Keedie

A Kind of Spark #.5

by Elle McNicoll

Set in Juniper five years before A Kind of Spark, Keedie is a powerful coming-of-age story that thoughtfully tackles bullying, navigating friendships, and the joys and difficulties of being an autistic teenager.

As Keedie and her twin sister Nina approach their fourteenth birthday, they seem to only be growing further apart. Keedie instead feels drawn to, and fiercely protective of, their quiet younger sister Addie - who on the surface is the opposite of loud and fiery Keedie, but in fact they have more in common than anyone knows.

Genres: Middle Grade, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Contemporary, Fiction, Disability, Young Adult, Childrens

207 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2024

About the author

Hey, I'm Elle. I'm Scottish, autistic and an author/screenwriter who is really bad at logging her reading choices.

I write about autistic girls finding out who they are and what makes them happy, because I'm an autistic girl trying to find out who she is and what makes her happy.

I don't read reviews, as they are for readers, but I'm grateful to any and everyone who engages with my work, on the page or on the screen. My Young Adult Romance debut is called Some Like It Cold in it will be published on the 3rd of October. Official professional shiz below:

Elle McNicoll is a bestselling and award-winning novelist and screenwriter. Her debut, A Kind of Spark, won the Blue Peter Book Award and the Overall Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, as well as Blackwell’s Book of 2020. She is a four time Carnegie nominated author, and was shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Awards 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Branford Boase Award 2020 and The Little Rebels Award 2020 and 2021. She was also honoured in the US with the Schneider Award, 2022.

Her second Middle Grade novel, Show Us Who You Are, was Blackwell’s Book of the Month and one of The Bookseller’s Best Books of 2021. Her first fantasy middle grade, Like a Charm, was nominated for Best Children’s Book for Older Readers in the first ever Week Junior Book Awards, and was highly praised in the New York Times.

Her debut novel, A Kind of Spark, has also been adapted for television, which debuted on UK and US screens on the 2nd of April, 2023. It is Emmy nominated and won Best Children’s Programme at the Broadcast Awards and the Royal Television Society Awards in London, 2024 and is now streaming in many territories around the globe. A second season is currently airing on CBBC.

Her debut Middle Grade was named as one of the greatest children’s books of all time, coming in at number 75, and she is twice nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Her YA debut, Some Like It Cold, will be published on October 1st (US) and October 3rd (UK). She is an advocate for better representation of neurodiversity in publishing, as an autistic and dyspraxic novelist, and currently lives in North London.

Reviews

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

she’s lesbian, autistic and a twin shes just like me fr

[Erin Simmehchan · Rating 5 out of 5]

read it in one go while crying. this is the representation us autistic girls need. i only wish it was longer so i could spend more time with the characters.

[Cerys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to know why I think I can get through an Elle McNicoll book without crying!

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't really the right audience for this one, it's a middle-grade title which I would say is on the younger end of that spectrum, but I think it might be a great read for people who live with autistic teens. I recognized a lot of my own experience in the gap between Keedie's intention and how people understand her behaviour. That's one aspect of the book which I think is quite important. I also enjoyed how the story confronted how bullies often end up using the systems that are meant to protect victims to shield themselves from accountability, that was very real.

[Emily Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously this is five stars. How could it be anything else? There are no words to properly describe what a gift this book is to the world and how healing Elle’s writing is. I utterly adore Keedie. I found myself tearing up. Feeling angry for her. Wanting to give her a hug. The strength of her love for Addie is beautiful. It may be a middle-grade book, but as an adult this book is incredibly special, and should be read widely by everyone!

[Toby Sutton-Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I read an awful lot of books. I love them, the characters I meet inside said stories, and the wonderful authors who wrote them. But I don't think I've ever read a story where I feel like I've ever identified more with characters than I do with Keedie and Addie. Stories like this are SO important. Thank you Elle!

[Emma Ferrier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t think anything could hit me the way A Kind of Spark did. It was the first book I recall reading featuring an autistic character I read after getting my diagnosis (possibly first ever, to be honest) and it was something special… now, 3.5 years later… Keedie has done something for me in a way I can’t even express.

