Why school libraries need more books with neurodivergent characters

In this guest blog, Bev Humphrey, a Reading, School Libraries & Digital Media Consultant, explores why school libraries need more books with neurodivergent characters. Drawing on her experience in school libraries, Bev looks at how representation can help children feel seen, encourage understanding among their peers, and support more inclusive collection development, before sharing recommended titles for readers from Early Years to KS3+

Bev Humphrey
Literacy & Digital Media Consultant
www.bevhumphrey.com
Social media – https://linktr.ee/BevHumphrey

One of the things I loved about working in a school library is that I never quite knew which book was going to make a student stop and think, ‘That’s me!’

It might be a character who loves books as much as they do or someone who finds school overwhelming. It could be someone whose brain works in a slightly different way or who struggles with the unwritten rules that seem to come so easily to everyone else. I can certainly recognise myself in some of these characters and, when I was a kid, there just weren’t books that gave me that comfortable feeling of seeing myself in a protagonist.

That’s why I think having books with neurodivergent characters on our shelves is so important. Not just books about autism, ADHD or dyslexia. Not books where neurodivergence is the problem that needs to be explained or overcome. I’m talking about books where neurodivergent children and young people are simply part of the story.

Representation matters, but why?

Research from the University of Edinburgh’s 2022–23 Neurodiversity and Narrative Fiction project, carried out with BookTrust and other partners, provided some interesting insights. Researchers interviewed neurodivergent young people aged 14 to 17 about their experiences of reading books featuring neurodivergent characters and what they might have gained from seeing this representation when they were younger.

Young people talked about how seeing neurodivergent characters in fiction could have helped them understand themselves better, feel less alone and realise that others experienced the world in similar ways. They also talked about the difference these books could make to their peers. That’s important for us as librarians because we aren’t only sourcing books for the child who thinks ‘that’s me’, but also for the child who thinks, ‘I think my friend thinks that way’.

BookTrust’s recommendations from the research are particularly relevant to school libraries. They suggest making sure pupils have access to a range of neurodivergent characters and experiences, and, importantly, encouraging all pupils to read these books, not just neurodivergent pupils.

You can read the BookTrust summary of the research here.

One thing I’d really encourage you to think about is where these books sit in your library. There is a place for information books about autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other forms of neurodivergence, but fiction is different. If you’ve got an autistic protagonist in a brilliant fantasy adventure, put it with the fantasy. Representation doesn’t need to be announced; it can simply be there. You may want to discreetly keyword it on your library management system, but books with neurodivergent characters don’t need a separate shelf, in my opinion.

I’ve discovered some lovely newer titles recently, and you’ll find them below, along with a few older favourites for a range of age groups.

Early years and KS1

Bessie’s Bees – George Kirk, illustrated by Ana Gómez
Bessie’s head is full of buzzing bees, representing her ADHD. When she starts nursery, she tries to hide them because nobody else seems to have them. A gentle story about being yourself and not hiding parts of who you are.

Minna’s Masks – Louise Gooding, illustrated by Irina Avgustinovich
A picture book exploring masking through Minna’s experience of starting at a new school. A useful book for beginning conversations about the ways children sometimes change their behaviour to fit in.

Davey’s Daydreams – Louise Gooding
Davey’s mind is always off on an adventure, with his ADHD sending him off into wonderful daydreams when he should be concentrating, something I can certainly empathise with! I love that the story celebrates his imagination rather than treating his daydreaming as something that simply needs fixing.

KS1/lower KS2

Loud! – Rose Robbins
Abigail fidgets and giggles at school and finds some of the expectations difficult. Her teacher discovers her love of singing and songwriting. A great story for thinking about different ways of behaving, learning and communicating.

Dino Mode Activated! – Jen Wallace, illustrated by Alan O’Rourke
This is a funny, illustrated adventure featuring Oleg, whose ADHD is simply part of who he is. He wants to become an internet sensation and things don’t quite go according to plan when a new camera seems to have a mind of its own.

Upper KS2

Hari Kumar: Ultimate Superstar – Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Mamta Singh
I love Hari! This is the second book about his adventures. Ten year old Hari is autistic and has ADHD and dreams of becoming a Bollywood superstar. Told through journal entries and illustrations, this is such a funny book with strong themes of friendship, family and school life. Hari is much more than his neurodivergence, which makes him exactly the sort of character I’d like to see more of on our shelves.

Into Thin Air – S. E. Durrant
This story follows Luna as she tries to work out why her dad has suddenly disappeared, with her sister and best friend helping her piece together the clues. Luna’s anxiety and the different ways she and her sister cope with the challenges around them are woven naturally into this gripping mystery.

Role Model – Elle McNicoll
Thirteen year old Aeriel is autistic and suddenly finds herself under the spotlight when her mother becomes the country’s new Prime Minister. Everyone expects Aeriel to become a spokesperson for autistic teenagers. It’s an interesting story about identity, friendship and the pressure of being expected to represent an entire group of people.

The Boy Who Cried Ghost – Ian Eagleton
A lovely spooky story with friendship, family and a character with OCD at its heart. I really like this one because the OCD is part of the character’s life, rather than being the whole story, and there is plenty here to keep readers turning the pages.

I hope I’ve given you a few ideas for books to broaden your stock and to help all of your students feel seen.

For more from Bev Humphrey, sign up for her Lit Link-up webinars or watch the previous session here.