My younger self related SO MUCH to the autistic representation in this graphic novel and loved seeing nonbinary representation too! Being at the intersections of both, and seeing myself represented so well within these characters, really made my week. :)

A great, accessible look at autism with themes of friendship, music and bullying.

For Libraries: A great graphic addition to your youth collection.

This was really well done and is such an important book for kids of this age to read. It would have been 5 stars for me if not for the strange Laura storyline, which I thought had merit but I didn't fully like because I worry about how it could teach autistic kids to think it's okay for people to bully them.

This one ended up being super sweet! At times, especially early on, the tone was a bit didactic and stiff, and certain elements of the plot felt overly-predictable. But all of that lent itself to a very smooth reading experience once things took off, and the final third of the book is earnest and heartwarming all the way through. Some of the more heavyhanded elements may also be beneficial to younger and/or neurotypical readers operating without much familiarity with autism and autistic folks, and the bullying B-plot holds broad relevance to anyone who's ever gone through interpersonal struggles at school. Everything works out a little too cleanly for a satisfyingly nuanced/complex story, but honestly, couldn't we all use some overly-simplistic feel-good middle grade sometimes?

I love this!! Mia is a wonderful girl finding her way. She knows who she is, and she is trying the best she can. Life is tough with her label... but she's tougher. I cannot wait to share this with my students.

Mia is autistic and the target of her school bullies. Little do her classmates and bullies know, along with her non-binary friend, Charlie, she is the face and voice behind the viral singing sensation Elle-Q. Charlie and Mia get an opportunity to perform at a talent show. But in order to do that Mia would have to reveal that she is Elle-Q. Will Charlie be able to persuade Mia to perform? Will Mia's bullies see her in a different light after the talent show? You'll have to read this graphic novel in order to find out!

Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Mia was a great character and I really enjoyed the friendship that she had with Charlie. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of realistic or slice of life graphic novels.

*4.25 Stars*

Speak Up! is a middle-grade graphic novel centering around Mia, an autistic 12 yo who doesn't have friends at school and has a secret identity as an online singer. We follow through new challenges, especially centered around her musician persona who her only friend and music partner want to see perform live. But also, her school life keeps being awful as people either bully or ignore her and she doesn't know how to react ton the very few friendly signs shown her way...

Speak Up! was captivating from beginning to end. I really loved Mia's perspective and struggles. I did not like her mother, I could tell she was kind of trying but also still doing all the wrong things and it made me very angry. I really really loved Mia's best friend, Charlie. They were such a light. I loved them from the start and it was captivating seeing them throughout the book.
There's still a couple things in the plot that I didn't love and that kept me from rating this five stars.
Still, I had a really good time reading this and I think a lot of people should read it. It's just so great to have this perspective on autism and what it means to be autistic. It is obviously just one perspective but it was still great.
All around, just a good time, that I will most likely buy a physical copy of and reread.
I really can't wait to read more Rebecca Burgess too. I am now addicted.

Middle schooler Mia is autistic and bullied by other kids at school, but when she and her best friend, Charlie, get together after school, they make musical magic together, posting videos where Mia is singer Elle-Q, accompanied by Charlie's musical talent. If only Mia's bullies knew that the singer they're obsessed with is the same girl they laugh at for being "weird", maybe they'd be singing a different tune. Mia and Charlie have differences of opinion when he pushes for the duo to appear in the local talent show: Mia is nervous afraid people will laugh at her for "stimming" - the self-stimulating behaviors triggered by stress or anxiety - and Charlie feels that Mia's reluctance to appear will squash his chance to get notice for his music. Meanwhile, Mia's mom seems to be completely clueless on how her daughter really feels, pushing her toward ways to "be normal" and "fit in". Mia learns to advocate for herself in this graphic novel that's sure to keep tweens and young teens turning pages. Speak Up! is a study in self-advocacy and an inspiring story about being true to onesself, with tween-friendly cartoon-realistic artwork that will draw readers who love Raina Telgemeier, Kayla Miller, and Terri Libenson. An excellent choice for graphic novel collections and a strong addition to the growing canon of books about autistic tweens living and thriving. Mia is white and Charlie is brown-skinned, uses "they/them" pronouns, and presents as nonbinary.

