Boundless: 17 Stories Starring Disabled Kids

by Marieke Nijkamp (Editor)

A middle-grade short story anthology featuring disabled kids, written by disabled writers, and edited by #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp. Featuring beloved contributors, like Samira Ahmed and Natalie Lloyd.

Imagine the boundless experiences of disabled kids: A Deaf Southerner who solves local mysteries. A young diabetic plant mage encountering magical mishaps. A girl with epilepsy discovering a hidden world in her grandmother’s garden. A chronically fatigued gamer saving the day―and their team―during an epic VR space race.

From juvenile arthritis to asthma and from wheelchairs to neurodiversity, Boundless: 17 Stories Starring Disabled Kids writes disability back into the mainstream narrative of the commercial genres we love, with an inclusive and intersectional lens.

Genres: Middle Grade, Disability, Anthologies

288 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication October 27, 2026

About the author

Marieke Nijkamp a storyteller, dreamer, globe-trotter, geek.

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Please note I don't respond to friend requests or messages on GR, but you're always welcome to tweet or email me. :)

Reviews

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A middle grade anthology edited by Marieke Nijkamp featuring disabled protagonists across fantasy, mystery, science fiction, horror, and contemporary fiction.
🗡️ The Princess and the Potato (Natalie Lloyd) A girl with brittle bone disease who uses a wheelchair discovers she may be the hero from a magical story and must face a monster after a mysterious door is opened.
🩸 Grabby Gabby Gets a Real Taste for Blood (Clare Edge) A young plant mage with Type 1 diabetes secretly feeds her prize-winning magical plant her blood, with unexpectedly hungry results.
🎾 Breathe Easy (Samira Ahmed) A Chicago tennis player develops asthma and begins to understand how air quality and environmental conditions affect her health.
🪄El Examen (Gabe Cole Novoa) A disabled student faces an important test while navigating identity, expectations, and magic.
👩🏽‍🏫 Mrs. Gutierrez, You're Not Going to Believe This (Mo Netz) A humorous contemporary story involving a student's unbelievable adventure and a trusted teacher.
💡How to Love a Firefly (H.E. Edgmon) A heartfelt fantasy about friendship, belonging, and learning to embrace differences.
🐉 Here Be Dragons (Mike Jung) An adventure featuring disability representation and a dragon-filled quest.
💪🏽 Maximum Capacity (Natalia Sylvester) A story about limits, expectations, and discovering personal strength.
🤫 Alma the Soundless (Anna-Marie McLemore) A magical tale centered on a girl whose relationship with sound and silence shapes her world.
📝 Much Ado About Sadie (Lillie Lainoff) A Shakespeare-inspired story featuring a disabled heroine navigating friendship and self-confidence.
🎶 A Whole Song (Kati Gardner) A music-centered story about finding your voice when your body doesn't always cooperate.
🇵🇭 The Lightning Fang Agimat (Gail D. Villanueva) A Filipino-inspired fantasy adventure involving magic, family, and courage.
💤 The Sleepover (Jazz Taylor) A friendship story where a sleepover becomes much more meaningful than expected.
🕵🏻 Dylan Dean, Deaf Detective (Ann Clare LeZotte) A Deaf young detective uses observation and problem-solving skills to crack a mystery.
☠️ Aspen Jones and the God of Death (Cindy Baldwin) A fantasy adventure in which a young hero encounters a god and faces impossible choices.
⛈️ Living in the Storm (Ronni Davis) A powerful contemporary story about navigating chronic challenges while finding resilience.
🪐The Crew of the Starship Infinity (Marieke Nijkamp) A science-fiction adventure featuring disabled kids on an epic space mission; one protagonist experiences chronic fatigue while helping save their team.
♿️
The anthology's biggest strength is its range. The disabilities are not all treated the same way, and the stories span everything from fairy-tale quests and magical plants to mysteries, sports, and space adventures. The collection emphasizes that disabled kids can be heroes, adventurers, detectives, athletes, and dreamers in every genre. This book releases October 27!

CW: ableism, discrimination, medical content, asthma, bullying, anxiety, poverty, environmental issues, grief, loss

[Mrs. G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology is perfect for middle grade readers to learn about others who have various disabilities. It is not only informative about different disabilities, but it helps tweens see the importance of treating everyone with kindness and respect.

Each story is focused on a different disability, and takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes to read. They are the perfect bedtime read to share and discuss with your child. My family had some really great conversations sparked out of these stories. This would be a great addition to classroom and school libraries.

I do recommend you read them in advance so you can think of conversation starters. Prereading also helps if you have an aversion to specific topics based on your child's age. These stories literally cover the gamut of types of disabilities and types of children.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending this book for review consideration.

***NetGalley ARC Review***

[Alex In Chapters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book!

As someone who grew up with juvenile arthritis and multiple autoimmune diseases, this one really touched my heart. My daughters, who are both autistic, also really enjoyed the stories and seeing characters with different abilities, challenges, and experiences.

I especially appreciated how every story was unique, yet they all came together to celebrate individuality, resilience, and the importance of representation.

What a beautiful concept to give children the opportunity to see themselves reflected in stories where their disabilities don’t define everything about who they are.

Huge kudos to all the contributing authors for bringing these meaningful stories together.

Such an important, thoughtful, and beautifully diverse collection. Highly recommend!

[Bibliohiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I love the various characters represented in the book. Even when things get crazy and the characters aren’t sure who to turn to or what to do in a certain situation; they’ve always got friends to help them out. Sometimes it took the characters a minute to figure out who was their true friend and who was a fair weather friend. Life is messy and never goes how we’d like it too; but when you’ve got true friends and family; they can help you through a lot.

[Andrea - The Wobbly Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Disabled reader, I wish I had had anthologies like this growing up! It was so fun enjoying quick stories from so many different writers and diverse backgrounds. I'll bet kiddos reading these will not only get to see themselves as heroes in various situations but also will have the opportunity to build empathy for people with other conditions than what they're familiar with. An excellent compilation for readers of any age honestly. Fun and easy to read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the gifted copy!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow! 🤩 What an incredible book! Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC and the opportunity to read Boundless. I loved seeing kids being kids and doing it anyway no matter their abilities. I know that my 5th graders will love this too. Short stories are so accessible for readers and I’m so happy this is the format. I just loved reading so many different authors’ stories.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous set of stories! Hope everyone reads and learns or takes courage from them, I can't decide which is my favorite!