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A review by emtees
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I’ve been reading a lot of books with autistic protagonists lately, a disproportionate number of them middle grade because that’s where the representation tends to be. A lot of them are very good, blending solid stories and good characterization with teaching their young target audiences about autism. So I expected A Kind of Spark to be along those lines. But while it followed the basic plot I’ve come to expect - autistic kid struggles with people around her not understanding her before finding a place within her community - there were a few things that made this book stand out.
First, Addie is a great protagonist. Something about the way her POV was written touched me more than most protagonists in MG books do. She had a combination of a lot of self-awareness, especially when it came to the way her autism led her to be perceived by both adults and other children, with a lot of raw emotion. The book talks about Addie’s difficulty with regulating her emotions and handling meltdowns, but more than most books it conveyed the emotional experience Addie was going through when she was overwhelmed. It wasn’t just talking about triggers or symptoms of autism; the author conveyed how deeply Addie feels things, how strong her empathy is for those she relates to, and how hard it is for her to pretend that she is as detached as the people around her appear to be. Addie is a strong argument against the perception of autistic people as emotionless or lacking in empathy. The amount of bullying and aggression she experienced from both kids and adults who refused to believe that her emotions were real was infuriating.
Secondly there is the witch storyline. The main plot involves Addie discovering that the village she lives in was once the site of witch burnings and becoming determined to see the local community put up a memorial to the women who died. Addie’s passion for the witches was a great way in to exploring her character. Addie wasn’t just obsessed with the witches because they were a research topic that had caught her attention, though the book did show how hyperfocused she became on subjects that interested her. But to Addie, the witches were women like her - misunderstood, judged, and punished for not fitting in - and she couldn’t accept that they would be forgotten or dismissed.
Finally, I really loved that Addie wasn’t the only autistic character in the book. Her older sister, Keedie, is also autistic. Though autism frequently runs in families, I can only think of one other book that I’ve read featuring autistic siblings. The relationship between Addie and Keedie was really beautiful, the kind of relationship you get when you have two people who understand each other deeply but aren’t understood by anyone else around them. I loved the bond between the sisters, the little things they shared that showed how they viewed the world the same way. But at the same time, they were still a typical sibling relationship. Keedie is older, and that meant that there were things about her own struggles and experiences that she tried to hide from Addie to protect her, things Addie didn’t remember or understand. I also liked the relationship both sisters had with Keedie’s neurotypical twin, Nina. Nina doesn’t share Keedie and Addie’s experiences and can’t always understand their struggles, but there are also ways in which she does understand and support them. My favorite scene was one where Nina and Keedie team up against a teacher who was bullying Addie.
First, Addie is a great protagonist. Something about the way her POV was written touched me more than most protagonists in MG books do. She had a combination of a lot of self-awareness, especially when it came to the way her autism led her to be perceived by both adults and other children, with a lot of raw emotion. The book talks about Addie’s difficulty with regulating her emotions and handling meltdowns, but more than most books it conveyed the emotional experience Addie was going through when she was overwhelmed. It wasn’t just talking about triggers or symptoms of autism; the author conveyed how deeply Addie feels things, how strong her empathy is for those she relates to, and how hard it is for her to pretend that she is as detached as the people around her appear to be. Addie is a strong argument against the perception of autistic people as emotionless or lacking in empathy. The amount of bullying and aggression she experienced from both kids and adults who refused to believe that her emotions were real was infuriating.
Secondly there is the witch storyline. The main plot involves Addie discovering that the village she lives in was once the site of witch burnings and becoming determined to see the local community put up a memorial to the women who died. Addie’s passion for the witches was a great way in to exploring her character. Addie wasn’t just obsessed with the witches because they were a research topic that had caught her attention, though the book did show how hyperfocused she became on subjects that interested her. But to Addie, the witches were women like her - misunderstood, judged, and punished for not fitting in - and she couldn’t accept that they would be forgotten or dismissed.
Finally, I really loved that Addie wasn’t the only autistic character in the book. Her older sister, Keedie, is also autistic. Though autism frequently runs in families, I can only think of one other book that I’ve read featuring autistic siblings. The relationship between Addie and Keedie was really beautiful, the kind of relationship you get when you have two people who understand each other deeply but aren’t understood by anyone else around them. I loved the bond between the sisters, the little things they shared that showed how they viewed the world the same way. But at the same time, they were still a typical sibling relationship. Keedie is older, and that meant that there were things about her own struggles and experiences that she tried to hide from Addie to protect her, things Addie didn’t remember or understand. I also liked the relationship both sisters had with Keedie’s neurotypical twin, Nina. Nina doesn’t share Keedie and Addie’s experiences and can’t always understand their struggles, but there are also ways in which she does understand and support them. My favorite scene was one where Nina and Keedie team up against a teacher who was bullying Addie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Ableism