A new year, and a new stack of books just waiting for me to dive in to. One of my favourite reads of the year – The White Girl by Tony Birch – was a highlight this month, and I adored Elle McNicoll’s MG novel A Kind of Spark too. Plus a beautiful, important picture book by Amy McQuire and artist Matt Chunn, and more…
01 of 90 – A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
My first book for 2022 was the gorgeous A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, a middle grade story about Addie, a young autistic girl living in a small Scottish village, and her experiences in a world that can be baffling, overwhelming, unwelcoming and all too much at times. There are sad moments in it – Addie’s new teacher is truly awful (and sadly is based on experiences the author had growing up), and her best friend has been coaxed away from her by the class bully, who now torments Addie – but there are beautiful moments too. A new friend. Two wonderful sisters, one neurotypical, one neurodivergent, who both grow and learn along with Addie. A librarian who offers comfort, understanding, and access to all the information Addie craves… When she discovers on a class excursion that her village executed a horrifying number of women for the crime of witchcraft, she becomes determined to create a memorial for them. Her mission requires all her courage, as she must speak up at hostile council meetings, raise money and win people over, and brings out her immense strength, as she sees herself and her sister in the lives and deaths of the much-feared and deeply misunderstood “witches”.
I hope many many people read this book. It’s a beautifully written, enchanting story about friendship, family, community, courage, standing up for what’s right and being your own true self, as well as a subtle education – it provides great insight, and will foster understanding and compassion in those who don’t know much about autism. And for the neurodivergent, it’s a long-overdue chance to see themselves in a book, as the hero of the story, brave, clever and complex, capable of achieving great things despite any obstacles, and supported and surrounded by love.
A Kind of Spark won last year’s Waterstones children’s book prize in the UK, and the audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Scottish actor Emma Tracey (I’m a sucker for a Scottish accent!), who brings all the characters so vividly to life, especially the sweet and feisty young heroine.
A Kind of Spark was Elle’s first book, but her second, the YA novel Show Us Who You Are, is available now [ETA: I loved it even more than this gorgeous story], and I can’t wait to read her third, Like A Charm, which is out soon. All feature neurodivergent characters, which is so wonderful – and so about time!
Says Elle: “I wanted to write an autistic heroine who had agency. A drive. A strong moral compass. An enormous heart. Because that is my experience. I’m tired of books about autistic characters that don’t centre autistic people. Where they are made to seem like burdens. Where they are told that their families love them, just not their autism. That they need to be cured or fixed. I’m tired of those narratives. So, I wrote the opposite. My book shows autism for what it truly is. A neurological difference that affects everyone in specific ways. Not a superpower, not a curse. Just an alternative reflection of the human condition. I’ve filled the book with all of the pain, hope, frustration, joy, shame and electricity of being a neurodivergent child. It’s incredibly positive. Joyous. But truthful.”
There’s more here in a beautiful piece Elle wrote, and in 2024 the book became a brilliant TV series.
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02 of 90 – The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake
I must admit I discovered this book because the author’s sister-in-law Madeline Miller recommended it, and I LOVED her book Circe, but Julia Drake’s The Last True Poets of the Sea is a wonderful story, sweet and tender and funny and sad. There’s friendship, adventure, a family mystery, a little romance, music and theatre and fish puns, threads of dealing with mental illness woven throughout, and all the confused feelings of teenagers growing up and discovering themselves, their fear of being seen for their true selves, and their longing to live an authentic life that’s true to that. It was inspired a little by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, but it is its own messy, beautiful, heartbreaking self. I bought the hardcover when it came out, but ended up listening to the audiobook, wonderfully narrated by Tavia Gilbert, and the paperback is out now too…
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03 of 90 – Day Break by Amy McQuire
January 26 in Australia is Survival Day, Invasion Day, and Day of Mourning. For those wanting to talk about it with their kids, I recommend the beautiful book Day Break by author, academic and journalist Amy McQuire. In it she has simplified the complexity of the ongoing debate with empathy, strength and hope, focusing on the connection of First Nations people to family, ancestors and Country. Beautifully illustrated by Matt Chunn, it is a heartfelt, touching story that provides insight and understanding, and will hopefully encourage conversation as well as action. It’s time for #truthtelling.
