Caitlin Lore, a local novelist and educator, has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Those credentials make her something of an authority on reading lists appropriate for that audience. A subset of that subset, however, benefits especially from exposure to fictional characters who look, sound, and act like them: the neurodiverse preteen. Lore has assembled a reading list that is especially appropriate for this audience, as listed by the Bucks County Free Library.

Lore begins with a definition of neurodiversity, citing documentation that defines it as “…the viewpoint that brain differences are normal, rather than deficits.”

She then asserts that this age group of fledgling readers can benefit wholly from literature featuring diverse characters, situations, viewpoints, and plot points.

“Books can help children feel empowered and/or help them develop empathy,” she wrote. “However, in order for this to happen, readers must make connections to the characters they are reading about.”

To foster those linkages, she recommends exposing middle school students exhibiting neurodiverse behavior (specifically, autism) to reading material gauged to that audience.

She suggests:

• A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
• Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse by Susan Vaught
• Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke
• Team Players by Mike Lupica
• Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen by Kate McGovern

The complete list of Lore’s recommended books, including those for readers 12–18 years old, is at the library’s website.