Mia is an artist: she writes powerful and poetic lyrics and sings her heart out as part of Elle-Q. But she struggles to find her voice and speak up for herself in school. Can Mia find a way to have her voice heard in both worlds?

What I loved most:
Mia is autistic and this graphic novel beautifully balances her struggles with the beauty of all she is.
The colors are bold and beautiful.
Charlie! OMG. I love Charlie's character sooooo much. One minute they are in a school uniform, the next they are wearing beautiful earrings and to perform: they have the best outfit!
This graphic novel depicts the ugliness of bullying someone who is autistic and warns against categorizing all autistic people into the same set of behaviors and norms.
The music that fills these pages is magical.
By the end of this novel, you can't help but cheer for Elle-Q!
Mia's mom - she does everything she does out of love for Mia and she's willing to embrace her misunderstandings and support her daughter in anyways she can.

Mia is my new superhero 🦸‍♀️🌟
This graphic novel is terrific & has an eye-opening perspective!!

As a parent of a neurodivergent child this book is SO needed. I would love for schools to read this together with the class and have discussions about how each and every individual needs different help or support in order to be successful in school. Some kids need chewies, some need bouncy chairs, some need headphones and everyone needs others to respect their differences. This graphic novel shows the other side of neurodivergence, and how it feels to have to regulate or act “normal” every day. Perhaps it's time to re-define “normal” and start helping students embrace their strengths and be the best version of themselves.

Mia is an amazingly brave main character. While her classmates make fun of her almost every day for her differences, she still shows up. Just showing up each day for school or lessons is really challenging for neurodivergent kids. They love what they do but know that others will likely make fun of them for stimming or sensory needs that they need to fulfill in order to continue in a regulated state. Mia not only learns to embrace her differences, but she also learns her differences are her superpower. Mia is my new hero 😊

The colorful crisp illustrations feel like you are watching an anime film. They give a sense of watching Mia from the sidelines of her life. Amazing!!

Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books

In Speak Up!, Mia expresses herself through viral singing sensation Elle-Q, an online persona created by her and bestie Charlie. Mia is autistic, which makes it harder to be herself around others - especially in settings like school, where there are a lot of stimuli and bullies.

A local talent show leads Elle Q to announce their first ever live performance, causing tension between Mia and Charlie. The events that unfold led to Mia to make a new friend, be more honest with her mom, and truly find her voice.

This graphic novel from Rebecca Burgess is perfect for middle grade and high school readers looking for more heartfelt, realistic fiction.

This is a great graphic novel look at Autism and finding who you are.
Mia sings in disguise and has to figure out how this affects her when she becomes famous on the internet.
A great look at how Autism affects someone and shows how they shouldn't be treated differently and still be given a chance to figure out who & where they belong.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Rebecca Burgess, and the publisher for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Mia is 12 and suffers from autism. All she wants to do is fit in with her classmates, but they make it hard by constantly teasing and picking on her for being different. She wants to stand up to her bullies, but how can she do it? She soon starts writing songs and sings (with a disguise) with her best friend Charlie. When Charlie uploads the videos to the internet, Mia soon becomes famous! The only people that know though are Mia and Charlie. Will Mia be able to perform when she's given the chance or will she let her bullies continue to knock her down?

I thought this was an amazing graphic novel and would be great for upper elementary classrooms. I hope it will teach students that everyone is unique in their own ways and it isn't right to pick on others just because they are different than you are. I hope teachers will buy this book f0r their classrooms.

This review is based on an ARC and may not match the final version. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Mia is autistic. She faces a world which doesn’t understand her, a school which is often painful and a mother who’s efforts at “help” look an awful lot like “don’t act autistic”. But Mia also has something amazing in her life. With her best friend, Charlie, setting her poems to music, she has been able to find her voice online as ElleB, who sings in costume about her experiences and feelings. But when Charlie wants to do a local talent show, and Mia finds a fellow student at school who is a major fan of ElleB, she needs to get up enough courage to find her voice in public.

It did not surprise me to get to the end of this book and discover that the author is autistic. Because Mia’s experience is true to life for a lot of girls who are able to function at school and overall, but just don’t quite fit in socially and are always a little off. Charlie, as a best friend who attends a gifted school and uses they/them pronouns, reads authentic as well. Gifted kids are also not neurotypical. And Charlie’s gifts come out in songwriting and in self expression, but in some ways, they struggle as much as Mia does. This is also realistic-neurodiverse kids tend to find each other.

