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Author & Illustrators

Elle McNicoll Books

Wish You Were Her

Chapter book

Wish You Were Her is the riveting rivals-to-lovers YA romance from bestselling, award-winning Elle McNicoll. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry’s Book Lovers.

‘A beautiful, witty, cinematic romcom . . . A must read for summer’ – Lizzie Huxley-Jones, author of the Vivi Conway series

‘I LOVED this swoony enemies-to-lovers autistic love story’ – Rashmi Sirdeshpande, author of Dadaji’s Paintbrush

Dear Mysterious Reader, I think I’m falling in love . . .

Everyone wants a piece of actress Allegra Brooks. When she decides she desperately needs to get away from the spotlight she heads for the remote town of Lake Pristine and its summertime book festival.

When Allegra immediately clashes with annoying (and annoyingly handsome) bookseller Jonah Thorne, their rivalry soon becomes the talk of the small town. Before long, Allegra’s main escape is the increasingly flirtatious email relationship she’s sharing with an anonymous charming bookseller that she’s sure can’t possibly be Jonah . . .

An unforgettable romcom about finding the one person who makes you feel yourself when the whole world is watching.

Some Like it Cold

Elle McNicoll

Chapter book

A big-hearted small-town romance from bestselling, award-winning author Elle McNicoll. Some Like it Cold is perfect for fans of Alice Oseman, Beth Reekles and Gilmore Girls.

After a long absence, 18-year-old Jasper is finally heading home for the holidays – and she’s keeping secrets.

Arthur, a budding filmmaker, is turning the town of Lake Pristine into a small town story worthy of the big screen. His plans are disrupted by the arrival of the town’s golden girl – the antagonist of his school days; a girl he’s never forgotten.

Jasper Montgomery is back in Lake Pristine for one reason: to say goodbye. But before long small-town tensions start to rise, and a certain brooding film buff starts to look like a very big reason to stay . . .

The perfect story to get lost in, Some Like it Cold centres Jasper as an autistic heroine in a cosy YA romance that will melt your heart, from the bestselling author of A Kind of Spark.

Keedie

Elle McNicoll

Chapter book

Keedie is the prequel to Elle McNicoll’s best-selling novel A Kind of Spark.

Set five years earlier, this book focuses on fierce, outspoken big sister Keedie, who is figuring out how to navigate life as an autistic teenager whilst trying to remain true to herself.

Keedie is intent on seeking revenge against the bullies in her school, not just for herself but for others. Her intentions are honourable, and she wants to send the message that we should stand up for ourselves and others. But her simplistic view of righting wrongs not only gets her into trouble but creates an even deeper divide between her and her twin sister that she barely recognises anymore. Keedie’s character is developed with nuance and depth. Readers who enjoyed the book or CBBC adaptation of A Kind of Spark will be excited to read more about the character of Keedie, who lived experience provided a pillar of wisdom and encouragement for Addie.

This book is perfect for encouraging empathy, understanding of neurodiversity and developing a sense of self in Upper Key Stage 2 readers – it teaches us that while we may all be watching the same scene, our narratives can be very different.

Like a Charm

Elle McNicoll

Chapter book

We’re big fans of Elle McNicoll’s books here at BooksForTopics HQ. We were excited to hear that Elle’s newest book takes a firm step into the magical realism genre. Elle says,”This book is a love letter to readers of A Kind of Spark who wanted to see neurodivergent girls with real magical powers. I loved magical books as a child, and still do now, so to have a neurodivergent heroine in a fantastical world, it meant a lot to me to write. I’m thrilled readers are going to meet Ramya.”

At its heart, this is an exciting magical fantasy with a quest to save an endangered town. Ramya is a feisty heroine whose dyspraxia can make her feel misunderstood and disconnected from the world around her. Ramya can also perceive things that most people can’t – seeing through the Glamour that disguises magical creatures. As the story unfolds, Ramya learns to trust her own instincts more, despite feeling weary from a world that fails to give value to the way she is. Her unique way of seeing things is her superpower and her quest confirms to her that her whole unique self is powerful, wonderful and of greater value to the world than she dared to imagine.

Fantasy lovers will enjoy the imaginative cast of magical characters (beware – the fairies in this book are not at all as you might expect) and the idea that a co-existing magical world is thinly veiled all around us is one that has a timeless appeal in children’s literature. Many young readers will relate to Ramya’s struggle to navigate the emotional connections with different family members. We were pleased to see that this is only the beginning of Ramya’s adventures and that there is more to come from the magical world she inhabits, with a sequel due in Spring 2023.

Show Us Who You Are

Elle McNicoll

Chapter book

This story follows twelve-year-old Cora, who describes herself as autistic, as she befriends a boy called Adrien who has ADHD. Cora learns to trust Adrien, who confides in her about his own ADHD, and as the pair become close, they enjoy each other’s unquestioning acceptance and bond over their experiences of not quite fitting in at school.

Adrien’s Dad runs a company called ‘Pomegranate Technologies’, and Cora finds herself drawn to their innovative programme of creating incredibly lifelike holograms (or ‘grams’) of people. Having recently lost her own mother, the idea of being able to interact with a loved one after they die appeals instantly. Before long, Cora notices something amiss with one of the grams and begins to unravel some surprising truths about what is going on behind the scenes at Pomegranate…

We enjoyed the artificial intelligence strand of the plot very much, and in particular, how thought-provoking the story was about the ethics of AI in both the hypothetical sense of holograms, but also hinting at a closer, everyday sense. There’s food for thought aplenty, and yet the writing is watertight and never strays from the plot to dwell on these themes or impose judgment.

This is a stand-out story and a must-have for classrooms and school libraries where there are mature readers aged 10+.

A Kind of Spark

Elle McNicoll

Chapter book

This is a beautifully written book with a fascinating story behind it, and an insightful exploration of one girl’s experiences of autism.

The way that the messages of the book about acceptance and self-belief are intertwined with the story of the witches persecuted in Scotland is clever and thought-provoking.

This book will help those children who may feel they are ‘different’, but also challenges all children to think carefully about how they treat those who they see as different to them.

The story has also been televised for CBBC. See our blog interview with author Elle McNicoll for more information.