Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Bullying, verbal abuse, used of the “r” word)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
11yo Addie is Autistic. She's very smart, loves to read and wants to be a good student, but her teacher, Mrs. Murphy, has no patience with Addie, tearing up her writing and treating her differently than the other students. When Mrs. Murphy tells the class about Witch Trials that happened in their Scottish Village over 300 years ago, one of the students says Addie would have been killed then as well, and Mrs. Murphy laughs along with the others. No wonder Addie has meltdowns in class. Eager to learn more about the witch trials, Addie reads what she can in the library and, feeling a kinship with them, decides to ask the Village Council to erect a memorial to the witches. Although she is told no, Addie is undaunted. She won't give up until they take her seriously, and not set her ideas aside because she is autistic.
I’m so happy to see more books about neurodiverse kids, where they are the main character. Addie is great, I loved her right away. It was difficult to read about Ms. Murphy’s treatment of Addie. I liked the realistic depiction of middle grade friendships, and unfortunately the bullying was typical as well, children can be very mean to each other, especially when they see similar behavior from the adults in their lives. McNicol’s "ownvoice" debut is engaging, heart breaking and perfect for upper elementary or middle grade students.
Lisa Librarian
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