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rattletheshelves 's review for:
The Secret Life of Kitty Granger
by G.D. Falksen
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Yes
I loved this book. It's so, so nice to read a book where an autistic girl's traits are seen as strengths. While she struggles, we never get an idea that she needs to conform to the neurotypical expectations - quite the opposite, she's treasured because of her neurodivergence.
I'm usually hesitant about Cold War settings but this was very, very far from our typical "good Westerners saving the world from the bad Soviets" narrative. First of all, the characters are so diverse, coming from all sorts of backgrounds, and are selected to be spies not because they are handsone white cishet men but because they are people who the society (especially 1960s British society) tends to dismiss. Second of all, the enemy is actually BRITISH fascists.
The book reads more like a middle grade despite Kitty being 16, but I love middle grade and it didn't bother me at all.
One thing to keep in mind is that, as far as I can tell, the author isn't autistic themselves. However, the rep is done very respectfully.
I wholeheartedly recommend!
*I received the eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
I'm usually hesitant about Cold War settings but this was very, very far from our typical "good Westerners saving the world from the bad Soviets" narrative. First of all, the characters are so diverse, coming from all sorts of backgrounds, and are selected to be spies not because they are handsone white cishet men but because they are people who the society (especially 1960s British society) tends to dismiss. Second of all, the enemy is actually BRITISH fascists.
The book reads more like a middle grade despite Kitty being 16, but I love middle grade and it didn't bother me at all.
One thing to keep in mind is that, as far as I can tell, the author isn't autistic themselves. However, the rep is done very respectfully.
I wholeheartedly recommend!
*I received the eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*