Autism Acceptance Week 2023
By Jacqson Diego Story Emporium
Autism Acceptance Week 2023
By Jacqson Diego Story Emporium
This Autism Acceptance Week we celebrated some of the books by and for autistic people.
From beautiful picture books to wonderful fiction with autistic protagonists, and graphic novels to non-fiction helping children to explore the amazing diversity of their brains, we have something for everyone.
We'd like to specifically mention autistic authors such as Elle McNicoll, Emily Kenny, Christine McGuiness, Abigail Balfe, Aiofe Dooley and Louise Gooding, as it's vitally important that autistic voices are heard loud and clear.
Amazing Me, Amazing You
Christine McGuinness and Hannah Jayne Lewin
£7.99 £7.59In this first children's book from autism ambassador, Christine McGuinness, this book shows just how important it is to embrace diversity and inclusivity while highlighting just how much it means to accept one another, just as we are with all the uniqueness that makes us special. Recently diagnosed with autism along with her three children, Christine's message to parents and carers to help them talk with their children about neurodiversity is the perfect way to introduce the subject to any child.
The Infinite
Patience Agbabi
£7.99 £7.59Leaplings, children born on the 29th of February, are very rare. Rarer still are Leaplings with The Gift - the ability to leap through time. Elle Bibi-Imbele Ifie has The Gift, but she's never used it. Until now. On her twelfth birthday, Elle and her best friend Big Ben travel to the Time Squad Centre in 2048. Elle has received a mysterious warning from the future. Other Leaplings are disappearing in time - and not everyone at the centre can be trusted. Soon Elle's adventure becomes more than a race through time. It's a race against time. She must fight to save the world as she knows it - before it ceases to exist...
The Reason I Jump: one boy's voice from the silence of autism
Naoki Higashida
£9.99 £9.49Severely autistic and non-verbal, Naoki learnt to communicate by using a 'cardboard keyboard' - and what he has to say gives a rare insight into an autistically-wired mind. He explains behaviour he's aware can be baffling such as why he likes to jump and why some people with autism dislike being touched; he describes how he perceives and navigates the world, sharing his thoughts and feelings about time, life, beauty and nature; and he offers an unforgettable short story. Proving that people with autism do not lack imagination, humour or empathy.
The London Eye Mystery
Siobhan Dowd
£7.99 £7.59Everyone exits - everyone but Salim. Has he spontaneously combusted? Has he been kidnapped? Is he even still alive? Ted doesn't see the world like most people he knows and is sure that with his "unique operating system" of a brain he can uncover the truth about Salim's disappearance. So, teaming up with Kat, Ted sets out to do just that - following a trail of clues across London. But with time ticking dangerously by, can Ted solve the mystery before it's too late?
The Guggenheim Mystery
Robin Stevens and Siobhan Dowd
£7.99 £7.59My name is Ted Spark. Three months ago, I solved the mystery of how my cousin Salim disappeared from a pod on the London Eye. This is the story of my second mystery. This summer, I went on holiday to New York, to visit Aunt Gloria and Salim. While I was there, a painting was stolen from the Guggenheim Museum, where Aunt Gloria works. Then Aunt Gloria was blamed for the theft, and I realised just how important it was to find the painting, and discover who really had taken it.
Can You See Me?
Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott
£7.99 £7.59With diary entries written by eleven-year-old Libby Scott, based on her own experiences of autism, this pioneering book, written in collaboration with esteemed author Rebecca Westcott, has been widely praised for its realistic portrayal of autism. Tally is eleven years old and she's just like her friends. Well, sometimes she is.
Ways to Be Me
Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott
£7.99 £7.59Being in the top class at school means a whole host of privileges, but even better than that is the school production - and Tally is convinced she'll win the lead role. But at home, things aren't going so well. Mum and Dad have been making Tally feel pressured and upset, and Tally wishes things didn't bother her so much - but they do, and sometimes she feels so misunderstood and frustrated, she could explode. Then Tally's mum and dad tell her about something she's never heard about before. Something called autism. And everything changes.