Day Break is a beautiful picture book for children – which will touch the hearts of adults too (I bought it for me). Australia has a brutal history of invasion, land theft, stolen children and genocide – and many First Nations people still suffer from intergenerational trauma and systemic racism, and the impact of more than two hundred years of violence, dispossession, and denial of their existence and their most basic rights. This is why an increasing number of people, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, don’t find Australia Day a time of celebration – to too many it is Invasion Day, Survival Day, and a Day of Mourning…
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04 of 90 – Clothing the Gaps
Today’s read, but it’s a great and important read any day, is the new book by Clothing the Gaps. [ETA: It’s now sold out, but is available in digital format here.]
“We made this book to be time capsule, a memory of the many people, photographers, writers, and contributors with whom we’ve worked alongside over the past three years. This book is a legacy piece – it allows us to reflect on our feelings, struggles, opinions and visions for the future. These conversations defy seasons or trends – they are yarns the world must have, that go beyond fashion. They are an integral part of a societal shift. This book holds and continues these conversations. Our hope is that this book takes pride of place in our loungerooms, cafes, hairdressers, offices, parks… and that it does not sit stagnant on the bookshelf…”
On the cover is Robbie Thorpe, a Krauatungalung and Tjap Wurrung man who is a well-respected grassroots community activist who has dedicated his life to his people, fighting for justice and challenging government systems and policies. “Robbie gave our iconic, limited edition, Gunnai Warrior rugby jumper value and identity. This product sold out in minutes and is a community favourite. Photographing Robbie wearing the rugby, was a significant moment for Clothing The Gaps, given the enormous amount of respect we have for him and his life’s work — therefore he takes pride of place on our first cover.”
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05 of 90 – The White Girl by Tony Birch
The White Girl by Tony Birch is an extraordinary book. It’s heartbreaking and totally devastating, and also really moving and sweet and love-filled, and beautifully and evocatively written too. It’s also really compelling – there were several parts where my heart was in my mouth and I had to keep reading/listening to find out if/how Odette and Sissy would survive certain events! It’s fast-paced and gripping in parts, yet there are quieter moments as well, conversations and discoveries, kind-hearted characters as well as the more malevolent ones. It’s set in a (fictional) small country town in regional NSW in the 1960s, a time of devastating discrimination, systemic racism, and the horrifying (and very real) “Protection” Acts that governed and controlled the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from the 1840s to the 1960s and ’70s, from where they could live, where they could work, if they received wages (although they were often withheld – now known as Stolen Wages), where they could go, which businesses they could enter, if they could travel (even just to visit family), who they could associate with, as well as the disgraceful forced removal of Aboriginal children from perfectly loving families. This book is a perfect example of the incredible power of storytelling. It’s one thing to know about our country’s shameful past in theory, but it hits even harder when you’re submerged in the lives of the strong, resilient and courageous characters, feeling every injustice inflicted on them, recoiling in horror at the way they are treated, and marvelling at how they remain so loving and hopeful, with so much quiet dignity and tenderness, and the ability to offer kindness to others when they have suffered so much loss and trauma and cruelty themselves. It’s a stunning novel, and the audiobook is beautifully read by First Nations actor Shareena Clanton.
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06 of 90 – Rewilding Kids Australia by Melissa Mylchreest
Rewilding Kids Australia by artist Melissa Mylchreest is a wonderful activity book that will get you out into nature and connecting with our beautiful country. There are treasure hunts to go on and field guides for you to fill in, fascinating facts (did you know that the tiny, perfectly round holes in some shells are made by moon snails, which drill tiny holes so they can suck out the soft-bodied mollusc inside?!), activities like forest bathing, bug hotel building and feather sorting, all arranged by state, with the whole of Australia represented, plus lots of colouring-in of our gorgeous flowers, trees and animals. There’s even a list of all the fascinating careers a love of nature may lead you to, from archaeologist and botanist to park ranger and zoologist. It’s also a wonderful reference book, revealing just how beautiful, complex and amazing this country is.
Rewilding Kids Australia is a mindful activity book with fun facts, nature-based activities and plenty of colouring opportunities for kids aged 7 to 12 years, so you can marvel at amazing animals and plants in their natural habitats. Slow down, open your eyes to your natural surrounds and take a trip around Australia! Organised into state and territory sections, you will find green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef, lyrebirds in the Blue Mountains, Tassie devils from the Apple Isle and quokkas in Western Australia.
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