Description

CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR, THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2022 – SHORTLISTED
BLUE PETER BOOK AWARDS BEST BOOK WITH FACTS 2022 – LONGLISTED
THE OBSERVER CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE MONTH – JULY 2021

Discover the beautiful true story of one girl’s journey growing up autistic and undiagnosed – and the challenges she faced in the ‘normal’ world.

‘This book is what I needed as a kid! Empathetic, joyful and beautifully authentic. I loved it!’ – Elle McNicoll, author of A Kind of Spark

I’m not like the other children in my class . . . and that’s an actual scientific FACT.

Hi! My name is Abigail, and I’m autistic. But I didn’t know I was autistic until I was an adult-sort-of-person*.

This is my true story of growing up in the confusing ‘normal’ world, all the while missing some Very Important Information about myself.

There’ll be scary moments involving toilets and crowded trains, heart-warming tales of cats and pianos, and funny memories including my dad and a mysterious tub of ice cream. Along the way you’ll also find some Very Crucial and Myth-busting Information about autism.

If you’ve ever felt different, out of place, like you don’t fit in . . . this book is for you.

*I’ve never really felt like an actual-adult-person, as you’ll soon discover in this book…

Told through the author’s remarkable words, and just as remarkable illustrations, this is the book for those who’ve never felt quite right in the ‘normal’ world.

Discover why readers love A Different sort of Normal:

‘Funny, fascinating . . . a rewarding and highly entertaining read’ – Guardian

‘I REALLY love it. Buy it for your kids, your parents, your grandparents. Mostly buy it for yourself’ – Holly Smale, author of the Geek Girl series

A hugely engaging, funny and informative account of being neurodivergent – Observer

Insightful, accessible and easy to navigate, this is an essential book for autistic and allistic (non-autistic) readers of all ages – Booktrust

Publisher Review

A funny, fascinating illustrated memoir that conveys - via joyous tangential leaps, vivid doodles and informative notes - how it felt to grow up autistic and undiagnosed . . . a rewarding and highly entertaining read * Guardian * I REALLY love it. It's the book I wish I'd had when I was a kid (I'd have known I was autistic immediately, right down to the cats). Buy it for your kids, your parents, your grandparents. Mostly buy it for yourself * Holly Smale * Illuminating * The I Paper * A hugely engaging, funny and informative account of being neurodivergent * Observer * This book is what I needed as a kid! Empathetic, joyful and beautifully authentic. I loved it! * Elle McNicoll, author of A Kind of Spark * Funny, poignant and wise, with a rich seam of understanding and empathy . . . one of the best children's non-fiction books I've read in a long time * The Bookseller * Insightful, accessible and easy to navigate, this is an essential book for autistic and allistic (non-autistic) readers of all ages * Booktrust * An amazing, life-changing hug of a book I wish I had when I was growing up. It's funny, eye-opening and supremely reassuring and an important, myth-busting look into autism and how that experience can vary so much. For anyone and EVERYONE who has ever felt different. Time to reclaim it and celebrate it * Rashmi Sirdeshpande * This book is a great explainer, full of empathy for different situations, which explodes many misconceptions about autistic people along the way! I wish I had had this available many years ago when teaching an autistic child on a one-to-one basis * Love Reading 4 Schools * What a difference Abigail Balfe's new book is going to make for so many people! A Different Sort of Normal is a wonderful blend of humour, information & reassuring comfort * Emma Perry * Highly illustrated, beautiful and an essential book for young autistic people * Lizzie Huxley-Jones *