Genre
I chose this book to fit the disability or differences requirement from this age group.
Targeted Age Group
This book is targeted to ages 8-12.
Summary
Selah, a new 7th grader, has a strict set of rules to apply by in order to be normal, at least until she can go home. However, when her emotions spill over and she hits someone, her carefully crafted rules start to crumble; as she moves on from that moment, she begins to learn more about herself, her friendships, her family, and works to stand up for herself at a school ready to expel her.
Justification
I chose this book for its eye-catching cover and for its discussion of autism through the eyes of an autistic child. This book discusses topics such as overstimulation, sensory overload, sensory tools in classrooms, neurodivergent support in the classroom, and much more. I hoped that by reading this book, I would walk away with a better understanding of how being autistic can affect daily life, and what it looks like to support neurodivergent students.
Evaluation
As with many of the poetry novels I have read for this project, the style and language of this book engulfed and engaged me. Kuyatt (2023) is an artist with words: both linguistically and visually. The occasional all-capitalized word for emphasis, the words spread out across pages that create slow reading, and the change in alignment throughout the book create a visually engaging book with just words. One example of this visual poetry is in the poem “Going Inside,” which reads: “Since there are no caves / at Pebblecreek, / I hide in paper, / pull out the notebook Pop gave me / and let all the words / I can’t say / pour / out / on / the / page” (Kuyatt, 2023, pp. 81-82). The last four words of this stanza are spread out across the top of the page, exactly as if they had been poured out. Kuyatt (2023) will engage readers not only with these visuals, but with emotionally charged writing that makes this book such an enjoyable one to read.
Kuyatt’s (2023) characters are well rounded, fallible, and enjoyable. Selah is an engaging protagonist to follow, and her poetry creates an engaging lens through which readers can perceive her world. She is many things, including a poet, a lover of dragons, a friend, and a student: all of which are portrayed through her experience as an autistic child. She learns and grows throughout the book by meeting people, and by communicating more with the people around her. Others around her also learn and grow by speaking with Selah, asking her questions, and learning from her poems. Two of my favorite characters in this book are Pop and Mrs. V, two wonderfully supportive adults in Selah’s life. They, as mentors, are also fallible, and learn alongside Selah as she grows into herself. Their support is part of what enables Selah to achieve her goals throughout this book, and it's a reminder that not only is it important to have someone you can trust, but having adults that can stand up for the neurodivergent kids in their spheres makes a big difference not just for the individual child, but for their whole community.
The themes that emerge from Kuyatt’s writing are that community support makes a difference, including giving you the courage to stand up for yourself. Early in the book, Selah writes that “When I write poems, / anything can happen” (Kuyatt, 2023, p. 93). Many things happen because Selah writes poetry (notably, writing it in a journal gifted to her by Pop): she finds support at school through her teacher Mrs. V, who loves her poetry, she shares her poetry at a convention and finds that people love and relate to it, and eventually she uses it to share her experiences with the whole school (again, with the support of Mrs. V). Sharing her poems allows Selah to find joy and support in places and ways she hadn’t before, and it was through that support—whether a teacher, family, or a kind stranger—that gave her the courage to stand up for herself in the face of bullying and ostracization at school. I loved reading this book, and found it to be a powerful advocate to the importance of support for neurodiverse students and the difference it can make in their experience with school, relationships, and more. Happy reading!
References
Kuyatt, M. E. (2023). Good different. Scholastic Press.
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