AUTISM BOOK LIST

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A Boy Called Bat
Elana K. Arnold
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Bixby Alexander Tam (known as Bat) has gotten the biggest surprise of his life. His mom, a veterinarian, just brought home an orphaned baby skunk! Over the next four weeks, his mom, his sister, and he will keep the baby skunk safe and healthy. There’s just one small problem: Bat is growing increasingly attached to the skunk kit every day. Will Bat convince his mom that he is an excellent caregiver and that they should keep the skunk forever?

Bat and the Waiting Game
Elana K. Arnold
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Bat (short for Bixby Alexander Tam) loves his life a certain way. His routine helps him feel comfortable and safe, and everything goes great until his big sister gets a role in an upcoming school play. This means she won’t be able to watch Thor after school, and now his schedule is thrown out of whack. Will Bat find a way to make it through all the new changes?

Bat and the End of Everything
Elana K. Arnold
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

In the third book of the series, Bat and his pet skunk Thor get ready for summertime. But while most kids are happy to see the end of school, Bat is not. Summer means no Mr. Grayson, not getting to pet the class rabbit, Babycakes, and that soon Thor will be released into the wild. Will Bat be able to find a way to enjoy his summer without always worrying about what is ending?

It’s Not Destiny: An Abby Story
Kelsey Abrams
TPL Book, WorldCat

Abby and her family run an animal rescue called Second Chance Ranch. When Destiny, a dog with a troubled past, comes to stay at the ranch Abby takes on the task of training Destiny to help the dog overcome her fears. What she doesn’t expect is that Destiny will help her overcome some of her own challenges that she faces.

Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse
Susan Vaught
TPL Book, WorldCat

Jesse is a middle-schooler who loves to teach her Pomeranian Sam-Sam how to be a search and rescue dog like her mom’s dog, both serve in the military. While she may not have much luck with the training, she does find a true friend named Sprinder who accepts her for who she is, “autism or whatever” and all. When Jesse’s dad is accused of stealing money at the school where he works, Jesse and Springer try to solve the mystery. To complicate their findings, a tornado hits their area and leaves Jesse’s home in ruins. The two (plus Sam-Sam) must lean on one another during this difficult time and face whatever comes their way.

Penguin Days
Sara Leach
TPL Book, WorldCat

Auntie Joss is getting married, and Lauren has the special job of being the flower girl. Since she’s on the autism spectrum, Lauren will face many challenges along the way: a two-day road trip with her family to the wedding, finding out she is sharing her role as flower girl with two family members, and itchy clothing to name a few. While facing these challenges, Lauren discovers new ways of handling change and adapting to the environment around her.

Planet Earth is Blue
Nicole Panteleakos
TPL Book, WorldCat

Trigger Warning: Death

Nova is a 12-year-old girl who loves space exploration but is especially interested in the Challenger’s launch. Severely autistic and nonverbal, Nova immerses herself in learning more about space daily. When she is separated from her sister in foster care, Nova anxiously awaits to be reunited with her sister, Bridget, who is the only person she feels understands her.

The Real Boy
Anne Ursu
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Trigger Warnings: Death, Mild Violence

Oscar lives in the Barrow, a small village in the woods. You will find him in the basement of the magician’s shop, surrounded by the books and the cats he loves, existing separate from the world he does not quite fit in.

When the children in the nearby city become gravely ill and his master is nowhere to be found, it is up to Oscar and his new found friend to figure out what is causing it and how to save them.

Slug Days
Sara Leach
TPL Book, WorldCat

Slugs are slow and slimy and gross and when Lauren has a slug day she feels just like that. She has Autism Spectrum Disorder and she is still learning how to turn those slug days of being fussed, made fun of, and flipping her lid into butterfly days. Maybe, with practice and using all the tricks up her sleeves, she can turn all her days into butterfly days.

The Someday Birds
Sally J. Pla
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Charlie is a very organized boy, and that’s the way he likes it. However, his very organized life is challenged when his father is wounded in Afghanistan. Though Charlie doesn’t want to travel the long way to see his father at the hospital, he finds it comforting to locate and identify the birds on the list he and his father talked about finding someday. 

Superstar
Mandy Davis
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Trigger Warning: Bullying

Lester has always been homeschooled. Now that his mom is returning to work, he must start public school in fifth grade. When he was at home, he had rules to help when things got to be too much, but at school, he didn’t, and things were getting to be too much. The cafeteria is too loud, and he doesn’t know the order of things or what to do when plans change. Will he be able to find his way and make friends at his new school?

Team Players
Mike Lupica
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Cassie Bennett gets along with everyone. She’s the go-to girl when problems arise at school or on her softball team. When Cassie tries to make friends with the new girl, Sarah, who is on the autism spectrum, she quickly feels like a failure. Cassie researches to help figure out how to become Sarah’s friend but quickly learns she’s doing all this for selfish reasons. Cassie has to learn to like Sarah for who she is without changing a thing about her.

Tornado Brain
Cat Patrick
TPL Book, WorldCat

Neurodiverse middle-schooler Frankie views life very differently than her twin, Tess. When Frankie’s friendship with Collette goes sour, Frankie’s sister carries it on without difficulty, but it is different until Collette goes missing. Frankie quickly becomes determined to find out what happened, while Tess mourns her friend in a different way. What will it take to find their friend?

Watchdog
Will McIntosh
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Twins Vick and Tara live in a dystopian Chicago where they struggle to find food and housing nearly daily. Robots are a hot commodity in this environment, and Tara is a robot genius. The twins run into trouble at the junkyard, and this begins the action-packed adventure with robot watchdogs and new friends.