Inclusion/Diversity
The books in this section help children to learn about the characteristics of autism and how to respect people’s differences. The stories also show how to include everyone by showing respect and recognizing that everyone can make contributions to classrooms, families, teams, and organizations.
Ann Drew Jackson
Author: Joan Clark
Grade Levels: Grades 4-6
Short Summary:
Do your students need to understand their peers with autism a bit better? Joan Clark's sequel to her popular book, Jackson Whole Wyoming, reintroduces us to Jackson Thomas, a fifth-grade boy on the spectrum. This time, we find Jackson in a new school, with new classmates. Hillary Branson, a spunky, independent classmate of Jackson tells the story from her perspective as the classmate assigned to complete a science project with Jackson. Hillary has a serious attitude problem and tends to lie; therefore, it comes as no surprise that when assigned to work with Jackson, she rebels in any way she can. As the story unfolds, the reader begins to understand Hillary's background and delight in how she and Jackson discover they have a lot more in common than they ever realized.
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Autism
- Peers
- Changing schools
Autism, The Invisible Cord
Author: Barbara Cain
Grade Levels: Grades 10-12
Short Summary:
Ezra looks like any other sixth grader with faded jeans, turned around cap and a mess of chestnut curls. You see, my brother is like any other eleven-year-old except when he isn't.
Autism, The Invisible Cord follows 14-year-old Jenny as she describes her day-to-day life with her younger autistic brother, Ezra. Ezra can be both her best friend as well as her biggest obstacle to living a normal life, and Jenny often finds herself stuck worrying about her younger brother. Through taking care of Ezra and a very special school project, Jenny ends up learning about her own character and strengths, and a way to shine despite everything else.
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Diversity
- Challenges
- Siblings
- Family
- Bullying
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Author: Mark Haddon Age Group &/or
Grade Levels: Grades 6-12
Short Summary:
Christopher Boone, a fifteen-year-old who describes himself as “a mathematician with some behavioral difficulties,” becomes engaged in a murder mystery as he tries to determine who killed his neighbor’s dog. His Asperger’s syndrome, which causes him to view and interact with the world in a unique way, both aids and impedes his investigation. As he dives further into the mystery, despite his father’s concerned disapproval, Christopher has a revelation about his mother, whom his father had said died two years ago.
Content Warning: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time contains scenes of abuse, discussions of atheism, references to sexuality, and some explicit language.
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Autism
- Understanding Differences
- Coping mechanisms
Supplemental Resources:
Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes
Author: Jennifer Elder (mother of autistic son)
Grade Levels: Grades 3-7
Short Summary:
Different Like Me introduces children aged 8 to 12 years to famous, inspirational figures from the world of science, art, math, literature, philosophy and comedy.
Eight-year-old Quinn, a young boy with Asperger's Syndrome, tells young readers about the achievements and characteristics of his autism heroes, from Albert Einstein, Dian Fossey and Wassily Kandinsky to Lewis Carroll, Benjamin Banneker and Julia Bowman Robinson, among others. All excel in different fields but are united by the fact that they often found it difficult to fit in-just like Quinn.
Fully illustrated in color and written in child-friendly language, this book will be a wonderful resource for children, particularly children with autism, their parents, teachers, carers and siblings.
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Diversity
- Intelligence
- Peers
- Friendship
Jackson Whole Wyoming
Author: Joan Clark
Grade Levels: 2-6 grade
Short Summary:
His classmates have identified him as a friend of Jackson's, who has autism, and now Tyler is trying to understand what that means in terms of his own personality. Over the course of this highly readable and swift-moving middle-grade novel (2nd to 6th grade), Tyler realizes that Jackson is a true friend who has enriched his life. Other students get to know Jackson across the school year. The book celebrates individual differences in all people and fosters an environment or acceptance. Written by a speech-language pathologist who works with children with autism spectrum disorder, this novel belongs on the library shelf of any middle-grade classroom.
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Social
- Personal perspective
- Friendship
Supplemental Resources:
Jay Grows an Alien
Author: Caroline Anne Levine
Grade Levels: 6th-12th grade
Short Summary:
Jay, a young boy with Asperger Syndrome, often feels out of place in the world around him but doesn’t know why. He doesn’t understand why people call him names like space cadet and asp-booger. He has looked up asp in the dictionary to help find the answer to his wonderings, but knows he is not a small poisonous snake from Egypt. But what is he then? Caroline Levine s short novel follows Jay at school and home as he ponders these and other questions. In addition to independent reading, the book is great for use by teachers to promote an understanding of differences.
