Many books deserve a wide readership among kids today. Some are a little bit different: some kids’ books should *also* be read by parents, teachers and other grownups. I think the brilliant A Kind of Spark, by @BooksandChokers, is one of those books. 1/5

We’d normally recommend it for about 8 or 9 up to 11. Older kids may be harder to tempt as Addie, the lead character, is 11. This is the story of how she discovers an historical injustice in her hometown and decides, against resistance, to put it right as best she can. 2/5

McNicoll’s novel does all the things great kids’ fiction does: its big themes of identity, history and diversity are told with wit, subtlety and pageturning momentum. It reminds us of challenges and battles that children often have to face, and that they can win them. 3/5

It’s also a novel we should’ve read when we were kids; it just happens it wasn’t written yet. A Kind of Spark offers an insightful, authentic and celebratory account of autistic experience (and not just Addie’s). Without being the sole subject, it illuminates the novel 4/5

I’m delighted that A Kind of Spark is our book of the month for October (a great time to read stories about witches, as well as their histories) it’s great to have an opportunity to shout about it. And I look forward to recommending it for years to come.