A Kind of Spark
- Downloads：1556
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-03 00:53:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Elle McNicoll
- ISBN：1913311058
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A KIND OF SPARK tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown。 Addie knows there's more to the story of these 'witches'， just like there is more to hers。 Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her， and her autism， and make her voice heard？ A story about friendship， courage and self-belief， perfect for fans of The Goldfish Boy。
Reviews
Izzie
，
This a brilliant story about what it means to be neurodivergent in a world geared toward the neurotypical and the fierce determination one girl has to do what's right and not to shy away from who she truly is。 A Kind of Spark absolutely deserves its spot as the Waterstones Children's Book Prize winner and all of the praise it's getting。 This is a book I will recommend to as many people as possible。 This a brilliant story about what it means to be neurodivergent in a world geared toward the neurotypical and the fierce determination one girl has to do what's right and not to shy away from who she truly is。 A Kind of Spark absolutely deserves its spot as the Waterstones Children's Book Prize winner and all of the praise it's getting。 This is a book I will recommend to as many people as possible。 。。。more
Hannah
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I really appreciate Elle McNicholl and love that she’s writing about neurodivergent protagonists。 Addie was a brilliant character and I know that children would get on board with her and want to empathise。 People need to understand autism and literature for kids is a great way to go about that。
Rachel
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A Kind of Spark is about a neuro-diverse girl trying to navigate and make sense of a neuro-typical society。 After learning that during the Salem with trials， people who were different were burned at the stake she starts delving deeper into the issue。 If these people weren't really witches， it just means they were different like her。 What if one or many of them were autistic or had Asperger's？ What is they were good and kind people who were just marked and singled our for being different？In this A Kind of Spark is about a neuro-diverse girl trying to navigate and make sense of a neuro-typical society。 After learning that during the Salem with trials， people who were different were burned at the stake she starts delving deeper into the issue。 If these people weren't really witches， it just means they were different like her。 What if one or many of them were autistic or had Asperger's？ What is they were good and kind people who were just marked and singled our for being different？In this powerful book， readers will be taken for a ride by an ownvoices author and her quest to show neuro-typical folks that being autistic isn't a flaw。 。。。more
Alwynne
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Elle McNicoll’s debut book’s a sensitive exploration of what it means to be labelled as different and then treated as an outsider。 It centres on 11-year-old Addie who lives in a village community close to Edinburgh， it’s a new school year and she’s suddenly confronted with a relentlessly mocking teacher and targeted by bullies intent on making life miserable。 Addie’s being singled out because she’s autistic but then a classroom assignment about local women killed during the Scottish Witch Trials Elle McNicoll’s debut book’s a sensitive exploration of what it means to be labelled as different and then treated as an outsider。 It centres on 11-year-old Addie who lives in a village community close to Edinburgh， it’s a new school year and she’s suddenly confronted with a relentlessly mocking teacher and targeted by bullies intent on making life miserable。 Addie’s being singled out because she’s autistic but then a classroom assignment about local women killed during the Scottish Witch Trials sparks her interest。 Among her classmates only Addie fully grasps what life might have been like for women scapegoated and persecuted because they didn’t fit the rigid roles on offer。 So， Addie campaigns for a memorial dedicated to them， a project that unexpectedly provides the means for Addie to assert herself and overcome her tormentors。 McNicoll’s a neurodivergent author so she’s drawn on her own experiences here and her creation Addie’s an extremely convincing character。 McNicoll’s a skilful writer， although there are a few heavy-handed passages here and there， and her ending’s a little rushed – not unusual in a first-time author’s work。 But overall， I thought this was a really well-crafted， incredibly compelling piece， as it unfolded， I found myself completely immersed in Addie's story。 McNicoll's publisher’s worth mentioning here too， it’s a small， independent “Knights Of” dedicated to diversity， inclusivity and actively supporting authors from under-represented backgrounds， if their other children's books are anywhere near as good as this one it’s definitely a list worth following。 。。。more
Nadhirah
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3。5 stars。Whether you're neurotypical or autistic， I think everyone can get something out of this book。 Highly recommended to kids and adults alike。 3。5 stars。Whether you're neurotypical or autistic， I think everyone can get something out of this book。 Highly recommended to kids and adults alike。 。。。more
Fiona
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A lovely heart-felt story。 This is a children's book but I feel it could be read by any age。 Too good to miss。 The moral of the tale believe in yourself and don't let other people's prejudices put you off。 A lovely heart-felt story。 This is a children's book but I feel it could be read by any age。 Too good to miss。 The moral of the tale believe in yourself and don't let other people's prejudices put you off。 。。。more
Lindsay