Something about Keedie (both book and character) just gets me. Perhaps it’s because I’m now 4.5 years into being diagnosed, 4.5 years into learning what being autistic means for me, 4.5 years into reflecting on my childhood and teenage years as undiagnosed and unaware autism was anywhere on the spectrum (pun intended) of “things that could be wrong with me”.

This book has healed a part of me and I did not expect that when it landed on my doorstep this afternoon.
I need to take time and digest fully but this was everything I needed.

Thank you, Elle.
I am so grateful for these books and to be lucky enough to receive an early copy.
Mark April 4th on your calendars and preorder now.

[Zara · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was absolutely fantastic!!!

i love getting an insight into keedie's character and also the other characters in the family and village but from K's POV instead of addie's - i loved it! 💖

[Jojo Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keedie is queer guys we won

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to start but I absolutely have to do a review of this beautiful, meaningful work of art of a book.

I read this in a day. One day. As an autistic person who was bullied throughout all five years of secondary/high school, this book means so much to me. The representation I’ve always needed.

I can relate to Keedie on so many levels. Autistic. Younger sister who’s also autistic. Queer. I felt so SEEN reading this.

I loved Keedie when I read A Kind of Spark last year. I loved her in season one of the tv show too (planning to watch season two very soon). So this book just made me love this character even more!

As one of Keedie’s inner thoughts in the book goes; “I realise, that in a few mere seconds with two other autistic girls, I feel weightless for the first time in ages. I don’t worry what my face looks like, whether I’m emoting correctly or not. I don’t worry about maintaining eye contact or saying things with perfect attention to social customs. I feel lighter.
Sometimes masking can make you feel like you’re dragging a chain across the ground. Being with people who are like me feels like someone unlocking the restraints.”

100% recommend this beautiful masterpiece 🥹❤️

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was finally able to watch A Kind of Spark, and figured I should read Keedie right after. I've loved Keedie SO much since I read A Kind of Spark, I loved her in the show, and I once again loved her so much here! I also loved seeing Addie at a younger age, with Keedie and her family figuring out she's autistic too.

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved getting to read from Keedie's POV and see how she views Addie at a younger age. Keedie is such an incredible character and I love seeing her journey towards growing closer with Addie and vowing to always protect her. I absolutely loved getting to see the origin of the thesaurus! I also found some of the parallels between this book and A Kind of Spark to be really fun.

[jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow <3
i don't know why i thought it was a good idea to read this on the train because i should've known i would cry multiple times while reading this lmao. this book is soo amazing and i've been waiting for it for so long and it DELIVERED !! i love keedie

[Ellen Frändén · Rating 5 out of 5]

Underbar! Den svenska översättningen var bitvis lite slarvig men det var inget som störde mycket

[Danny Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keedie is an explosion of a protagonist and, after reading A Kind of Spark, I am so happy that we got to know her better.

Elle McNicoll strives to better represent neurodivergence in her books, but that feels like an understatement; speaking as someone who is autistic, these books make me feel seen. Keedie and Addie have become my friends.

There were lines and chapters in this book that made me laugh out loud, and others which hit me so hard I had to stop and re-read them to absorb them fully.

I can’t wait for the physical book to be published so I can start raving about it in the bookshop where I work.

Elle is a superstar, and so are her characters.

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I always have these doubts in my head, they're inevitable when you're told you have a neurodevelopmental disability. I was informed my grasp of the world was an outnumbered view. I was told to acclimate, to learn all about other people and how they think and feel and love and hate and live. It makes me a stranger to them but, most of all, to myself.

I took the world at its word. When it said be kind, I was. Kindness is not a tight smile and waiting for the other person to leave the room before you say something horrible or degrading about them. Kindness must be there when the lights are off. It must be there when people are not looking."

Every autistic kid deserves to have books like these in their libraries. I'm past that age but Elle McNicoll's books still make me cry and feel heard. I love this author and I love Keedie and Addie.

