Elle McNicoll

A quick compelling read.
Addy is autistic. She has older twin sisters - one is autistic and one neurotypical. Their sibling dynamic is explored as well as a lot of insight from Addy about how she is wired. When her teacher (who does not seek to include or understand her at all) brings up the history of persecuting people accused of witchcraft in her town outside Edinburgh, she wants to take action and have her town memorialize the women whose lives were lost in some way.
She makes a new friend, stands up for what she thinks is right, and pushes back again bullies and the poor treatment, discrimination, and ableism she receives from people.… (altro)

Only child Ramya is frustrated with her parents - busy newscasters - and with her teachers at school, who make her do hours of workshops to help with her dyspraxia (see also: Second Chance Summer by Sarah Kapit). When they move from London to Edinburgh, Ramya finally gets a chance to spend more time with extended family, including her cousin Marley. At their grandpa's funeral, a stranger gives Ramya a card and a message, sparking a journey through the city to find all of its nonhuman creatures and collect their real stories - for Ramya, unlike most, has the ability to see through the Glamour that vampires, sirens, trolls, and others use to camouflage themselves in the human world.

Ramya is a strong character with nearly palpable frustration and vitality, and the Edinburgh setting is absorbing and convincing. Ramya goes to great lengths to carry on her grandfather's work, making it her own, and learning more about her family in the process, including her rather mysterious aunt Opal.

Will make readers think deeply about ability and (what is called) disability, as well as the power of community and the destruction of division. There is room for a sequel ("The End. Ish").

Quotes

"It is a gift to look a command in the face and be able to tell the commander 'no.' Which is what you did tonight." (Ramya's grandfather, 10)

Learning difficulties and magic are equally mysterious to me. To know that I might have both in me is too much to think about right this moment. (49)

I'm used to feeling unseen....Once you've felt invisible for long enough, you start to behave in ways that will insist that people notice you. (60)

Sometimes the past feels like a room you've walked into suddenly, a space you have not bee invited into. (62)

"It doesn't matter what it looks like. What you have to say is the most important part." (Marley to Ramya, 84)

"Scared is dangerous." (Opal to Ramya, 87)

"You can't tell me that magic is real and then take it away." (Ramya to Opal, 89)

I can see through Glamour and detect magic in people, so who cares if my handwriting is messy? (97)

When no one has any expectations of you, it's easier to disappear. A bad reputation works like a charm. It keeps everyone from looking too closely. (106)

"[Edinburgh]...it's got a duality. A secret life." (Erica, 113)

...I never feel Iike I can back down from a fight. Only swim down. Deeper into the anger. (129)

"Division. Don't you feel it? People are more distrustful. More afraid. More apart from one another. It's not a mistake. It's not a coincidence. Something's causing it." (Freddy, 151-152)

"People will always do bad things for power." (Opal to Ramya, 220)

"I'm so sick of having to slow down for everyone when they need to go at their pace, but then the minute I need people to be patient, it's completely impossible....ninety percent of what makes life harder comes from them, not me!" (Ramya, 222)

I went from thinking that the world could only ever be a place for one kind of story to discovering a whole host of realities I never knew were possible. (231)

I don't believe in the Chosen One. There never is a Chosen One. No such thing exists. Only someone who chooses to do the right thing, and those who choose to follow them. (Grandpa's letter to Ramya, 233)

Why did they never help to find all the unbelievable things I can do? (270)

When you're never allowed to be the hero, becoming the villain seems inevitable. (280)

"You don't have to earn being sad. You're allowed to be." (Marley to Ramya, 282)

But the reward is this feeling. Knowing that you did a good thing for the right reasons. (305)… (altro)

Representation: Main character with autism
Trigger warnings: Ableism, bullying

9/10, I was hoping that this book would lift my spirits after some of the other books I've read and wow did it deliver since it held up really well from the time I read it alongside other details I liked about this book. A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll starts off with the main character Addie Darrow who has autism trying to cope at her new school despite all the difficulties she may face. She alongside her class travelled to a Scottish forest so Miss Murphy can discuss about the witch hunts and Addie realises that they were killed just because they were different and she resonates with that. This starts off the main aspect of the plot where Addie campaigns for a witch memorial to be built in her hometown; initially her voice fell on deaf ears but she researched further into the witches and unraveled the dark past of her town which she brought into the spotlight, but anyways the memorial that she wanted throughout the entirety of this was actually built. I can't find anything wrong with this book other than it was short considering that it's less than 200 pages but it was worth it; the writing style was simple yet eloquent and the characters were developed and fleshed out in such a way that I could relate to them.… (altro)