I was more pleased with the concept of this book than the book itself. Addie is a very sweet and likeable character, as are her sisters. I really thought the idea of this book - autistic middle schooler faces bullying and changing friendships -- would be more interesting. I would recommend this to readers who are looking for a very lite middle grades read.

A Kind of Spark is an amazing middle grade debut by Elle McNicoll. It follows the story of Addie, an autistic young lady, as she navigates the hurtles of friendship and social relationships. Addie is on a mission to make sure that the women in her small Scottish town who were killed for being "witches" hundreds of years ago are remembered. She understands what it is liked to be treated as an outcast simply for being different. This book is perfect for fourth and fifth graders. Neurodiverse kids will see themselves in the hero Addie. Neurotypical kids will learn of the struggles of autism, such as masking, bullying, and burnout. Hopefully everyone will walk away with the knowledge that intolerance is unacceptable. I especially love that this is written by a neurodivergent author and is an own voices book. McNicholl does a great job of explaining what the life of an autistic girl can be like. A Kind of Spark will be out on October 19th and would make a great addition to any classroom or library

I thought this was such a beautiful book. 'A Kind of Spark' is Own Voices and written by a Neurodivergent writer. Elle McNicoll. Addie the main character who is also neurodivergent lives in a small village in Scotland. She is having trouble to get people to understand who she is. When her teacher starts to talk about the women from the village who were burned at the stake because people thought they were witches Addie sees these women like her, misunderstood. She tries to get a memorial put up so they would not forget and to also say we are sorry. I think all children and even adults should read this middle grade. We can all learn from Addie.

This book was a beautiful, poignant read full of heart and heartache, pain and hope.

It was an incredibly well-written portrayal of the struggles Addie faces, along with the beautiful friendship she develops with a girl who treats her with kindness and a desire to be understanding and supportive. Addie's family relationships are complex and nuanced and wonderful to experience through the pages of the book.

This is the type of story that I feel every kid, and adult, could benefit from reading, whether it helps them to feel seen, because they're different in some way as well, or helps them see a perspective they might never experience and gain greater understanding of a life that's vastly different than their own in some ways, yet with many of the same struggles of wanting to be heard, of dealing with bullies, and of wanting friends and family who see them and support them for who they are.

I felt like I learned so much through reading Addie's story, and as someone who struggles with sensory processing disorder, there were elements I could relate to, as well.

“My autism isn’t always my superpower. Sometimes it’s difficult. But on the days when I’m finding electricity in things, seeing the details that others might not, I like it a lot.”

Reading A Kind of Spark, I felt a part of myself represented and explained on the page that I’d never seen before. I feel so much for Addie: how she puts herself in the historical stories of witches, and how it upsets her while others seem detached. I get that on such a visceral level. I am so thrilled and feel so heard seeing how McNicoll successfully portrays this deep intense empathy, and it gives me hope that we’ll see more and more authentic neurodiverse stories out in the world that debunk the incredibly harmful stereotype that “autistic people can’t feel or have empathy.”

This book is not afraid to be upfront in talking about concepts like autism, masking, burnout and ableism, with lots of great character conversations explaining and correcting misconceptions about ASD, as well as modeling great allyship. Addie and Keedie are such lovable fantastic characters, and I love seeing characters that (like me) love being autistic. This is so well said in: “It’s not my brain that makes me break down. It’s the pretending. The hiding. The way the world isn’t built for us.” I wish I grew up with someone like Keedie to explain my autism to me! The way sharks and witches are cleverly used as metaphors for being autistic are so relatable and powerful. McNicoll says so many things that I feel as an ASD person, and I’m so happy to see this book existing in the world. I wish so badly I had this book when I was growing up. This is a book I am going to be recommending to anyone and everyone I come in contact with.