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I picked up this book because I kept seeing about it online and getting good reviews。 This book about Addie a young autistic girl living in Juniper in Scotland not far from Edinburgh she loves sharks and in a school lesson learns about witches and what happened to them。 She in with her thoughts and obsessions wants to learn everything to understand more to get the whole picture。Ellie an autistic person herself explains about meltdowns and the sensory overloads the trying to mask and fit in and h I picked up this book because I kept seeing about it online and getting good reviews。 This book about Addie a young autistic girl living in Juniper in Scotland not far from Edinburgh she loves sharks and in a school lesson learns about witches and what happened to them。 She in with her thoughts and obsessions wants to learn everything to understand more to get the whole picture。Ellie an autistic person herself explains about meltdowns and the sensory overloads the trying to mask and fit in and how difficult it can be。This book made me emotional quite a few times as I see some of my own traits growing up， the desire to fit in and try not to be different what a wonderful book thank you 。。。more
Laura Parkes
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Perfection。Love， A late diagnosed autistic woman who saw so much of herself in this book。 Thank you。
Sophie
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Honestly would have read this in one sitting last night but forced myself to go to bed！
Livy
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This book was absolutely incredible and it has cemented Elle as one of my all-time favourites writers because whatever she writes is absolutely amazing。 Addie was such an incredible main character because she was absolutely full of an amazing amount of determination that just drove this book along at such an incredible pace。 Keedie and Audrey were such great supports for Addie and I loved watching her interact with them both， especially Audrey because their friendship blossomed at such an incred This book was absolutely incredible and it has cemented Elle as one of my all-time favourites writers because whatever she writes is absolutely amazing。 Addie was such an incredible main character because she was absolutely full of an amazing amount of determination that just drove this book along at such an incredible pace。 Keedie and Audrey were such great supports for Addie and I loved watching her interact with them both， especially Audrey because their friendship blossomed at such an incredible rate and watching them bond was just so sweet。 Emily and the teacher were just absolutely vile and I disliked them so much becasue of what they did to Addie and how they made her feel。 The characters in this book were just so wondrously written and deep and absolutely incredible despite the fact that this book was quite short。 I won't comment on the autism rep because I have no experience in that area s if that is what you want then please go and find some own voices reviews！The plot was so brilliant and I loved how it was based on Addie wanted to commemorate the witches that were killed in her village because she identified with them， as she too was different。 I loved watching her campaign for her memorial and everything that happened to her along the way because it was just so delightful。 The ending made me very happy because Addie seemed happy too， she had her friend and her family。 This book was just so good and fit so much into such a small number of pages。 The writing of course is amazing and Elle is truly one of my favourite authors now。 Every book she writes is just outstanding and she deserves all the recognition she is getting。 。。。more
Jennifer Ayre
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This book is beautiful， I'm crying！Addie is autistic and during a school trip learns about the witch trials which happened in her village。 She decides that there should be a memorial to these women， but will anyone listen to an autistic girl？Gorgeous storytelling throughout the book。 Miss Murphy is one of the worst adults/teachers in fiction。 She is challenging The Truchbull and Umbridge for evil teacher status。 Unfortunately， I don't think that she is an exaggeration。I learnt so much about auti This book is beautiful， I'm crying！Addie is autistic and during a school trip learns about the witch trials which happened in her village。 She decides that there should be a memorial to these women， but will anyone listen to an autistic girl？Gorgeous storytelling throughout the book。 Miss Murphy is one of the worst adults/teachers in fiction。 She is challenging The Truchbull and Umbridge for evil teacher status。 Unfortunately， I don't think that she is an exaggeration。I learnt so much about autistic people， I think this book should be in every school！ 。。。more
Christine Evans
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AmazingAn inspiring， beautiful novel that educates without being too formal， that celebrates the diversity of people in this world a must read
Fae Morgan
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This book made me cry， not gonna lie， it was emotional， moving and powerful。 I agree that Middle-Grade books with disability representation is hard to find。 Even books with good disability representation。 This story follows Addie， a young， autistic girl living in a small village near Edinburgh。 She faces realistic challenges （for those who are autistic） in a village where prejudice against those who are different is common。 When Addie learns about the innocent women who lost their lives during t This book made me cry， not gonna lie， it was emotional， moving and powerful。 I agree that Middle-Grade books with disability representation is hard to find。 Even books with good disability representation。 This story follows Addie， a young， autistic girl living in a small village near Edinburgh。 She faces realistic challenges （for those who are autistic） in a village where prejudice against those who are different is common。 When Addie learns about the innocent women who lost their lives during the witch trials centuries， she makes it her mission to honour and memorialise them。 I remember learning briefly about this in school。 I have to admit， much like Addie， I didn't fully enjoy learning about it。 I give Addie credit for her determination for continuing to not only explore that topic but also in fighting for a memorial。 Mrs Murphy and Emily， I hated， deeply and I'm glad I didn't have teachers like that （at least to my knowledge or to that extent。） And what Emily says， wrote and did was really hurtful。 Also， Emily's dad says she struggles with reading， which makes me wonder where Emily learnt that word from。 I loved Addie's family， especially Addie's relationship with her sisters， Keedie and Nina。 I even loved the friendship she has with Mr Allison and the one she develops with Audrey。 That speech at end was also amazing。 。。。more
