books about autism are just as important as windows and mirrors. they build empathy and teach people how to be better at appreciating this form of neurodiversity. Tuesday April 2nd was World Autism Day and I thought it would be time to move this publication of autism books from “drafts” to “published”.
I’ve only read a handful of these, but worked hard to choose mostly own voices (written by people with autism) and well-reviewed titles. without further ado, here are 24 books about autism/with characters on the autism spectrum. all titles are fiction with selections in the genre of children’s and adult literature.
You are reading: Fiction books with autistic characters
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When an unlikely friendship develops between the relatively popular Kit Lowell and the socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is shocked, especially Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty; in fact, he finds it oddly refreshing. david appreciates kit’s attentiveness and inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help in uncovering the how and why of her father’s tragic car accident, David is all for it, but neither can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?
kea’s flight
This is the 25th century, and humans have learned how to put an end to unwanted pregnancies by extracting and cryogenically freezing embryos to save them for later. but they never planned on how many there would be, or how much control people would want over the genetic makeup of their offspring.
kea was exiled before she was born. she grown from an embryo that was rejected for having autism spectrum genes, she has been raised on a starship full of unwanted children from earth. When a sudden discovery threatens her plan to find a home, Kea must join other Outcasts to save her own government’s ship.
too close to home
Meet Minny: Her life is a complicated whirlwind of excruciating PE lessons, annoying friends, and siblings who are impossible to live with. minny is desperate for a space in a house full of relatives and hangers-on. she has to deal with her autistic sister’s school bullies isolating from her, while she tries to keep her self-absorbed best friend happy, and look normal in front of the new franklin boy. And on top of this, now Dad has announced that he’s going back to London, with his new girlfriend.
Secrets, lies and household truths will come to light, pans will be burned and arguments will break out in a story full of humor, honesty and small domestic emergencies.
ginny moon
meet ginny. she is fourteen years old, autistic and has a heartbreaking secret…
ginny moon is trying to make sense of a world that just doesn’t seem to add up…
After years in foster care, Ginny is in her fourth forever family, finally with parents who will love her.
Everyone tells her she should be happy, but she’s never stopped coming up with her big secret escape plan.
Because something happened, a long time ago, something that only Ginny knows about, and nothing will stop her from coming back to fix it…
house rules
jacob hunt is a teenager with asperger’s syndrome. he is unable to read social cues or express himself well to others, although he is brilliant in many ways. but she has a special focus on one topic: forensic analysis. a police scanner in his room gives him clues to crime scenes, and he always shows up and tells the cops what to do. and he is usually right.
But when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a horrific murder, the police come to him. Jacob’s behaviors are typical of Asperger’s, but they look a lot like blame for the local police. suddenly the hunter family, just wanting to fit in, is squarely in the spotlight. For Jacob’s mother, Emma, it is a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it’s another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob.
And over this little family, the harrowing question looms: did Jacob commit murder?
with love, anthony
Two women, each adrift by unforeseen events in their lives, accidentally meet on a Nantucket beach and become friends.
Olivia is a young mother whose eight-year-old son with severe autism has recently died. With her marriage badly damaged by years of stress, she arrives on the island on a trial separation to try to make sense of the tragedy of her Anthony’s short life.
See Also: 15 Best Self-Help Books for Women in 2022
Beth, a stay-at-home mother of three, also recently separated after discovering her husband’s long-term infidelity. In an attempt to recapture the meaning of her pre-marriage life, she rekindles her passion for writing, determined to once again find her own voice. But surprisingly, as she does so, Beth also finds herself channeling the voice of an unknown boy, exuberant in his perceptions of the world around him yet autistic in his expression, a voice she can share with Olivia (is it Anthony?)—who brings comfort and meaning to both.
the kissing quotient
A refreshingly moving first novel that proves one thing: There isn’t enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart pound.
stella lane believes that mathematics is the only thing that unites the universe. she creates algorithms to predict customer purchases, a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and far less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
how to speak dolphin
Schneider Family Book Award-winning author Ginny Rorby has created a compelling dolphin story about a girl’s struggle to help her autistic brother and herself. Lily loves her half brother, Adam, but she has always had problems with him too. She’s definitely on the autism spectrum, though her stepfather, Don, is hardly afraid to admit it, and taking care of him has forced Lily to become both a mother and a sister. all lily wants is for her stepdad to acknowledge that adam has a real problem, that they need to find some kind of program that can help him. she then she maybe she can have a life of her own.
count by 7s
Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing illnesses, who finds it comforting to count from 7 to 7. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t stopped him from leading a peaceful and happy life…until now.
