Elle McNicoll, A kind of spark, Knights Of, October 2023, 187 pp., RRP $18.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781913311056
‘Addie, nowhere is built for people like us,’ Keedie murmurs.
A kind of spark is 11 year old neurodivergent Addie’s story and her campaign for a memorial for the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. It is also a reflection of UK children’s author Elle McNicoll’s lived experiences of neurodiversity and her commitment to seeing greater representation in children’s books.
Most of the story takes place at Addie’s school where she is bullied by both her oldest friend who has distanced herself from her and her teacher, Miss Murphy. Luckily, a new girl at school, Audrey, befriends Addie and the teacher gives them a project on the local witch trials, a subject Addie finds fascinating. The way of life for witches appears to have much in common with Addie’s life with autism – she is seen as an outsider, is misunderstood, and often punished for being curious. The injustice of the witch trial history is also dismissed by others but deeply upsetting to Addie. While the main plot of the story of Addie’s witch memorial campaign plays out, there’s also her home life that highlights the challenges Addie faces every day. Her conversations with older neurodivergent sister Keedie play out like an expose of challenges faced on a day-to-day basis from taking metaphors literally and sensitivity to loud noises, bright lights and crowded rooms. Their dialogue explains technical terms like stimming, masking, neurotypical vs neurodivergent, burnout and ableism.
A kind of spark is a refreshing book that is open and interesting, written in a deep first-person point of view of autism in girls. Although autism presents so differently in everyone, there should be something in this book that resonates with girls who are diagnosed as neurodivergent or perhaps help their family members develop a deeper understanding of it. Addie’s older sister Keedie is a warm, lovable character who almost steals the spotlight in the story from her. The only characters who let this book down are the adults – surely the teacher and parents would be more open to understanding Addie’s challenges and the kind of support she needs.
This story is a wonderful read for children 9-12 years interested in understanding more about the concepts and challenges of autism or for neurodivergent girls looking for stories with relatable characters.
Reviewed by Stef Gemmill