Briony2181
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4。5 stars
Kit
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Very relatable as an autistic person。 I loved that the characters weren't stereotypes at all and it was good to see three different age brackets of autistic women included。The only real criticism i think i would raise is the jargon-dumping of stimming， meltdowns and burnout etc did sometimes feel a bit clunky， but i can see why it was included in the way it was because for many non autistic readers it could be the first time they've encountered those things。 Thats a very minor quibble though and Very relatable as an autistic person。 I loved that the characters weren't stereotypes at all and it was good to see three different age brackets of autistic women included。The only real criticism i think i would raise is the jargon-dumping of stimming， meltdowns and burnout etc did sometimes feel a bit clunky， but i can see why it was included in the way it was because for many non autistic readers it could be the first time they've encountered those things。 Thats a very minor quibble though and it was really good to have a story that shows very clearly how the bigotry of past and present may look different but come from a very similar place。Decent autistic representation for the win！ 。。。more
Marlotsome
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4/5 for autistic representation， Im glad this book exists
Sophie
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Amazing short story about determination and not being afraid to show who you are。 I recommend this book to everyone。
Katie
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The first book I have ever totally and completely related to in my entire life of avid reading。 I feel more than seen， I feel understood。 I wish this book had been around for when I was Addie's age， because I know it would have helped me a lot。 To be honest， it's helped me even now， at twenty-eight， newly-diagnosed as autistic。 It's a comfort to see a character almost identical to my childhood self as the hero of a story， not the butt of the joke or even a villain。 Also， I now want to research a The first book I have ever totally and completely related to in my entire life of avid reading。 I feel more than seen， I feel understood。 I wish this book had been around for when I was Addie's age， because I know it would have helped me a lot。 To be honest， it's helped me even now， at twenty-eight， newly-diagnosed as autistic。 It's a comfort to see a character almost identical to my childhood self as the hero of a story， not the butt of the joke or even a villain。 Also， I now want to research as much as I can about sharks， because who needs dolphins anyway？ 。。。more
Alex
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Fantastic to read a book with an autistic central character by an autistic author。 I hope it’ll be her first of many。 Addie is a brilliant， admirable central character and I found her teaching me a lot， even after 18 years as mum to an autistic son。 This would be a great book as a whole class read in Year 5 or 6， for encouraging tolerance and discussing name-calling and bullying。 （A small point but it’s a shame this book wasn’t given a more thorough proofread。）
James Haddell
，
Wonderful portrayal of a profoundly misunderstood contemporary heroine， juxtaposed against the dark history of Scottish witch trials。But the reader isn't permitted to simply empathise with the struggles。 Instead we're left with deep appreciation for the beauty of neurodiversity。 Wonderful portrayal of a profoundly misunderstood contemporary heroine， juxtaposed against the dark history of Scottish witch trials。But the reader isn't permitted to simply empathise with the struggles。 Instead we're left with deep appreciation for the beauty of neurodiversity。 。。。more
Johanna
，
Wonderful debut novel （published in 2020） McNicoll writes a warm， funny， poignant story with outstanding characters that will stay with me for a while， in particular Addie who is just the most determined， caring， beautiful main character。 This is one of the best portrayals I've read of neurodivergent characters and this makes this book for 11+ year old readers a necessary read for adults as well as young people。 Not only do I now want to read more about Scotland's history of the witch trials （th Wonderful debut novel （published in 2020） McNicoll writes a warm， funny， poignant story with outstanding characters that will stay with me for a while， in particular Addie who is just the most determined， caring， beautiful main character。 This is one of the best portrayals I've read of neurodivergent characters and this makes this book for 11+ year old readers a necessary read for adults as well as young people。 Not only do I now want to read more about Scotland's history of the witch trials （this aspect of the story fascinated me） but I will 💯 be reading her next book that was published in March！ 。。。more
Viola12