Finding My Voice
Aoife Dooley
£8.99 £8.54Frankie is different, and so is her best-friend, Sam. So when they both start secondary school, it's tough. Particularly when there are so many rules to follow, like: No talking in class! Be quiet in the hallways! Silence for assembly! Frankie doesn't know how she'll manage, because constantly talking is how she copes. So when she gets the chance to compete in a Battle of the Bands contest, Frankie couldn't be more excited. Except, to have a band, you need to have band members.
Frankie's World
Aoife Dooley
£8.99 £8.54Is it the new freckle on her nose, or the fact she's small for her age? Or that she has to go to the hospital sometimes? Everyone else seems to think she's weird too, and they make fun of her at school. Frankie's dad left when she was a baby - maybe he was different too? It would explain why she always feels like an alien. So she and her best-friend Sam, embark on a mission to track him down.
A Different Sort of Normal: A real-life completely true story about being unique
Abigail Balfe
£8.99 £8.54Hi! My name is Abigail, and I'm autistic. But I didn't know I was autistic until I was an adult-sort-of-person. This is my true story of growing up in the confusing 'normal' world, all the while missing some very important information about myself. There'll be scary moments involving toilets and crowded trains, heart-warming tales of cats and pianos, and funny memories including my dad and a mysterious tub of ice cream. Along the way you'll also find some very crucial information about autism.
The Kids' Guide: Understanding Autism
Vicky Martin and Scott Garrett
£13.99This book is for children wanting to find out more about autism. You might want to read this book because you've had a diagnosis of autism, or perhaps you think you're on the autism spectrum and want to find out more. Or maybe you know someone with autism and you want to understand them better. Whatever your reasons, this book will help you to understand what it is like to be autistic and how this can affect day-to-day situations such as school and friendships.
Wonderfully Wired Brains: An Introduction to the World of Neurodiversity
Louise Gooding and Ruth Burrows
£12.99 £12.34Combining neurodiverse experiences with science, history, and brain-bursting facts, Wonderfully Wired Brains has something for everyone! Whether your child is neurodiverse or not, this book will inspire inquisitive young readers and show them that no two brains function in the same way and that everyone's differences should be celebrated. There really is no other book like it.
Boy Underground
Isabelle Marinov and Paula Zorite
£7.99 £7.59Boy Underground is a powerful adventure story about Hugo, an autistic boy who decides to go all the way into the Paris underground to find a place where he belongs. For Hugo, the world can be too loud and bright. He likes the quiet. He likes the dark. And he loves maps. When Hugo learns that there's a whole other world under Paris, a network of tunnels, quarries and catacombs mapped beneath his feet, he sets off on an adventure. Navigating secret passages, narrowly escaping robbers and returning to old friends, Hugo discovers more than just buried treasure ...
Autism and Me (Mindful Kids)
Haia Ironside and Dr Leslie Ironside and Ellie O'Shea
£9.99 £9.49This book is for autistic people. You can share this book with important people such as family and friends. The activities in this book explore what it means to be autistic. It is full of fun activities including colouring, drawing and DIY. The activities are designed for autistic people and their friends and family to enjoy. Some ideas might be useful to practice outside of the book in real life, every day situations.
Leo and the Octopus
Isabelle Marinov and Chris Nixon
£7.99 £7.59Leo struggles to make sense of the world. He doesn't understand the other children in his class, and they don't seem to understand him. But then one day, Leo meets Maya. Maya is an octopus, and the more Leo learns about her, the more he thinks that perhaps he isn't alone in this world, after all.
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alice Tonks: Longlisted for the Adrien Prize, 2022
Emily Kenny
£7.99 £7.59Alice Tonks would love to make friends at boarding school and, being autistic, she just wants people to accept her for who she is. But after a rather strange encounter with a talking seagull on her first day, she suddenly has a new challenge and a lot of questions.
A Kind of Spark
Elle McNicoll
£7.99 £7.59'A Kind Of Spark' tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there's more to the story of these 'witches', just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard?