger's syndrome, struggles to deal with the violent death of her big brother Devon in a high school shooting. Caitlin doesn't experience emotions like other people, but she tries valiantly to empathize with the deep grief that her father and others in the community are feeling. With many misunderstandings, some comic even, Caitlin learns how to empathize with others and find closure for herself.