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Autism
- Differences
La razón por la que salto/ The Reason I Jump (Spanish Edition)
Author: Naoki Higashida
Grade Levels: 6-12 grade
Short Summary:
Cuando, con trece años, Naoki Higashida empezó a comunicarse a través de una parrilla de ideogramas diseñada por su madre, estaba haciendo historia. Nunca antes un niño aquejado de un grado de autismo tan severo había conseguido expresarse. Naoki consigue traducir su experiencia a un lenguaje comprensible para cualquier lector a través de preguntas como: ¿por qué los autistas habláis tan alto y tan raro?; ¿por qué os gusta poner vuestros coches de juguete en fila?; ¿por qué saltáis? Sus respuestas son optimistas y transmiten alegría de vivir, ternura y, sobre todo, nos presentan a alguien admirable de quien hay mucho que aprender.
«Naoki nos hace de guía por su mundo, que puede ser tan extraño al nuestro como la distancia que hay entre un neoyorquino y un habitante del Amazonas: salimos de nuestra realidad y nos damos cuenta de que hay realidades muy diferentes dependiendo de cómo tus sentidos los perciben.» Miguel Gallardo, autor de María y yo
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Autism
- Sensory
- perspectives
My Strange and Terrible Malady
Author: Catherine Bristow
Grade Levels: 3-7 grade
Short Summary:
Ronita Ronnie Baker, 11th-grade individualist, is not happy. School is a struggle, and now doctors just diagnosed her with Asperger Syndrome. It s hard enough being the misfit daughter of a perfect mother, let alone being diagnosed with a disorder no one understands. My Strange and Terrible Malady takes a look at Asperger Syndrome from Ronnie s point of view. While she is clearly not socially savvy, things begin to change when she meets Hannah, a fellow student who takes the time to explain the mysteries of social interaction and other conundrums of daily life to Ronnie. With the help of Hannah and her new life coach, Ronnie shows readers that successful social and emotional interaction can be learned.
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Social relationships
- Emotional
Piggy
Author: Mireille Geus
Grade Levels: 5-8 grade
Short Summary:
The story of a young girl's struggle and ultimate victory over disability. Piggy (Big in the original Dutch), like Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is told in the first person by an autistic child. Twelve-year-old Lizzy Bekell lives with her mother and attends a special school. Her nickname is Dizzy, which aptly describes the dreamy abstraction that overcomes her when she is faced with things she finds unpleasant or uncomfortable. She spends her free time waiting at the bus stop (without ever getting on a bus) or standing against a streetlamp and watching other children play. She is often teased and bullied. Lizzy's behavior feels familiar, like an exaggerated version of our own fears, and even her strangeness seems like a reasonable response to a threatening world. Everything changes, however, when she meets Abigail, a girl perfectly capable of standing up to other kids. Abigail sees in Lizzy an easy mark, someone so trusting that she can be easily manipulated. At the same time, Abigail, herself a lonely girl, hopes that Lizzy will be her friend. When Abigail comes up with a plan to wreak vengeance on the boys who've been teasing them, she finds it easy to make Lizzy an accomplice. Lizzy is soon faced with events that challenge her to overcome the closed, internal world of autism. How far can Lizzy allow herself to be manipulated before she stands up to Abigail?
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Autism
- Bullying
- Friendship
Rain Reign
Author: Ann M. Martin
Grade Levels: Ages 9-12 years
Short Summary:
Rose Howard is obsessed with homonyms. She's thrilled that her own name is a homonym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose's rules of homonyms, is very special. Not everyone understands Rose's obsessions, her rules, and the other things that make her different―not her teachers, not other kids, and not her single father.
When a storm hits their rural town, rivers overflow, the roads are flooded, and Rain goes missing. Rose's father shouldn't have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search.
