Neurodiversity and Autistic Characters Booklist

Leo and the Octopus is a wonderfully empathetic picture book about Leo, a boy who feels different from his classmates and struggles with overwhelming classroom noise.

Leo’s world shifts when he meets Maya, a colour-changing Giant Pacific Octopus, and their unlikely friendship blossoms beneath the waves. This gentle narrative beautifully captures the profound connection between a boy seeking understanding and a creature who accepts him just as he is.

Chris Nixon’s illustrations are intelligent and evocative, setting sections bustling with pattern and colour against the white space that often surrounds Leo – complementing the story’s sensitive exploration of feelings of disconnection and learning bout different perspectives.

With themes of nature, connection and neurodiversity, this book is invaluable for children who may feel like Leo, assuring them they are not alone, while also a tool to develop greater empathy and understanding in all young readers about different ways of experiencing the world.

What a great read! This is a superb book to share with one child or a whole class. The inside cover alone is a delight – crammed with emojis showing an array of emotions which children can share and talk about.

The story is written in an informal style and follows a young neurodivergent girl, Gina, as she journeys through the story of Red Riding Hood, fixing mistakes and recounting the facts.

Craig Barr-Martin weaves into the narrative simple everyday strategies that Gina and her supporting adults utilise –  the use of charts to show how she feels, the making of lists to keep her organised and the importance of familiar items when she goes on a journey.

The first reading is fun, the second builds further understanding and the third reveals even more about the way we all think and feel.

Find more fun twists on fairy tales on our new Fairy Tales and Traditional Stories booklist.

Bobby tries really hard to concentrate like his friends, but whenever he is distracted by the sights, sounds and smells around him, he floats away into the clouds.  He tries to find a solution by tying himself to the ground, but this means his thoughts and dreams escape and he feels empty inside.

Cloud Boy is a colourful exploration of a common challenge faced by neurodivergent children, and how a little understanding and seeing how others perceive the world around them can make a hugely positive difference.  The story references sensory stimulation and distractions, the worry and shame often felt by pupils who find concentration challenging, the limits and restrictions that society can place on individuals and how this can result in overwhelm, which can take a long time to recover from.  It finishes by celebrating the wonderful creativity that can be borne from a mind that thinks outside the box.

A great ‘I see me’ read for any pupils who see the world differently, and their peers and family who support them through the trickier times.

Ted and his sister Kat watch their cousin Salim climb aboard the London Eye. But when his pod returns to the ground and the doors open, Salim has completely vanished. Where could Salim have gone? Has he been kidnapped — or worse? With the police baffled by his disappearance, it’s down to Ted to use his unique abilities to solve the mystery — following a trail of clues that lead across London, with Kat’s help. Starring a brilliant young detective, Siobhan Dowd’s ‘howdunnit’ is a real classic, which will keep you gripped from beginning to end.

This story follows twelve-year-old Cora, who describes herself as autistic, as she befriends a boy called Adrien at a party that she never wanted to go to. A little unwilling at first, Cora is used to distrusting others and feels sure that Adrien’s intentions are unlikely to be driven by genuine interest in her. In no time at all, 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. Cora is intrigued to discover that scientists at the institute are keen to interview her as a ‘person with autism’, and after an unexpected event happens with Adrien she agrees to help. 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…

There was so much to enjoy in this book. I loved the depth of the storytelling – the multilayered writing with its many allusions, symbols and reflections that provoke an enjoyable tension between feeling the need to pause for thought and wanting to rip on through the genuinely gripping plot. I 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. I also enjoyed the emerging themes of acceptance and the importance of being true to oneself.

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

This is a positive and uplifting book that would appeal across Key Stage Two year groups. This empathy-boosting story explores themes of change, friendship, animals and neurodiversity.

11-year-old Alex is autistic and having difficulty navigating school and friendships, especially with the transition to secondary school on the horizon. His relationship with his dog, Kevin, is at the heart of the story and their ambitions ultimately lead to important lessons about friendship.

Dog-themed books are hugely popular with children.  As well as the bond between children and pets, the story covers some of the anxieties and concerns associated with the transition to secondary school and the particular challenges of change for autistic individuals. It would also be suitable for much younger, capable readers and will be enjoyed by a wide range of readers, making it a great choice for a school library.

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.

Jake stands out from many of the other children at his school and Christmas is a time that is especially difficult for him, with the bright lights, loud noises and changes in routines causing him a great deal of anxiety. When Jake befriends a lost dog, which he calls Susan, a beautiful bond begins to form that helps Jake to stay calm and cope with the difficulties he faces. After a while, Susan’s real owners turn up to reclaim their missing dog and Jake and his family need to find a way forward while their world feels like it has fallen apart.

This is a touching and inclusive story that is well suited for the 6-8 age bracket or for less confident readers in the upper primary years. Readers will find the story engaging and are likely to feel deeply empathetic towards Jake. The narrative sensitively explores the idea that Christmas is not an easy time for everybody, while also drawing out festive values of family, kindness and compassion for those in need.

This non-fiction book about neurodiversity should be in every KS2 classroom (and is appropriate and informative for older children too!) to help develop understanding and acceptance in the next generation. It is an informative book about such an important and complex subject.

It is well-written and talks about the positive aspects of neurodiversity, as well as some of the challenges faced, without reinforcing labels or stereotypes. The book provides helpful vocabulary and simple explanations to aid children in understanding how different people’s brains are wired differently. The information about masking was particularly helpful, and it was good to see this included. The book is presented in a logical way and the information is offered in short, manageable chunks, which helps.

A great read, with lots to learn for adults and children.

This book offers a fresh perspective on growing up different and not understanding why, describing childhood from the perspective of someone diagnosed with autism in adulthood. It’s easy to read but (like many of the best books), difficult to classify being partly autobiography and partly a thorough informative guide to autism and wider neurodiversity issues. The bright, attractive illustrations along with the chatty style make the book very accessible. It’s marketed for 8-12-year-olds, but would also be a useful read for older teens. It might be particularly attractive to neurodiverse children, whether or not they have a diagnosis yet, but it has many important messages about acceptance of self, confidence and wellbeing that are applicable much more widely. The way the author reflects on her experiences in childhood makes this a very hopeful and helpful book, particularly for those children struggling with school and friendships and wondering whether things will ever feel less challenging. It’s a lovely celebration of difference and individuality.