Every day we live among, work with, teach, and interact with people of different abilities. It hasn’t always been this way. Exceptional children are no longer educated in isolation; whenever possible, they are mainstreamed into the least restrictive educational environment.
The book publishing industry is finally catching up and reflecting these societal changes. Many current children’s and young adult books feature at least one differently abled character. Some exceptions are highly visible, and some go unseen. This fall, consider adding one of these inclusive titles to your home or classroom library. These characters have much to teach us about a world where they often stand out.
Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability
by Shane Burcaw
Children are naturally curious, and this can lead to questions we may not be ready to, or know how to, answer. Shane Burcaw was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare disease that has shrunken and weakened his body. Being bound to a wheelchair has not diminished Shane’s spirit. In fact, it has helped him find a voice for people like him and become a disability rights activist. In this auto-biographical book, Shane gets right to the point and tackles kids’ most common questions head on. He talks openly about his disability with honesty and humor. Recommended for grades K-3.
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
by Stacy McAnulty
The intellectually gifted are often overlooked when discussing special needs, but these children deal with unique challenges. As a result of being struck by lightning at 8 years old, Lucy Callahan acquires a savant syndrome, becoming a mathematical genius. Along with her savant, she develops obsessive-compulsive disorder and is homeschooled until 7th grade. Lucy is smart enough to enter college at age 12, but her Nana wants her to finally learn how to interact socially with her peers. In this book, readers will cheer on Lucy as she navigates the choppy waters of middle school, becomes more open with her savant, and stands up to bullies. Recommended for grades 3-6.
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
by Dusti Bowling
Fans of Auggie Pullman, R.J. Palacio’s main character in Wonder, will form an instant bond with Aven Green. She loves to spin wild tales about how she lost her arms, but the boring truth is Aven was born without them. When her father moves the family to Arizona at the start of her 8th-grade year, Aven faces ugly looks and insensitive questions from her peers. When she befriends Connor, a boy struggling with Tourette’s syndrome, and Zion, a shy and overweight boy, she finds her way free of isolation. Bowling dives head first into the discomfort that others may feel as a result of physical differences, and how friendship can lesson those worries. Recommended for grades 5-8.
How We Roll
by Natasha Friend
If your teen loved The Fault In Our Stars, they will want to read this book. Quinn McAvoy’s family attempts a fresh start in Gulls Head, Massachusetts, so that her younger brother Julius can attend a special school for children on the autism spectrum, but he is not the only McAvoy in crisis. Quinn hopes for a new beginning after losing all of her hair and friends during her dreadful 8th-grade year. She does everything in her power to keep her new classmates from discovering she is completely bald from alopecia, an autoimmune disorder, or she risks another socially isolating year. But when she befriends Nick, an angry, wheelchair-bound teen, she worries her secret isn’t safe, and ultimately, if her secret is worth keeping. Recommended for grades 8-12.
To read more about people with different abilities, check out the Schneider Family Book Award, awarded annually by the American Library Association. The award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
Jennifer Boren is the lead library media specialist for Collierville Schools and blogs at bookjabber.wordpress.com.