[Jenthe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked reading Keedie's story and I appreciate how outspoken she is. I just found the way the bullying was handled by Keedie's parents and the school's headmaster very upsetting, and while Keedie is often good at speaking up, she doesn't actually tell the adults around her exactly what the bullies have done to her and I really wish she would. Maybe the school teachers would still have acted the same but I feel like Keedie's parents might have understood the situation better. Also, I didn't really understand Angel's character and Keedie's immediate obsession with her because they barely interact. And she constantly hypes Bonnie up to high heaven which I also didn't really get, since we don't really get to know Bonnie...

[Em Britain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want all the other stories, I want Eleanor and Bonnie and angel and a whole host of other autistic girls to cry and laugh and be proud along with.
I have no idea if I’d have realised sooner if I’d read any of Elle’s books (I suspect I probably might have) but I don’t care because they’re here now and are excellent (an understatement)

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another FANTASTIC #ownvoices middle grade novel set in a small Scottish town that follows Keedie, an autistic twin tween girl who is fed up with all the bullies in the world, especially when they start picking on her fellow neurodivergent friend, Bonnie, and her undiagnosed younger sister.

But as Keedie sets up an anti-bullying agency to help others in her school suffering from bullies, she realizes there is a fine line between standing up for others and becoming a bully yourself.

I loved this big-hearted story that shines a light on inclusivity, anti-bullying and neurodiversity. I also thought the author did a great job exploring how complicated it can be for siblings of children with disabilities and how easy it is to stay silent in the face of bullying in an attempt to avoid getting bullied yourself.

Highly recommended for fans of Greta Thunburg and authors like Meg Eden Kuyatt. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. Technically this is a prequel to A kind of spark but it can easily be read as a standalone.

[Marit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tijdens het lezen van Een soort vonk verlangde ik telkens naar het perspectief van Keedie. Deze prequel loste mijn opgestapelde verwachtingen niet volledig in, omdat dit boek minder lagen bevatte dan Een soort vonk. Tegelijkertijd is ook dit boek een heel belangrijk boek -- met representatie van autisme en in het bijzonder autistische meisjes.

[Vita Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it, it almost made me cry 3 times. I found a grammar mistake and a space left out pretty close together. I know there is always a mistake left in a book but it could have been checked over 1 time more. Some comparisons in the book I didn't fully see, others hit the mark - and overall the book is great and something I bet many can relate to. The book gave me an optimistic feeling which I loved <3

[Hanna Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know an autistic lesbian when I see one 🫶🏻

[Jen Petro-Roy]

Elle McNicoll’s books are so important for autistic representation in middle grade literature.

[Sifa Poulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

KEEDIE is a stunning prequel to A KIND OF SPARK. It is about being "disruptive" and blazing a trail for others to follow.

This book is set five years before A KIND OF SPARK and explores Keedie and Addie's relationship from Keedie's perspective. You understand why she has such a close relationship with Addie and how it came to be. I loved seeing it from Keedie's perspective and the point she realises that she can change things to make it easier for her sister, to be there for Addie as a role model like she never had. There's a burden placed on older siblings (particularly sisters) but it's also a privilege at times to be there for the ones you love and this book captures that desire to protect them perfectly.

Keedie is just as protective and "disruptive" in this book. It is a tale of not conforming to the world's demands you act a certain way, of standing up for yourself and others. I loved the discussion of being a "bad" autistic - i.e. one who causes disruption. That feeling that you have to be "perfect" all the time, like you're an ambassador for all autistic people all the time so being human and messy like everyone else will give all autistics a bad name.

We also get to see more of Keedie and Nina's relationship, the strains teenagerhood and peer pressure can put on a relationship. The twins turn 14 in this book, putting it on the boundary between upper MG and lower YA. But family relationships are hard at this point - you want to be you but it's hard to find that with everyone yelling what they think you should be.

It's also a book about bullying and standing up for others. Keedie has made herself too scary for bullies to attack her so goes after them (non-violently) on behalf of others as it can be hard to stand up for yourself. It's is a story of courage and compassion and confronting the bullies and making them see that they are the bullies and it's not funny.

In all, a wonderful prequel novel and I look forward to many more books by Elle McNicoll.

[Sky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: War, Self harm, and Dementia

Representations: https://trello.com/c/4xFdu0RV/114-a-k...

