Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt
Middle Grade Contemporary, Autistic Rep
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Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt
5 STARS, Middle Grade Contemporary, Autistic Rep, My format: hard cover
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop
Selah knows the rules for being normal and always sticks to them, until the day she explodes and breaks all the rules.
Personal Review:
I thought this was extremely well done. As someone who discovered I was on the spectrum as an adult, I related to so much of what was happening in the inner world of Selah in this book.
The writing was absolutely beautiful. This was my first free verse novel and it was lovely. I love how the layout of the words means almost as much as the words themselves.
I also really liked the balance in the book of Selah discovering there was a reason for feeling the way she did and then actually doing something with that information. Discovering her autism wasn't an excuse for her to throw a pity party or to not be kinds to others, it was a catalyst for her to find tools, accommodations, and ways to communicate that worked for her. I thought that was excellent. The point of finding out your brain works differently is so you can learn how to use it!
I thought the characters at the FantasyCon as well as her teacher Mrs. V were amazing additions to the story. It is rare for autistic (or any sort of differently wired) children, especially girls, to find anyone who is willing to advocate for them and I loved that there were people who gave Selah opportunities to discover her uniqueness and how to work with it.
Well done; I highly recommend for anyone on the spectrum or trying to understand a loved one who is (which is all of us at this point).
Content Warnings:
none