How do you make sure you are proud of who you are?

A Kind Of Spark

Written by Elle McNicoll @BooksandChokers

Published by: Knights of @_KnightsOf

Published on: June 2020

Price: £6.99

First line: “This handwriting is utterly disgraceful.”

Genre: Contemporary, Witches, Scotland, Neurodivergent

Age: 10+

Thanks to Barnet Library for letting me borrow this copy!

What’s it all about? Addie is a young Scottish girl who wants to help her small village, just outside Edinburgh, recognise that they need to remember the poor women who were killed there as ‘witches’ many centuries ago. She really feels their pain, hurt and loneliness. Addie also wants the locals to recognise that even though people might be different, then that is a huge plus.

Why should I read it? Firstly, I should say that I would never have initially picked this book up (like the old axim says, never judge a book by its cover, or for that matter, a person), apart from it being recommended to me through my work. How glad I am, that I did. Secondly, by coincidence, I recently saw the television version being advertised. Thirdly, I have now seen that the prequel is coming out this month – a story all about Keedie (Addie’s older autistic sister). In many ways, it reminds me of ‘Wonder’ by R J Palacio. A beautifully evocative book, with a simple premise (aren’t all the best stories: even the 1000 page behemoth that is Lord of the Rings can be summarised easily in one short sentence!) that can be written on the back of a postage stamp (I might need to update that reference soon as no-one is going to be buying stamps in a while) This first-person recount is a wonderful book, full of eye-opening moments that the author based on her own experiences of growing up. These moments describe Addie’s life in great detail from her own understanding of how the world is happening to an autistic person. There is determination, fear, struggle, friendship and love in equal measures in a world that is made harder for people whose brains work in a different way. It would be so good to share in schools, to give children an understanding of autism and how they can succeed at something no matter the odds against them.