Our teen 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 #yaneurodiverse as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new teen book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman--Fifteen-year-old high school student and skilled artist Caden Bosch, a schizophrenic, struggles to stay present in his everyday life as his delusions begin to take over his waking thoughts.
Marcelo In the Real World by Francisco X. Stork--Marcelo Sandoval is a bright, high-functioning autistic 17-year-old boy who has the uncanny ability to hear music internally. Marcelo's differences go unchallenged at the special school he attends, but this changes when Marcelo's lawyer father decides that Marcelo needs some real world experience. Becoming a mailroom worker at his father's law firm, Marcelo faces new obstacles and learns about life's dilemmas, from romance and desire to competition and injustice.
Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern--Seventeen-year-old Amy has cerebral palsy, speaks with an electronic speech computer, and uses adult aides. In her last year of high school, Amy decides to hire a peer to help her make friends. OCD-suffering Matthew becomes her peer helper and the two develop an unlikely friendship that leads to love.
Girls Like Us by Gail Giles--Life is hard enough, but for two girls newly graduated from their high school's special education program and placed together in their first independent apartment, day-to-day difficulties stem in large part from the pity, anger and disdain with which society treats them. Tough-as-nails Quincy has had to defend herself from a young age, while gentle Biddy soothes her own sorrows by overeating. The two girls are hired to cook and clean for Elizabeth, their elderly neighbor, and through challenges, crises and triumphs, Quincy and Biddy gradually come to find strength and support in one another.
Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer--Ben Bright, an accomplished and well-liked high school senior who opts to join the military before pursuing a college education and an eventual career in the entertainment industry. Ben, however, suffers a brain injury while serving in Iraq. He returns home, and two months pass before he wakes up from a coma -- with no memory of his former life.
Kids Like Us by Hilary Reyl--Martin, an American autistic teen, is living in France for the summer. His mother has enrolled him in summer. When he falls for a girl in his class, in his mind she becomes linked with the main character in his favorite novel. He struggles to fit in and to understand his new social relationships.