Research Guides: Mental Health in Children's and Young Adult Literature: Autism

About Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social, emotional, or communicaiton skills. Many people with ASD also have different ways of learning, paying attention, or reacting to things. There is not just one type of Autism, but a wide range of abilities and characteristics that fall somewhere on the continuum.

- CDC: Autism Spectrum Disorder

More Resources:

Picture Books

My Brother Charlie by
Holly Robinson Peete; Ryan Elizabeth Peete
Call Number: YE PEE
Publication Date: 2010
"A girl tells what it is like living with her twin brother who has autism and sometimes finds it hard to communicate with words, but who, in most ways, is just like any other boy."
A Friend Like John by
Suzanne B. Bartlett
Call Number: UNI Youth Watson (Y 618 B)
Publication Date: 2011
"Explores 8 year old John's daily experience having autism."
Why Johnny Doesn't Flap by
Clay & Gail Morton
Call Number: Y 618 M
Publication Date: 2015
"My friend Johnny is different from me. We have fun together, but sometimes he acts pretty strangely. He is never exactly on time, he can't seem to stick to a routine, he stares right into your eyes, and he often says puzzling things. Johnny is neurotypical. I like Johnny and I think being NT is OK."
How to Talk to an Autistic Kid by
Daniel Stefanski
Call Number: Y 618 S
Publication Date: 2011
"A collection of personal stories, knowledgeable explanations, and supportive advice written by a fourteen-year-old autistic boy to help provide readers with the confidence and tools necessary to befriend autistic kids."
Autism and Me: Sibling Stories by
Ouisie Shapiro
Call Number: Y 618 S
Publication Date: 2009
"In these moving essays, children tell their stories of what it is like to live with a sibling who has autism."

Books for Tweens (Ages 8-12ish)

Harmonic Feedback by
Tara Kelly
Call Number: Y KEL
Publication Date: 2010
"When Drea and her mother move in with her grandmother in Bellingham, Washington, the sixteen-year-old finds finds that she can have real friends, in spite of her Asperger's, and that even when you love someone it does not make life perfect."
The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous by
Suzanne Crowley
Call Number: Y CRO
Publication Date: 2007
In the small town of Jumbo, Texas thirteen-year old Merrille, who has Asperger's Syndrome, tries to live a "very ordered existence", but disruptions begin when a boy and his father arrive in town and the youngster makes himself a part of the family.
Mockingbird by
Kathryn Erskine
Call Number: Y ERS
Publication Date: 2010
"Ten-year-old Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to understand emotions, show empathy, and make friends at school, while at home she seeks closure by working on a project with her father."
Rain Reign by
Ann M. Martin
Call Number: Y MAR
Publication Date: 2014
"Struggling with Asperger's, Rose shares a bond with her beloved dog, but when the dog goes missing during a storm, Rose is forced to confront the limits of her comfort levels, even if it means leaving her routines in order to search for her pet."
Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by
Harry Mazer; Peter Lerangis
Call Number: Y MAZ
Publication Date: 2012
"Wounded in Iraq while his Army unit is on convoy and treated for many months for traumatic brain injury, the first person Ben remembers from his earlier life is his autistic brother."
Anything but Typical by
Nora Raleigh Baskin
Call Number: Y BAS
Publication Date: 2009
"Jason, a twelve-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer, relates what his life is like as he tries to make sense of his world."
Rules by
Cynthia Lord
Call Number: Y LOR
Publication Date: 2006
"Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic."
The Boy Who Ate Stars by
Kochka
Call Number: Y KOC
Publication Date: 2006
"Upon moving to a new apartment, twelve-year-old Lucy befriends an autistic boy who lives upstairs and, along with her friend Theo and a pampered pooch, takes Matthew on neighborhood adventures hoping to open him up to the world around them."
Al Capone Does My Shirts by
Gennifer Choldenko
Call Number: Y CHO
Publication Date: 2004
"A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister."
The London Eye Mystery by
Siobhan Dowd
Call Number: Y DOW
Publication Date: 2008
"When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together--Ted with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Kat--to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim."
Anything but Typical by
Nora Raleigh Baskin
Call Number: Y BAS
Publication Date: 2009
"Jason, a twelve-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer, relates what his life is like as he tries to make sense of his world."
Mindblind by
Jennifer Rozines Roy
Call Number: Y ROY
Publication Date: 2010
"Fourteen-year-old Nathaniel Clark, who has Asperger's Syndrome, tries to prove that he is a genius by writing songs for his rock band, so that he can become a member of the prestigious Aldus Institute, the premier organization for the profoundly gifted."
The Someday Birds by
Sally J. Pla
Call Number: Y PLA
Publication Date: 2017
"Charlie, twelve, who has autism and obsessive compulsive disorder, must endure a cross-country trip with his siblings and a strange babysitter to visit their father, who will undergo brain surgery."
The World from up Here by
Cecilia Galante
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2016
"Wren Baker is an anxious twelve-year-old, so when her mother goes into a hospital for depression, and she and her younger brother, who has Asperger's syndrome, go to live with her aunt and her cousin, Silver, who have just recently moved to Pennsylvania, her stress level soars."
Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse by Susan Vaught
Call Number: Y VAU
Publication Date: 2019
"Alternates between the detective work of middle-schooler Jesse and her new friend, Springer, after her father is accused of stealing, and post-tornado rescue efforts of Jesse and her Pomeranian, Sam-Sam."

Books for Teens

Marcelo in the Real World by
Francisco X. Stork
Call Number: Y STO
Publication Date: 2009
"Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm."
Asperger's Rules! by
Blythe Grossberg
Call Number: Y 618 G
Publication Date: 2012
"Offers guidance to young people with Asperger's syndrome by explaining how to understand and communicate with their peers and teachers, standing up for and taking care of themselves, setting realistic goals, and making friends."
Take Control of Asperger's Syndrome by
Jennifer Engel Fisher; Janet Price
Call Number: Y 618 P
Publication Date: 2010
"Handbook for kids and teens on living successful lives with these disorders by taking control of their strengths to overcome their weaknesses."
Autism Spectrum Disorders by
Ana Maria Rodriguez
Call Number: Y 616 R
Publication Date: 2011
"Information about the symptoms, treatment, and research on Autism spectrum disorders including Autism and Asperger syndrome."

Biographies

Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by
Sy Montgomery; Temple Grandin
Call Number: Y B GRA
Publication Date: 2012
"When Temple Grandin was born, her parents knew she was different. Years later she was diagnosed with autism. Today, Dr. Temple Grandin, a scientist and professor of animal science at Colorado State University, is an autism advocate and her world-changing career revolutionized the livestock industry."
Episodes: My Life as I See It by
Blaze Ginsberg
Call Number: Y B GIN
Publication Date: 2009
"Blaze Ginsberg, a high functioning autistic teenager, creates titles and categories for the different periods and moments in his life, creating a list of episodes that exist in various stages of production as his life progresses and the days of his existence roll on."