Perfect for readers of Song for a Whale and Counting by 7s, a neurodivergent girl campaigns for a memorial when she learns that her small Scottish town used to burn witches simply because they were different."A must-read for students and adults alike." -School Library Journal, Starred Review 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. I think about the witches, with no one to speak for them. Not everyone in our small town understands. But if I keep trying, maybe someone will. I won’t let the witches be forgotten. Because there is more to their story. Just like there is more to mine.
Award-winning and neurodivergent author Elle McNicoll delivers an insightful and stirring debut about the European witch trials and a girl who refuses to relent in the fight for what she knows is right.
On sale: October 19, 2021
Age: 8-12 years
Grade: Grades 6-8
Page count: 192 Pages
ISBN: 9780593374252
Reading level: Lexile: 580L | Fountas/Pinnell: W
Elle McNicoll is a debut children’s author from Scotland, now living in East London. As a neurodivergent writer, she is passionate about disability rights and representation.
A Kind of Spark is her first novel. You can find her online at ellemcnicoll.com and on Twitter.
A Peter Blue Book Award Winner for Best Story of the Year!
"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"The author, herself neurodivergent, imbues Addie’s unapologetically autistic perspective with compassion and insight."
-Kirkus ReviewsWhether 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"The writer (autistic herself) busts some myths about neuro-divergency as she presents a flawed, loving, believable family and a convincing, nuanced, and very likable main character with a distinctive voice.”
–The Horn Book