“A story about honorable living in the autistic narrator genre that sets the bar high. . . . Martin has penned a riveting, seamless narrative in which each word sings and each scene counts.” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Autism
- Literacy
- Inclusion
Supplemental Resources:
Rules
Author: Cynthia Lord (she has a son with autism)
Grade Levels: Grades 3-8
Short Summary:
Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is nearly impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules, from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public," in order to stop his embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Friendship
- Honesty
- Acceptance
- Diversity
Supplemental Resources:
The Reasons I Jump: The Inner Voice of a 13-Year Old Boy with Autism
Author: Naoki Higashida
Grade Levels: 6-12 grade
Short Summary:
You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within.
Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” and “What’s the reason you jump?” (Naoki’s answer: “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.”) With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights—into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory—are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again.
In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naoki’s words allowed him to feel, for the first time, as if his own autistic child was explaining what was happening in his mind. “It is no exaggeration to say that The Reason I Jump allowed me to round a corner in our relationship.” This translation was a labor of love by David and his wife, KA Yoshida, so they’d be able to share that feeling with friends, the wider autism community, and beyond. Naoki’s book, in its beauty, truthfulness, and simplicity, is a gift to be shared.
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Autism
- Sensory
- Perspectives
Supplemental Resources:
The Speed of Dark
Author: Elizabeth Moon (has son with autism)
Grade Levels: 7-12 grades
Short Summary:
In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past. Most genetic defects will be removed at birth; the remaining during infancy. Lou Arrendale, a high-functioning autistic adult, is a member of the lost generation, born at the wrong time to reap the rewards of medical science. He lives a low-key, independent life but then he is offered a chance to try a brand-new experimental “cure” for his condition. With this treatment, Lou would think and act and be just like everyone else. But if he was suddenly free of autism, would he still be himself? Would he still love the same classical music—with its complications and resolutions? Would he still see the same colors and patterns in the world—shades and hues that others cannot see? Most important, would he still love Marjory, a woman who may never be able to reciprocate his feelings? Now Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that might completely change the way he views the world…and the very essence of who he is.
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Science fiction
- Diversity
- Relationships
- Questions of humanity
Supplemental Resources:
The Unforgettable Logan Foster #1
Author: Shawn Peters
Grade Levels: 9 years and up
Short Summary:
Logan Foster has pretty much given up on the idea of ever being adopted. It could have something to with his awkward manner, his photographic memory, or his affection for reciting curious facts, but whatever the cause, Logan and his “PP’s” (prospective parents) have never clicked.
Then everything changes when Gil and Margie arrive. Although they aren’t exactly perfect themselves—Gil has the punniest sense of humor and Margie’s cooking would have anyone running for the hills—they genuinely seem to care.
But it doesn’t take Logan long to notice some very odd things about them. They are out at all hours, they never seem to eat, and there’s a part of the house that is protected by some pretty elaborate security.
No matter what Logan could have imagined, nothing prepared him for the truth: His PP’s are actually superheroes, and they’re being hunted down by dastardly forces. Logan’s found himself caught in the middle in a massive battle and the very fate of the world may hang in the balance. Will Logan be able to find a way to save the day and his new family?
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Fantasy
- Super Heroes
- Inclusion
- Family
Supplemental Resources:
Tully and Me: A Story about Differences, Understanding and Friendship
Author: Keeley Shaw
Grade Levels: Preschool-6th grade
Short Summary:
"A smile feels the same on the inside."Tully and Me explores a friendship built on differences and understanding. Tully represents an individual affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder. The unique characteristics associated with Autism are portrayed including an affinity for counting and order, and a love for visual stimulation. Whimsical watercolor illustrations help to showcase a unique friendship that is nurtured through adversity and understanding. Tully and Me explores a world where our differences and the universal language of a smile bring us together. Everyone who enjoyed The Dot by Peter Reynolds, We're amazing 1,2,3 by Leslie Kimmelman and Marybeth Nelson, and I'm Like You, You're Like Me by Cindy Gainer will enjoy this read as well! This book is an excellent teaching tool for lessons on diversity, Autism, individuals with special needs, and accepting and curating friendships with people who are different. As well, it is a beautiful story for families to share. This picture book is appropriate for children and adults of all ages.
Themes/Topics Covered:
- Diversity
- Friendship
- Autism
- Special needs
Supplemental Resources:
- Read aloud: Tully and Me