Thank you to Crown Books for Young Readers for the e-ARC of this novel . I loved this story. Set in Juniper, Scotland, the stories of the witch trials Addie learns bear a remarkable resemblance to those of the Salem Witch Trials here in the US. For Addie, the experience of learning about the trials is deeply personal has what she takes away is that the bystanders did nothing to stop the persecution these women suffered. They were tortured and executed for their differences, something Addie finds all too close to home. As an autistic girl, she is bullied for her differences, both by her classmate and her teacher. She has a strong ally in her older (also autistic) sister, but knows all too well what can happen when people stop trying to understand someone. This book does a great job bringing to light the power of a bystander (both the good and the bad).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a quick engrossing read. Addie is an 11 year old autistic girl in Scotland. She had a teacher who is horrible, a friend who isn’t talking to her, and a new girl who may make a good friend. On top of that, she starts learning about the atrocities that happened in her village during the infamous Witch Trials.
This book offers a poignant view in an autistic child’s perspective. The nuances of building relationships and hyperfixation being two aspects that this book deep dives. Addie is likable, relatable, and her struggles are not solely related to her autism.

This is a super authentic voice. Not a ton of plot and is instead more about showing us as readers what life for a kid like Addie would be like. Addie finds out about women in her town’s history who were accused of witchcraft and executed without a fair trial. She identifies with these women who were seen as different and campaigns to have a memorial established in town.

I really liked the headstrong heroine of this novel, and her supportive family. I thought her mission to have her community reckon with unrecognized harms it committed in the past really resonated with the spirit of the times.

Every classroom and library needs this book. Promotes allyship, empathy, and standing up for what you know is right. I loved every minute of this read and will definitely purchase a copy for my own personal library.

While aimed at middle grade readers, I found this book to be just as valuable for adult readers. The author, who is herself autistic, has provided a fascinating insight into the mind of her protagonist, an eleven-year-old autistic girl. She shares with the reader how it feels to try to "mask" in order to fit the expectations of the world around her ; of how it feels to "stim" when sensations from the surrounding world overwhelm her ; and of the excitement of becoming deeply immersed in a topic of interest to her. The protagonist, Addie, is fortunate to have an older sister who is also autistic and so understands her and smooths Addie's path, as far as she is able. Her teacher is a bully and allows some of Addie's classmates to bully her. Conversely, the school librarian is an ally, helping Addie find more information on her passionate interest in sharks and later in witches. It is interesting that the author, through her characters, points out that witches were probably women who didn't fit into society well and were persecuted for being different. She, through Addie, draws an analogy to those who are neurodivergent today. The book has won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and I can see why. This book provides a wonderful insight into another way of looking at the world and encourages empathy for fellow humans.

While reading this book, I was struck by the amount of passion in it. You can tell that this story means a lot to the author. A Kind of Spark focuses on Addie, an autistic girl, and the author is autistic as well. In this book, she gives a voice to a child who often feels silenced and misunderstood by the world around her - an experience shared by many autistic children.

When Addie hears about the witch hunts which took place in the small town she lives in, she is determined to learn more and to convince her town to create a memorial for them. She knows that she, too, is different, and that she could have been called a witch, too, if she’d lived at another time. Even when told no, or that her ideas are silly, Addie refuses to give up. Kids who are passionate about the causes they care about will easily relate to Addie.

Addie also has to deal with a terrible teacher who belittles and makes fun of her, encouraging the other kids in her class to do the same. I did feel that this went too far to be believable. Her teacher was cruel in every possible way. However, there are certainly awful teachers who pick on certain kids or who look down on autistic children or other kids who aren’t neurotypical. I can understand why the teacher was written this way, though; it really emphasizes what Addie faces at school. This is also balanced out by better teachers/adults in her life who support her and believe that she is smart, capable, and empathetic.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I think the story is really moving and important. Representation matters, and there aren’t a ton of middle grade books that talk about autism in this way while still having a compelling, relatable story and cast of characters.

A Kind of Spark is about a neuro-diverse girl trying to navigate and make sense of a neuro-typical society. After learning that during the Salem with trials, people who were different were burned at the stake she starts delving deeper into the issue. If these people weren't really witches, it just means they were different like her. What if one or many of them were autistic or had Asperger's? What is they were good and kind people who were just marked and singled our for being different?

In this powerful book, readers will be taken for a ride by an ownvoices author and her quest to show neuro-typical folks that being autistic isn't a flaw.

I loved this one! Addie is autistic, and she has an older sister who is also autistic. When she learns about the women who lived in her town who were affected by the witch trials, she sees herself in them and sets out to get the town to create a memorial to those women. Addie advocates for herself and for these women of the past, while dealing with ableism.