Suddenly, willow’s world changes tragically when her parents are killed in a car accident, leaving her alone in a bewildering world. the triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. this extraordinarily strange, yet extraordinarily endearing girl manages to get over her pain. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and entirely believable foster family is a joy and an eye-opener to read.
the state of grace
grace has asperger’s and her own way of seeing the world. she has a horse and a best friend who understands her, and that’s pretty much all she needs. But when Grace kisses Gabe and things start to change at home, the world doesn’t make much sense to her anymore.
suddenly everything threatens to fall apart, and it’s up to grace to fix it on its own.
Marcelo in the real world
Marcelo Sandoval listens to music that no one else can hear, part of an autism-like condition that no doctor has been able to identify. But his father has never fully believed in music or Marcelo’s differences, and challenges him to work in the mail room of his law firm for the summer. . . to join the “real world”.
There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising co-worker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm. he learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. but it’s a photo he finds in a file of a girl with half a face that really connects him to the real world: her suffering, her injustice, and what he can do to fight back.
why doesn’t johnny flap his wings
johnny is different. he is never exactly on time, can’t seem to follow a routine, and often speaks in cryptic idioms. johnny is neurotypical, but he’s fine.
a picture book with a difference, why doesn’t johnny flap his wings? flips common representations of neurological difference upside down by amusingly revealing how people who are not on the autism spectrum are perceived by those who are. the autistic narrator’s bewilderment at the quirks of his neurotypical friend shows that “normal” is simply a matter of perspective.
nightingale
caitlin has asperger’s. the world according to her is black and white; anything in between is confusing. Back when things got confusing, Caitlin would turn to her older brother, Devon, for help. But Devon was killed in a school shooting, and Caitlin’s dad is so distraught that he just won’t help. Caitlin wants everything to go back to the way it was before, but she doesn’t know how to do it. she then she comes across the word closure and realizes that this is what she needs. And in pursuit of her, Ella Caitlin discovers that the world may not be so black and white after all.
anything but typical
jason blake is a twelve year old autistic boy who lives in a neurotypical world. most days it’s only a matter of time before something goes wrong. But Jason finds a glimmer of understanding when he runs into Phoenixbird, who posts stories to the same online site as him.
jason can be himself when he writes and thinks that phoneixbird, her name is rebecca, could be his first real friend. But as desperate as Jason is to meet her, he’s terrified that if they meet, Rebecca will only see her autism and not who Jason really is.
rain reign
rose howard is obsessed with namesakes. She’s excited that her own name is a homonym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (kingdom, rein), which, according to Rose’s homonym rules, is very special. Not everyone understands Rose’s obsessions, her rules and the other things that make her different, not her teachers, not other kids, not her single parent.
When a storm hits your rural town, rivers overflow, roads flood, and the rain disappears. Rose’s father shouldn’t have let it rain. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search.
the pink project
The art of love is never a science: meet don tillman, a brilliant but socially inept genetics professor, who has decided it’s time to find a wife. In the neat, evidence-based way Don approaches all things, he devises the wife’s project for finding her perfect match: a sixteen-page scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the latecomers. .
rosie jarman possesses all these qualities. Don easily disqualifies her as a candidate for the wife project (even if she is “smart enough for a waitress”). But Don is intrigued by Rosie’s own quest to identify her biological father. When an unlikely relationship develops while collaborating on the father’s project, Don is forced to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie and realize that despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you.
slug days
See Also: 2007 Notable Children’s Books | Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
on slug days, lauren feels slow and slimy. she feels that everyone yells at her and that she has no friends. today there is a different bus driver; dan and sachi are sitting in lauren’s seat on the bus; and lauren’s teacher interrupts her reading time. It’s definitely a slug day. but not every day is like this. On butterfly days, Lauren makes her classmates laugh, she goes out for ice cream or works on a special project with mom.
lauren has autism spectrum disorder (an umbrella term that has included asperger’s syndrome since 2013) and sees the world differently from many people. sometimes this can be frustrating and makes lauren want to go crazy, especially at school where she learns differently than her classmates. But with support, stubbornness, and a style all her own, Lauren masters the tricks to stay calm, understand others’ feelings, and let her personality shine through. she even manages to find common ground with her gooey slimy little sister. Best of all, being different is what gives Lauren insight into the insecurities of new student Irma.
