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melniksuzuki's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Bullying
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
kaylasbewks's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was beautiful! It was everything I needed and more, I only wish I found it sooner. The bullying I received for being autistic was unimaginable and heartbreaking to think back on & I can’t help but think how different my life could’ve been if more children were exposed to this book, or if I was exposed to this book. This book lifted a weight off my shoulders even now, I can’t even imagine how much it would’ve affected my younger self.
The writing itself was wonderful & the characters were even better (I pre-ordered a signed & dedicated copy of the next book immediately after finishing this, woops!), I can’t wait to read from Keedie’s perspective. She is much closer to my age than Addie so maybe the next book will help me heal in the present, who knows? It goes without saying that the autistic representation in this book was amazing & not glamourized or villainized, which is something I always worry about when I go into ‘austic rep’ books. This book felt perfectly even and accurate with it’s descriptions of shutdowns, meltdowns, special interests, masking and so much more.
Autistic people aren’t broken or damaged - if you truly believe that we are, educate yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Bullying, and Ableism
3llieh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Bullying
Minor: Mental illness
nbreezy17's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
pendularsand's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Did I read this all in one day? Hell yeah I did bc it was fantastic.
Never ever have I seen the internal monologue of a protagonist and thought, “she’s just like me, she understands” so many times that it brought me to tears.
Too many of her experiences were unfortunately exactly like mine and although it’s sad that autistic people have such universally shit experiences, it really made me happy to see it written down in a published book like??? People can just read this and know how it feels and know what it’s like and that’s AWESOME!! More of this please!
I love Addie so much <33
Never ever have I seen the internal monologue of a protagonist and thought, “she’s just like me, she understands” so many times that it brought me to tears.
Too many of her experiences were unfortunately exactly like mine and although it’s sad that autistic people have such universally shit experiences, it really made me happy to see it written down in a published book like??? People can just read this and know how it feels and know what it’s like and that’s AWESOME!! More of this please!
I love Addie so much <33
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Minor: Torture and Violence
This book has very graphic depictions of ableism both through discussing history, a character being institutionalised, and Addie is repeatedly bullied. The R slur is used once. Brief mention of witches being tortured to admit they’re witches, this is not detailed.augustreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
tashtash93's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Toxic friendship
lottie1803's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As a late diagnosed Autistic, this is the book younger me needed. I laughed and cried within pages of each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Bullying
Minor: Mental illness and Forced institutionalization
sleepyshelves's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I still have so many feelings, and the longer I sit with them the more intimidating writing a review becomes.
Addie is autistic; she loves sharks (did you know they can sense electricity????) and she loves words (she carries a pocket thesaurus her sister gave her with her everywhere). She really just loves to learn. When her class starts learning about witches, she can’t help that she needs to know everything she can – these women who were killed for being different resonate with her in a way that no one in her class seems to understand, including her teacher. She immediately begins to lobby for a memorial for the women she’s come to relate with. But her town won’t take her seriously, in fact, they seem to blame her “poor behavior” on her sister.
An earnest examination of the treatment of autistic children, A Kind of Spark doesn’t shy away from the way adults and kids alike bully their autistic peers. What starts as a simple, honest plea for recognition turns into a fight against the greater population of her small town, and McNicoll’s dedicated, compassionate voice fills each page, uplifting Addie and Keedie with a transparency that comes from personal connections. I can’t find the correct words to articulate the impact of such a straightforward story.
Not generally a huge fan of contemporary work, I was floored by how compulsively I was reading McNicoll’s debut. I’m now confronted with the obstacle of the prequel (Keedie, Addie’s older sister, is also autistic and has her own story coming out) being released in the UK and not in the US. Reading this book has had profound reverberations through my personal life in the past few weeks since.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Ableism
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Violence, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Medical trauma
tahkneeyah's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Ableism