In this warm, important and immensely moving book, writer and illustrator Abigail Balfe charts her experiences of growing up neurodivergent, offering candid and powerful insights into autism.
Shortlisted for The British Book Awards 2022 Children's Non-Fiction Book of the Year
The beautiful true story of one girl's journey growing up autistic - and the challenges she faced in the 'normal' world.
I'm not like the other children in my class... and that's an actual scientific FACT.
Hi! My name is Abigail, and I'm autistic. But I didn't know I was autistic until I was an adult-sort-of-person*.
This is my true story of growing up in the confusing 'normal' world, all the while missing some Very Important Information about myself.
There'll be scary moments involving toilets and crowded trains, heart-warming tales of cats and pianos, and funny memories including my dad and a mysterious tub of ice cream. Along the way you'll also find some Very Crucial Information about autism.
If you've ever felt different, out of place, like you don't fit in... this book is for you.
*I've never really felt like an actual-adult-person, as you'll soon discover in this book...
Told through the author's remarkable words, and just as remarkable illustrations, this is the book for those who've never felt quite right in the 'normal' world. Very important, very funny and very informative - this is the book the world needs right now.
Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK
ISBN: 9780241508794
Number of pages: 240
Weight: 438 g
Dimensions: 230 x 154 x 20 mm
A funny, fascinating illustrated memoir that conveys - via joyous tangential leaps, vivid doodles and informative notes - how it felt to grow up autistic and undiagnosed . . . a rewarding and highly entertaining read - Guardian
I REALLY love it. It's the book I wish I'd had when I was a kid (I'd have known I was autistic immediately, right down to the cats). Buy it for your kids, your parents, your grandparents. Mostly buy it for yourself - Holly Smale
Illuminating - The I Paper
A hugely engaging, funny and informative account of being neurodivergent - Observer
This book is what I needed as a kid! Empathetic, joyful and beautifully authentic. I loved it! - Elle McNicoll, author of A Kind of Spark
Funny, poignant and wise, with a rich seam of understanding and empathy . . . one of the best children's non-fiction books I've read in a long time - The Bookseller
Insightful, accessible and easy to navigate, this is an essential book for autistic and allistic (non-autistic) readers of all ages - Booktrust
An amazing, life-changing hug of a book I wish I had when I was growing up. It's funny, eye-opening and supremely reassuring and an important, myth-busting look into autism and how that experience can vary so much. For anyone and EVERYONE who has ever felt different. Time to reclaim it and celebrate it - Rashmi Sirdeshpande
This book is a great explainer, full of empathy for different situations, which explodes many misconceptions about autistic people along the way! I wish I had had this available many years ago when teaching an autistic child on a one-to-one basis - Love Reading 4 Schools
What a difference Abigail Balfe's new book is going to make for so many people! A Different Sort of Normal is a wonderful blend of humour, information & reassuring comfort - Emma Perry
Highly illustrated, beautiful and an essential book for young autistic people - Lizzie Huxley-Jones
I have been waiting for this to come out for some time so anticipation was high.....and I loved it! If I could go back in time and give this to my childhood self, I would be very happy - instead I will have to make... More
This books is a wonderful insight into what it can be like to grow up different to people around you. Packed with fact and personal anecdotes it is informative without ever being boring. The illustrations reflect just... More
An amazing, life-changing hug of a book I wish I had when I was growing up. It's funny, eye-opening and supremely reassuring and an important, myth-busting look into autism and how that experience can vary so... More
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