Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt
Another novel in verse. I am ready for all the feels with this one.
First impressions: I was already feeling sad and angry from the first poem. Selah, who has autism, is describing the first time she had a meltdown in public, and although her mother is very supportive, she also says, “Never cry in the middle of a store. Always hold it in till you make it back to the car.” Selah says this is her first rule on “how to be a normal person.” That kind of broke my heart a little. Her mom did seem like she was trying to help, but it also made it seem like emotions were not to be shared with others.
Selah loves dragons; she even says she sometimes feels like a dragon. They are creatures that tend to keep to themselves, and if pushed too hard, they might attack. One day, Selah is pushed too hard, and she ends up hurting a friend. She is suspended and told that if she doesn’t behave, she might be expelled. Most of the kids at school are now avoiding her, and even some of the teachers are treating her differently. All the work she has put into being ‘normal’ is falling apart.
Her pop gives her a notebook and tells her to start writing down her feelings. She discovers that she enjoys writing poetry, and she is pretty good at it as well. Her mom gets her tickets to Dragon Con, and Selah goes with a friend. Here, she learns about tools others use when they are overstimulated, such as earplugs and bracelets to let others know she needs space. Selah starts to do more research on what might be going on with her (autism). As she learns more, she realizes she needs to talk to her mom about all of this and decide if her school is even the best place for her.
It is a simple book that moves pretty quickly through a lot of topics. I think this would be a good book for students with autism and those who want to learn more about others with autism. Honestly, it works for any student with any type of neurodiversity. Everyone is a little different, and that’s okay. Be kind to others and respect what they need to succeed.
Four Out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
Literary Coffee 