A Bird Will Soar by Alison Green Myers
Axel loves everything about birds, especially eagles. When a tornado damages not only Axel's home but the nearby eagles' nest, Axel's life is thrown into chaos. Suddenly his dad is back to help repair the damage, and Axel has to manage his dad's presence and his beloved birds' absence.
Can You See Me? By Libby Scott
Tally isn't ashamed of being autistic – even if it complicates life sometimes, it’s part of who she is. But something is different about sixth grade, and Tally now feels like she has to act "normal." But as Tally hides her true self, she starts to wonder what "normal" means anyway, and whether fitting in is really what matters most.
A Different Kind of Normal by Abigail Balfe
In this joyfully illustrated memoir, author-illustrator Balfe recounts her journey growing up autistic and the challenges of navigating the normal world around her. Important, funny and completely unique, this book is for anyone who has ever felt different.
Ellen Outside the Lines by A. J. Sass
Thirteen-year-old Ellen Katz knows she can always rely on her best-and-only friend, Laurel, who has always made Ellen feel like being autistic is no big deal. But lately, Laurel has started making more friends, and cancelling weekend plans with Ellen. Will their school trip to Barcelona be the perfect place for Ellen to get their friendship back on track?
Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt
Selah knows her rules for being normal, and she always, always sticks to them. This means keeping her feelings locked tightly inside, despite the way they build up inside her as each school day goes on. One day she explodes and hits a fellow student, and her school threatens expulsion. As Selah starts to figure out more about who she is, she comes to understand that different doesn’t mean damaged. Can she get her school to understand that, too, before it’s too late?
Hannah Sharpe, Cartoon Detective by Janet Tashjian
Young cartoonist Hannah Sharpe notices things. When Doug Williams moves into her family’s Airbnb, Hannah can’t shake the feeling that he’s got something to hide. As Hannah investigates, often with her sketchbook in hand, she makes a series of unsettling discoveries involving stolen packages, changed keypad codes, and hidden stacks of cash. Can Hannah crack the case and unfold the mystery on her own?
Izzy at the End of the World by K. A. Reynolds
When Izzy Wilder's mom died, it felt like the end of the world – until the night the world actually did end, and everyone except for Izzy and her dog Akka disappeared in an instant. But Izzy is a fighter and she won't lose anyone else in her family, even if it means battling terrifying gray, ugly monsters and decoding cryptic messages that seem a lot like her mom talking to her from beyond the grave.
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
Ever since Ms. Murphy told us about the witch trials that happened centuries ago right here in Juniper, I can't stop thinking about them. Those people weren't magic. They were like me. Different like me. I'm autistic. I see things that others do not. I hear sounds that they can ignore. And sometimes I feel things all at once.
On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis
January 29, 2035: that’s the day the comet is scheduled to hit – and a generation ship is scheduled to leave Earth behind. Denise, her mom, and her sister, Iris, have a chance to board, but Iris is nowhere to be found. Plus, each passenger must have a practical skill to contribute. Denise is autistic and fears that she’ll never be allowed to stay. Can she obtain a spot before the ship takes flight? What about her mother and sister? When the future of the human race is at stake, whose lives matter most?
Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
Twelve-year-old Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger – it's the first time a teacher is going into space. Her big sister, Bridget, promised they’d watch the launch together, but she’s disappeared. Most people dismiss Nova because of her nonverbal autism, but Bridget understood how intelligent Nova is. As the liftoff draws closer, people are starting to see Nova’s potential, and for the first time, she’s making friends without Bridget.
The Problem with Gravity by Michelle Mohrweis
Autistic seventh-grader Maggie Weir loves spacecraft, but aerospace engineering isn’t the only thing that gives her butterflies. She’s teamed up with her longtime crush Tatum Jones for an engineering contest, but Tatum is distracted with her own troubles at home. Worse still, Maggie’s dad wants to move to Houston. Now she has a big decision to make: does she stay with her mom and remain in Tatum’s orbit, or does she launch her dreams of visiting NASA by following her Dad?
The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla
Charlie’s life has been unraveling since his war journalist father was injured in Afghanistan. When Dad gets sent across the country for medical treatment, Charlie must travel to meet him. Along the way, Charlie decides to try to spot all the birds that he and his dad had been hoping to see together in the wild. If he can complete the Someday Birds list for Dad, then maybe, just maybe, things will turn out okay...
Speak Up! By Rebecca Burgess
Twelve-year-old Mia is just trying to navigate a world that doesn’t understand her true autistic self, but she’s always been able to express her feelings through singing. Little do Mia’s classmates know that she’s the viral singer Elle-Q! When the chance to perform live for a local talent show arises, Mia will have to decide whether she’ll let her worries about what other people think get in the way of showing everyone who she is and what she has to say.