This was a very hard read for me, but I couldn't stop reading it for very long. Absolutely a book that everyone must read at least once, especially kids in school.

I loved the characters so much, even the complete assholes. Though while characters like Keedie, Addie, Nina and similar where pretty well rounded out, characters like Bonnie and Angel while feeling important really didn't get much development at all. I know kids books keep on getting larger and larger and it is an issue.. but I do feel like it could have used an extra scene or 2 just spending more time with those 2 instead of us just being told about them.

Of course, not too much about the world and a plot. This is a very character focused book, building on characters and topics explored in A Kind of Spark. Only thing was I'm not too sure about what happened to the forced institutionalisation which was a decent sized topic in A Kind of Spark, but didn't seem to get reached in this book. The history about the town was nice but small, and the bullying storylines was very well explored.

If you're autistic though and faced ableist bullying, restraining, or any other related topics then this will be a hard read for you. It's very frank, very honest and brutal. It's not a happy go lucky read, it might make you happy at some point but this is more a book to find who you are, know you're not alone, and for those who aren't autistic to learn more and learn empathy.

[Cordelia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keedie by Elle Micnoll was an inspiring heartfelt book to read. This book was very personal and inspiring to me because the main character Keedie has autism and i have autism and i could relate to her a lot. I loved the setting of this book the little small quaint town of juniper it was very cute and sweet. My favourite characters were Keedie and bonnie i liked how those two got along with each other and were best friends. My favourite part was when Keedie spoke out her speech in front of the whole school her speech was about bullying and she was loud and proud about it she didn't let anyone stop her she just speaked. Having autism is a superpower it is not a bad disability it is a strength we have it makes us unique and different and special. Elle Micnoll did a fantastic job on this book it is her best book she has ever written it has a of meaning and potential in it it is a book for adults and children. If you have a passion about something you let it out just like Keedie did.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

the end bit with addie had me tearing up (surprisingly!! I usually never cry at books)

keedie is everything. I love how she bumbles through life but she is so brave and genuine and it's incredible. being an autistic teen girl (and add queer to the mix for an extra challenge) is so brutal and bullies, peer pressure, comphet, changing relationships and differing interests are so hard to navigate and mcnicoll sums this up so well. she is genuinely the sweetest with addie and the unseen recognition autistic people have with each other and the care people often spend as a result of this is everything. I love that keedie is lesbian so much because I have almost never seen the INCREDIBLY COMMON occurrence of autistic people being queer in media i've consumed (shoutout to mcnicoll for always providing the representation that is sorely lacking but is so common in real life). I love how she talks about bullying and school just failing to do anything or siding with the bullies. she cares so deeply for her sisters and her autistic friends and it's so wonderful. I adore her so much and her making her own clothes and unapologetically liking what she likes and not really gelling with her age group reminds me in part so much of me aged 13-14.

[ellie ⋆ ˚｡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'm trying to think of things to say but i can't think of anything, i feel like nothing really happened in this book.
none of the characters were really people, they all felt very one-dimensional.
i wanted to like this book, but it fell so flat for me. it didn't seem to have a focus, just jumping from b-plot to b-plot.

"but some forms of bullying feel more like smoke than fire. they leave you gasping for air instead of burned. the damage is internal and harder to prove."

[Charlotte Hallett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elle McNicoll has done it again. A Kind Of Spark and now Keedie, will always hold a special place in my heart. An amazing book about family, love, and goodness; doing the right thing no matter what people say or who might dislike you for it.

I cannot wait to read these books to my children and talk to them about the wonderful differences we have as autistic people. The amazing parts, the hard parts, the parts you wanted to erase for a fleeting moment; all the parts that make us us. Keedie takes the good, the bad, and the hard and stays true to herself. She forges the way for a better future, teaches people to be kind and taught me to not care if people don't like me. Please read this book, autistic or not, it's amazing.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book, ideal for young teenagers, especially those on the spectrum.
As an adult, these books always help me support teenagers as it's a great insight into what may be going on in their minds.
Brilliant read, will recommend to my teenagers.