A Kind of Spark

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I absolutely loved Addie, and her strong sense of self was so moving to witness, even in the face of horrible treatment by her teacher and classmates. You can tell that even when it affects her deeply emotionally and physically, she doesn't let it touch her belief in her own worth and value. She knows who she is, and she knows that "who she is" is not the caricature her bullies have concocted, but rather someone kind and wise and ambitious and full of all the empathy that others have withheld from her. Seeing how much she took the story of the women persecuted during the witch trials to heart made so much sense, not just because she saw her own story in theirs, but because the notion of such injustice was blindingly obviously wrong to her, and she knew that her role here was to do whatever she could to make others see it, too. I loved that she didn't give up in her quest for the memorial, that she didn't let people dismiss her even though continuing to push for it was at times stressful and scary to her. A Kind of Spark is a middle grade novel by Elle McNicoll, published on 4 June 2020, by Knights Of Media. The book follows Addie, "an autistic 11-year-old [who] seeks to memorialize the women once tried as witches in her Scottish village." [1] The book was commissioned as a CBBC television adaptation, with McNicoll acting as head writer for the series Her debut novel, A Kind of Spark, won the Blue Peter Book Award and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. A live action TV adaptation from BBC Children’s and 9 Story Media will be hitting UK screens in Spring 2023. LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives.

In this book, Addie and her sister have to find ways to adapt in the world around them as they struggle at points to cope with their autism. I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure stories.Bad Influencer: Nina shows shades of this, choosing to work on a video instead of watching Addie and having Addie appear in a video without anticipating people trolling her. I think that a kind of park is an amazing book that my love for cannot be put into words. Elle mcnicoll is an amazing author and I look forward to her next book, which is coming out soon that unfortunately I have forgotten the name of! There is a lot of story in this juvenile fiction novel! The main character, Addie, is 11-years-old, autistic, and struggling with her new classroom teacher and a new student who has joined their class this year. Addie has a lot of depth and readers are able to get "into her head" and realize the extent to which she has to mask her autism at times, the passion she has for causes that are important to her, and the complicated family dynamics between Addie and her older sisters - twins, one of which is also autistic. (Through this reading, I also learned that Addie prefers to be referred to as autistic, not as "having autism". Addie says, "It's something you are, not something you have.") Although she is grossly misunderstood, and mistreated, by her homeroom teacher, Addie finds comfort in the school library and support from the school librarian, as well as her family. People aren't like books. A familiar book is always the same, always comforting and full of the same words and pictures. A familiar person can be new and challenging, no matter how many times you try to read them."

My favourite character is Audrey, the best friend to the main character. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes looking through someone else's point of view. It truly is an amazing book.

Did we miss something on diversity?

Diagnosed by the Audience: Invoked In-Universe: Many of the witches were seen as imbeciles or madwomen which makes Addie suspect they might have been autistic.

When Scottish author Elle McNicoll was first trying to enter the publishing world, she was repeatedly told that people didn’t want to read about an autistic heroine. “In job interviews, I was saying that I wanted to see more books with disabled characters in them that were not traumatic, boring or educational, but fun and full of life. A lot of the reactions were, ‘Waterstones don’t like books like that’,” she says. A Kind of Spark may have a story about acceptance and understanding as its central thread but this takes nothing away from the fact that the story itself is engaging and finely plotted. I enjoyed finding out about why it was Addie’s elder twin sisters were so at odds with each other, or why Keedie desperately struggled with University Life. All the characters felt real and there was a well-woven and steady pace throughout the whole story. The cherry on the top of this already very well-written story though was being gifted with a glimpse into the world through the eyes of someone who is autistic. Scottish First Book of the Year 2021". The Saltire Society. 23 November 2021 . Retrieved 13 February 2022. Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.Whether they’re facing similar neurodivergent challenges or not, readers will appreciate Addie’s honesty, and they may follow her lead in reconsidering history.” –The Bulletin Publishers Weekly applauded the representation of Addie's autism, stating, "McNicoll, herself neurodivergent, portrays with clarity Addie’s neurological reality, interpersonal bonds, and thoughtful reflections." [1] Deborah Stevenson, writing for The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, echoed the sentiment, writing, "McNicoll ... writes Addie’s narration with power and determination; it’s especially strong at revealing the sheer labor required for Addie to negotiate the world ... and the toll it takes, which is evident in Keedie as well." [4] Stevenson concluded, "Whether they’re facing similar neurodivergent challenges or not, readers will appreciate Addie’s honesty, and they may follow her lead in reconsidering history." [4] Awards Adaptational Nice Girl: In the book, Jenna openly refused to associate with Addie after befriending Emily, made no effort to help her when Emily was bullying her, and was generally unrepentant about everything. In the series, while at first she's still complacent in Emily's bullying, she eventually comes to learn the error of her ways, helps Addie out of trouble in the end, and the two rekindle their once strained friendship, even going so far as to call Emily out on her bullying after all is said and done.

my favourite character was a girl called Audrey because she is a very nice and supportive friend. I also think that this story is very touching and funny at the same time because it is very sad when people bully other people but funny when adults keep refusing a very good idea. This book is about a girl called Addie and she has autism but that does not stop her from being different. She finds interest in the history of accusation of whiches. She feels sorry for them and asked the village for a memorial. This debut novel from neurodivergent author McNicoll will bring readers to tears and have them cheering for Addie as she learns how much she has to offer the world.” -School Library Journal, Starred Review Author Avatar: Two in one book: writer Elle McNicoll has said that Addie is herself as a younger child and Keedie is herself as an adult. Like Addie, McNicoll had a childhood fascination with sharks and witches and both characters are autistic like McNicoll herself.Middle grade books with disability representation is very hard to come by, and 'A Kind of Spark' is Own Voices and written by a Neurodivergent writer. Elle McNicoll has done a phenomenal job at portraying the trials that autistic people have to face from neurotypical people. I am neurotypical and I didn't realise just how much I had to learn from Addie. I have come away from my experience reading this with a greater understanding of what it means to be autistic, and not just the differences, but the similarities between us. And as Addie says in the book, "But... while you may be neurotypical and I'm autistic, I promise. We are more alike than we are different." Een meisje in tranen. Zo ontmoeten we ons hoofdpersonage, Adeline – liever Addie genoemd – is op zoek naar haar eigen plek in de wereld. Op school heeft ze dat nog niet helemaal gevonden. Want haar juf heeft net haar verhaal verscheurd en in de prullenbak gegooid, omdat ze Addie’s handschrift niet kon lezen en omdat Addie op haar leeftijd beter moet weten. In haar thesaurus – een synoniemenboekje – zoekt Addie een woord wat deze situatie kan beschrijven. En tegelijk is het een zoektocht om het schreeuwen en scheuren te verwerken. Verschrompeld is het woord wat haar aanspreekt. Cool Teacher: Mr. Allison. Although he’s the school librarian, he’s far kinder to Addie than her actual teacher, encouraging her campaign and interests and allows her to eat her lunch in the library. THIS BOOK MADE ME CRY YA'LL. 5 stars. A middle grade book about an young 11 year old autistic girl - Addie - who lives in a small town in Scotland near Edinburgh. She learns about innocent women who lost their lives during the witch trials centuries ago and she sets out to honor those falsely accused so long ago. But not everyone wants her to do this... Addie's sister, Kaddie - is also autistic and is in college and helps her along the way. Addie goes through so much in this book. SO MANY ADULTS SHOULD READ THIS! It truly gives you the perspective of an autistic child. The importance of understanding sensory overload and overstimulation. Here are our suggestions for summer reads–and there's something for every child of middle grade age.