Ultimately, this is a beautiful graphic novel, with appealing illustrations, which does a great job of presenting neurodiversity, not as something to be pitied or as a deficit, but as a different way of thinking and relating to the world, that comes with it's own gifts. Rebecca Burgess' own neurodiversity comes through clearly and authentically, making Mia and Charlie wonderful peer models for ND kids-and their NT classmates.

This book absolutely belongs in classrooms and school libraries. I hope that there are more to come.

This graphic novel features Mia, an autistic girl who expresses herself beautifully as a singer/songwriter. Her best friend, Charlie, is her only friend and they create a secret online band, Elle-Q, that becomes very popular. Mia is tormented at school. She chews on a sensory necklace, wears headphones, and rarely speaks at school. Charlie, who attends another school, encourages her to enter a talent show, but she is reluctant thinking people would find her stimming strange or she’d be on sensory overload. Her mother is overprotective and wants her to act “more normal” to fit in with her peers. Her unsolicited advice creates tension between them. This is a great book for middle schoolers to learn about standing up for themselves and stepping out of their comfort zones.

Mia is like any middle school girl. She has feelings and dreams she wants to attain. The only difference is she also has autism. Over stimulation can make her feel uncomfortable. She knows her needs and handles them most of the time. However the kids at school tease her and bully her, because they do not understand. Mia’s outlet is music. She writes lyrics and her friend Charlie writes the tunes. Together they post on “ooutube” as the alias Elle-Q. Everyone loves it. Even the kids who bother her. Now Charlie wants to enter a talent show. This could be the best or worst moment of her life. What is Mia to do?

This story is amazing. Reading about what is too much stimulation for Mia helps the reader see things through her eyes. You can see how noises, smells, and crowds can be overpowering. Mia’s support system does have her best interests at heart, but when the world around you is too much it is even harder to look people in the eyes and talk about topics you do not know much about.

Besides learning about a person’s challenges and successes with autism, I appreciated seeing the struggles that the other characters had in the story: Her friend Charlie who wanted the world to see Mia like he does, her mom who wanted people to be kind to her daughter, and other students who invite Mia to do activities, but do not understand what Mia needs.

Speak Up by Rebecca Burgess is a hero story. Mia is a warrior going into battle everyday whether it is the overstimulation, the kids at school, her mom, or her best friend.

Mia is an autistic girl who struggles with at school, especially with other students being mean to her. However, in secret, she is the internet famous singer, Elle Q. Her best friend Charlie wants them to perform at an upcoming talent show, but Mia is a bit nervous. Can she overcome her fears to be herself?

I liked this graphic novel! It had an important message and the story was good.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rebecca Burgess' most recent graphic novel, "Speak Up!" follows the story of Mia, an autistic middle schooler who struggles to find her place at school and at home. It's music and singing that allows Mia to express herself and her confidence to shine. With great descriptions of Mia's inner thoughts and struggles with autism, Speak Up! brings great awareness and empathy to those around us with differences.

Speak Up is a middle grade graphic novel about Mia, a middle schooler who has autism. While she is misunderstood and bullied by her classmates, she also has a secret identity as an online pop star, Elle-Q. Mia has to choose to speak up and be brave when faced with the opportunity of performing live. I loved the representation this book provides with a main character who has autism and the behaviors that people with autism have like stimming. Overall, I loved this book! Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC and the opportunity to share my opinions on the book!

Speak Up! is a fantastic middle grade graphic novel about Mia and her alter-ego, music sensation Elle-Q. Mia is different from the other kids in school in that she is autistic, and through the course of the novel she learns to speak her truth and be herself authentically.

First of all, I'm so glad this graphic novel exists! I think a lot of kids will find camaraderie with Mia, as she deals with a lot of things all kids go through and also some things that autistic kids especially can relate to. I appreciated how colorful and yet easy to read the layout of the panels and each page was - it was definitely easier on my eyes and senses than a lot of other graphic novels can be, even those geared for younger audiences. And the characters were all great, too; I especially loved Charlie, Mia's best friend and "musical genius" behind Elle-Q's sound.

I'd highly recommend this for any autistic person, anyone who loves an autistic person, or anyone who just wants a feel-good graphic novel. This delivers on all fronts!

Thank you to Quill Tree Books and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.