Books featuring autistic characters

April is Autism Awareness Month, and what better way to champion diversity and inclusion than by celebrating some of the wonderful stories that feature autistic characters. These books should be on the shelves of every primary school, not just so that autistic children see their experiences reflected in stories but also so that other children in class can build understanding of life as an autistic person.

These books have been chosen to highlight the challenges autistic people face and also to celebrate all their strengths and joys.

Minna’s Masks (Wonderfully Wired Stories) a book by Louise Gooding and Irina Avgustinovich.

Age Range: EYFS

A unique story about a little girl who masks when she feels unsure of how to act. The story follows Minna as she starts school, and would be a wonderful story to read together in September.

Pablo: Pablo and the Noisy Party a book by Pablo.

Age range: EYFS

Written by authors on the autistic spectrum, this joyful book about supporting those around us is an authentically told story that will resonate with both neurodiverse and neurotypical children. We first read it while visiting one of our member schools, who were kind enough to show us some of the new books they’d bought recently….and we can’t turn down the opportunity to look at books!

Leo and the Octopus a book by Isabelle Marinov and Chris Nixon.

Age Range: KS1

We spotted this story in a book shop recently, drawn in by the beautiful colour palette (we know you shouldn’t judge a book by the cover, but sometimes they are just too enticing!) and it did not disappoint. The book follows a heart-warming story of Leo who is struggling to make sense of the world around him, until he meets Maya.

Meesha Makes Friends: A Big Bright Feelings Book a book by Tom Percival.

Age Rage: KS1

As you know, we are already huge Tom Percival fans. In fact, we use two of his books in The Story Project curriculum because they are wonderful at making complex emotions feel simple. ‘Meesha Makes Friends’ is no exception, following a little girl as she figures out how to navigate social situations.

Finding My Voice a book by Aoife Dooley.

Age Range: KS2 (perfect for Year 6!)

Ok, so we are a little biased about this one because it is a book we love so dearly that we use it in our Story Project curriculum! This graphic novel is told with humour and gentleness, supporting children to celebrate their own unique voices and overcome some of the challenges of starting secondary school. Like all the stories in this list it, of course, features a main character with autism.

A Kind of Spark a book by Elle McNicoll.

Age Range: KS2

A engaging story about a young girl, with autism, who campaigns for a memorial in her town to commemorate the witch trials that took place in her home town. Can Addie convince the town to hear her voice?