A River I Must Be

by Kate Foster

Rebecca Tapia has started at a prestigious new school and is overwhelmed by the rules and expectations. With her mum away, and her dad facing challenges of his own, Rebecca's only way of surviving is to mask her autism.

Like a river,
I must keep flowing,
finding a way through
if I want to survive.
I will adapt
and fit in at school
no matter the pain this causes me.
I will paint on a mask
and hide my struggles.
I must do more, be more,
or risk spoiling everything.
But can I be strong
like a river?

A compelling and moving verse novel by award-winning author Kate Foster, who combines her heartfelt writing with an authentic view of autism and the daily pressure of masking. And the joy of freeing yourself from that.

Genres: Middle Grade, Young Adult

Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2026

About the author

As a speaker, I am authentic, passionate, and friendly in my approach. I talk sensitively but always positively and sincerely with children, with the help of an interactive PowerPoint, about autism and mental health, encouraging them to understand the internal, invisible struggles others may be having, to recognise behaviours, and how they can be a better friend to those around them, just like our canine buddies. I share my own diagnoses with the children with the aim of smashing harmful stereotypes and misinformation, ending stigmas, and passing on my confidence and belief that every child I meet has an important story to tell and deserves to be heard.

I enjoy speaking and presenting to children in schools and book clubs, both in-person and virtually, but also to adults, be that parents and carers, teachers and librarians, or other authors. I believe we can all do better in accepting and helping autistic people be their best selves in environments that allow them to comfortably participate. I provide some insight into the day-to-day life of one autistic person as well as how to identify depression as early as possible in children. Based on my own experiences, I talk openly about what we can do to support the young people in our lives in an attempt to prevent more serious problems in their futures.

Reviews

[Leah]

This is such a beautiful story about an autistic girl navigating the challenges (and triumphs) of her first year of high school. It is a story about friendship, belonging, acceptance and standing up for yourself, and about what it means to be different in a world that is still less understanding than it should be.

A necessary story, both for building empathy and opening up discussions around ableism and the importance of accomodations and support for those who are not neurotypical to be able to thrive, and for providing a place for young autistic girls to feel seen.

The verse style narrative makes this a really quick and accessible read, and the main character feels well crafted with a strong voice. Lovely, lovely, lovely and another example of the ways that #loveozya books are so very vital and needed. I’m glad that this book exists in this space, and for the obvious care that has been taken in creating it.

TW: ableism, bullying (from a teacher)

[Zamira]

What an incredible story!

The book is written in verse and was so easy to follow along. I appreciate that it was written this way because I feel the overall message was so much easier to understand and it was as if we were in the mind of the main character, Rebecca.

Rebecca has autism and is struggling with being comfortable at her school, she has issues with a teacher who is unaccepting of her, she has strong emotions at home as her mother is away for work for a long period of time. Rebecca loved rivers! She knows all about different rivers around the world and throughout the book she compares herself to different rivers as she is navigating through emotions.

This is such an insightful read, to gain knowledge about how the mind of children/people who would otherwise be considered different works! I loved the overall message of acceptance and understanding and I think it's so important that more people learn this.

With the help of great friends, supportive family and learning to speak up and express her emotions, Rebecca realises that life may be more smoothly flowing for her.

This book was so excellent! I highly recommend it to all readers.

Thank you so much to the publishers, Harper Collins, for sending me a copy to read.

[Jen Nishi]

Wow, just wow. This book is a triumph. This Australian novel in verse shines light on the experience of neurodiverse (Autistic) students forced to mask and assimilate in a world that is not built for them in school. Beautifully written and achingly real this novel shines. As a neurodiverse woman myself (ADHD) I found myself relating to Bec (ASD) hard. I felt for her, cried with her, and got angry for her. I wanted to storm through the book and scream at her teacher. This is an important read that every teacher and admin in every school needs to read. It needs to be in every library and classroom. I know I’ll be ordering some for my fellow teachers and my school library ASAP. Go Aussie kids lit! Go Neurodiverse authors and stories! Keep up the amazing work!

[Dorothy]

Wow, wow and wow! This is a beautifully, written narrative, verse novel. I loved the imagery. It is a novel that I would recommend every teacher reads and all those who want to gain a greater insight into the world of autistic/neurodiverse teens and the challenges they face. Kate Foster has stepped into the shoes of her main character so well and allows the reader to gain an insight into Rebecca’s world. This novel is written with so much empathy and compassion. It is an ode to the power of friendship, a loving family, supportive parents. I cried with Rebecca, felt her frustration and wanted to scream at her teacher. I highly recommend this novel.

[Anna Davidson]

A great move from Kate Foster into the verse novel world! This is a wonderful exploration of what it is like for autistic children in the school system. I was curious about the placement of text on the page with most pages having a right hand alignment and many pages having two columns of verse. One of the appealing aspects of verse novels for many children is the large amounts of white space, so this is a curious choice.

[Kat Schrav]

Fanstastic! Powerful insight into the world of neurodiversity.