a boy named bat
for bixby alexander tam (nicknamed bat), life tends to be full of surprises, some good, some not so good. today, however, is a good day of surprises. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she must care for until she can deliver it to a wildlife shelter.
but the moment the bat meets the kit, it knows they belong to each other. And he has a month to show her mom that a baby skunk would make a great pet.
rules
Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. which is almost impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around her disability. She has spent years trying to teach David the rules, from “a peach is not a funny looking apple” to “keep your pants on in public”, to avoid David’s embarrassing behaviors.
but the summer catherine meets jason, a surprising new kind of friend, and kristi, the friend next door she’s always wanted, it’s her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to wonder: what is normal?
the birds of someday
Someday’s Birds is a middle grade novel perfect for fans of counting by 7s and fishing in a tree, full of humour, hearts and chicken nuggets.
charlie’s perfectly ordinary life has been unraveling ever since his father, a war journalist, was wounded in afghanistan.
When his father leaves California for Virginia for medical treatment, Charlie reluctantly travels the country with his boy-crazy sister, his wayward brothers and a mysterious new family friend. he decides that if he can spot all the birds that he and his father hoped to see someday along the way, then everything might work out.
lightning girl miscalculations
lucy callahan was struck by lightning. she doesn’t remember, but she changed her life forever. The Zap gave her genius-level math skills, and ever since then, Lucy has been homeschooled. now, at 12, she is technically ready for college. She only has to pass 1 more exam: high school!
Lucy’s grandmother insists: go to high school for 1 year. make 1 friend join 1 activity. and read 1 book (that’s not a math textbook!). Lucy isn’t sure what a girl who does calculus homework for fun can learn in seventh grade. she has everything she needs at home, where no one can make fun of her rigid routines or her overpowered brain. Lucy’s life equation has already been solved. unless there was a calculation error?
the girl i used to know
annika (rhymes with monica) rose is an english major at the university of illinois. Anxious in social situations where she finds most people’s behavior confusing, she prefers to be surrounded by the order and discipline of books or the quiet solitude of playing chess.
Jonathan Hoffman joined the chess club and lost his first game, and his heart, to the shy and awkward, but brilliant and beautiful Annika. he admires her ability to be true to herself, her quirks and all of her, and accepts the challenges of entering into a relationship with her. jonathan and annika bring out the best in each other, finding the confidence and courage within themselves to plan a future together. what follows is a tumultuous yet tender love story that resists all but the unforeseen tragedy that tears them apart, severing their connection and leaving them to navigate their lives alone.
Now, a decade later, fate brings Annika and Jonathan together in Chicago. she is living the life she wanted as a librarian. She is a wall street genius, recovering from a divorce and looking for a fresh start. the attraction and strong feelings they once shared are instantly rekindled, but until they face the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will be over before it really begins.
caterpillar summer
the cat and his brother the chicken have always had a very special bond: the cat is one of the few people who can make the chicken happy. when he has a “tantrum”, she is the one who scratches his back and reads his favorite story. she is the one who knows what the chicken needs. Since her mother has had to work twice as hard to keep her family afloat after her father passed away, the cat has been the glue that has held her family together.
But even the strongest glue sometimes has trouble holding on. When a summer trip doesn’t go as planned, the cat and the chicken end up spending three weeks with grandparents they’ve never met. For the first time in years, Cat is given the chance to be a girl again, and the journey she embarks on proves that even the most broken or strained relationships can be healed if people take the time to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. /p>
the planet earth is blue
nova, 12, is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle challenger—it’s the first time a teacher has gone into space, and children across the united states will watch the event live on television in their classrooms. Nova and her older sister Bridget share a love of astronomy and the space program. they planned to watch the launch together. but bridget is missing and nova is in a new foster home.
While foster families and teachers dismiss Nova as severely autistic and non-verbal, Bridget understands how smart and special Nova is, and how much she can’t express. As liftoff approaches, Nova’s new adoptive family and teachers begin to see potential in her and, for the first time, she’s making friends without Bridget. but every day she counts down to the launch and to the moment when she will see bridget again. because bridget said, “whatever happens, i’ll be there. I promise.”
there are many other books on autism, so if you have recommendations, feel free to leave them in the comments! which of these books have you read? what did you think?
more book lists
- 16 books about road trips
- 21 Asian novels
- 36 books about brothers