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Dire che questo è un libro per ragazzi significa non rendere giustizia alla profondità del tema e alla maestria con la quale è trattato。È un libro che parla di vita， di diversità， di quanto sia difficile sentirsi accettati se non si corrisponde alla "versione standard" di essere umano che ci è stata inculcata da sempre。Il rimedio all'intolleranza non è però la mera tolleranza， bensì l'accettazione che le nostre diversità e differenze ci rendono unici。L'autrice， autistica come la protagonista， ci Dire che questo è un libro per ragazzi significa non rendere giustizia alla profondità del tema e alla maestria con la quale è trattato。È un libro che parla di vita， di diversità， di quanto sia difficile sentirsi accettati se non si corrisponde alla "versione standard" di essere umano che ci è stata inculcata da sempre。Il rimedio all'intolleranza non è però la mera tolleranza， bensì l'accettazione che le nostre diversità e differenze ci rendono unici。L'autrice， autistica come la protagonista， ci fa entrare nella testa e nel cuore di Addie e prova a farci capire cosa si prova， quanto sia dura vivere in un mondo pieno di ostacoli e barriere， costruito per persone che non ragionano o "funzionano" come lei， in cui per sopravvivere è necessario adattarsi， nel senso peggiore del termine。È una lettura veloce e adattissima ai ragazzi， sperando che， attraverso queste pagine， possano cogliere la bellezza della diversità e costruiscano un mondo più solidale di quello odierno。 。。。more
Chloe
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Um。。 I am broken。 Send help。This was soooo good！
Kym Payne
，
Probably my favourite book of 2021。
Ophelia
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I can feel myself entering a new stage of my reading life and it brings me real joy。 I'm finally old enough to go back to reading children's books and really appreciate them。 I wanted something light and fun and I ended up sobbing my guts out。 I tear up even thinking about this little book。 It's so wonderful and frustrating and full of light and fire and anger。 Addie is a wonderful character and I could've spent even more time in her head。 I loved her relationship with her family the most， but a I can feel myself entering a new stage of my reading life and it brings me real joy。 I'm finally old enough to go back to reading children's books and really appreciate them。 I wanted something light and fun and I ended up sobbing my guts out。 I tear up even thinking about this little book。 It's so wonderful and frustrating and full of light and fire and anger。 Addie is a wonderful character and I could've spent even more time in her head。 I loved her relationship with her family the most， but also her journey through friendship with other children and adults alike。 There's a lot of really shitty people in this book just like in real life， but their resolutions felt very satisfying - everybody got what they deserved。 I think I've found a new favourite writer in Elle McNicoll。 Absolutely beautiful publishing from Knights Of and fantastic cover from Kay Wilson。 。。。more
Michelle Russegger
，
Best book I have ever read！！！I loved this book so much！！！ I adored and related to a lot of the characters and I would recommend this to anybody and everybody。 Thank you
Caspette
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This book is an amazing tale that will leave you feeling good and like you have learned something significant by the end of it。 I think this might just be my best read for 2021。Addie is an autistic 11 year old girl living in a small village in Scotland。 The story follows her struggles with having to fit into a community that isn’t exactly tolerant of different people。 While doing this she is advocating for the recognition and memorial to the women who were executed in their village during the wo This book is an amazing tale that will leave you feeling good and like you have learned something significant by the end of it。 I think this might just be my best read for 2021。Addie is an autistic 11 year old girl living in a small village in Scotland。 The story follows her struggles with having to fit into a community that isn’t exactly tolerant of different people。 While doing this she is advocating for the recognition and memorial to the women who were executed in their village during the world h trials。There are so many levels in this book。 Firstly there is Addie and her struggles coping in a school system， community and sometimes family who often can’t or won’t understand the way she works。 How something simple like flashing lights can overwhelm someone who is autistic as apposed to someone who isn’t。 There is friendship and bullying， discrimination and acceptance， and family relationships。 It was great to learn at the end the author is neurodivergent and the cover artist is autistic。 I think these factors added a level of authenticity that an author who hasn’t dealt with these issues would probably struggle to capture。I would highly recommend anyone read this book。 It will give you a glimpse inside the struggles autistic people face every day before they have to deal with discrimination。 。。。more
Grazia， La spacciatrice di libri
，
"Una specie di scintilla è un libro fatto di forza， quella di Addie， ma soprattutto è una storia che porta a capire come possa sentirsi una qualsiasi ragazzina （o qualsiasi ragazzino） autistico all'interno della nostra società。 C'è ancora così tanto da imparare e tantissimo da capire， purtroppo ci fermiamo alle apparenze e molte volte non capiamo che per autismo si intendono diversi disturbi che spesso， come nel caso della nostra protagonista， non si vedono。"Recensione: https://laspacciatricedil "Una specie di scintilla è un libro fatto di forza， quella di Addie， ma soprattutto è una storia che porta a capire come possa sentirsi una qualsiasi ragazzina （o qualsiasi ragazzino） autistico all'interno della nostra società。 C'è ancora così tanto da imparare e tantissimo da capire， purtroppo ci fermiamo alle apparenze e molte volte non capiamo che per autismo si intendono diversi disturbi che spesso， come nel caso della nostra protagonista， non si vedono。"Recensione: https://laspacciatricedilibri。blogspo。。。 。。。more
Zara
，
I need to let myself sit with this a while to be able to properly articulate my thoughts， so review to come。 But in the mean time， just know— this is absolutely wonderful。
Jess
，
Review to come！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Kind of Spark
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Kind of Spark&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Kind of Spark&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0