Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - Les étincelles invisibles

Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Les étincelles invisibles by Elle McNicoll

58 reviews

penofpossibilities's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Cried a couple of times. Its the first kids book ive read with such explicit autistic rep. I felt very jealous at the mc for having so many words to explain her autism to others. I could relate alot to her experiences but not the way she could express herself and stand up for herself. I did not have those words as a kid. Im glad some kids do and that this book could be meaningful for them. I did not like the whiteness of the autism rep though, it talked about how its more difficult for high support needs autistics but not about intersectionality of ableism and racism and that was a pity. There was not enough intersectionality in the advocacy of this book in general and I also did not like the language policing; two times the mc says that autism is not something you have but autistic is something you are and the mc says it like that is a fact. But not all autistics feel that way so it felt a bit exclusive :/ also at the end the mc says everyone in the town is good now bcs they recognised one wrong thing in history but that is very simplified and again I feel like thats such a white perspective that largely ignores how dangerous it still is to be poc and autistic or having intersecting disabilities etc. I still rate it 4 stars despite these issues bcs its a really special book and I wish I had it as a child. It made me feel closer to my self and it made me feel validated.

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staceyinthesticks's review against another edition

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inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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alisazhup's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.0

"Autistic."
He stops. "What's that?"
"I'm autistic. I don't have autism; I am autistic."

It's better to be open about who you really are, what you're really like, and be disliked by a few than it is to hide who you are and be tolerated by many.

It was refreshing to read a book with an autistic protagonist written by an autistic author! I hope that it will be a new trend for explicitly neurodivergent characters to be included in literature. It is going to be so important for this book to be on shelves available for elementary and middle school children to read.

This book depicts:
-Ableism (comments like "You don't look autistic" and "You must be high functioning," the r slur, bullying)
-Autistic burnout
-Sensory issues (bright lights, loud noises, touch)
-Autistic meltdowns
-Special interests
-Difficulties with socializing (friendships, reading faces, understanding emotions, eye contact, hyper-empathy)
-Systemic issues with the school system and autistic people being taken away to psychiatric hospitals
-Common autistic misconceptions (that autistic people don't have empathy or can't think for themselves, that autism is a disease or a mental illness, that autistic people want to be cured, person first vs identity first language)
-Families with autistic children

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metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

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lettuce_read's review against another edition

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Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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janneke2302's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful 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? N/A

5.0

I love this book so much. I don't think I'll ever be able to put into words just how much I love it. This is the book I needed as a child. This is the book I want all little autistic girls to have. Reading about Addie was amazing and heartbreaking in a good way. I have never before felt so well seen and represented in anything before. I have known since my diagnosis that theoretically I am not alone with how I experience things and how I feel. I have never had this kind of prove that it is normal. That it is just the way mine and many other people's brains work.

This is a cute story about a girl finding out her town used to have witch hunts and trying her best to get her town to acknowledge that and put up a memorial for them. It's a fun story that I would recommend to kids based purely on that. It is also so much more than that though. Reading Addie's story teaches you so many important things. Wether you're neurodivergent and it shows you that you're not alone and are okay the way you are, or you're neurotypical and it shows you how differently we experience the world from you and the difficulties that come with that. I hope and believe that this book will teach everyone to be more compassionate towards themselves and others.

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naomi_reads_books's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative relaxing sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

honestly I should start reading more books for younger readers! the language is so simple and easy, but addie's voice was nevertheless incredibly vivid and whole and it made me so viscerally angry at times that I nearly reached into the book to slap a couple of people. 3.75 stars simply because it's not groundbreaking writing to me I guess (not a criticism, just an observation, plus I'm older than the intended audience) but I really really really loved it. so much that I'm writing a review, which I never do.

even though the book is in first person and relatively short, each character is fully defined and fleshed-out and every relationship is, although quite straightforward, incredibly beautiful and touching <3

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musingsofazebra's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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? No

5.0

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rebeccafarren's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

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fromjuliereads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was cute and had some fantastic characters! Deals with some real issues but is sensitive about it. Glad I read it and that it exists for kids to read!!

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