10 Books to Share with Students for Autism Acceptance Month

April is Autism Acceptance Month. To spark conversations and foster understanding in your library or classroom, we’ve put together a list of books for the occasion. Be sure to take a look at some of the free downloadable resources available to help guide lessons.

You can browse this book list (and find lots more) on Titlewave.

Alex and His Magical Colors: An Autism Discovery Story
Interest Level: Grades K-3
Fiction

Loud noises frighten Alex very much. He wants to play with other children, but their loud laughter and screams terrify him. All these noises make Alex’s head hurt because Alex has autism. One day Alex realizes that his neighbors are sad because they are surrounded by the city’s gray, gloomy walls. Despite his fear of the neighborhood’s loud noises banging inside his head, Alex finds a way to communicate his love for his neighbors by painting the gray and gloomy walls with his amazing twirling colors.

Drawing images and painting them with imaginative color patterns are excellent activities that can help all children share their thoughts and communicate with others – especially those with autism and special needs.

Slug Days
Interest Level: Grades K-3
Fiction

Seeing the world very differently because of her Asperger syndrome, young Lauren struggles to navigate the challenges of school life and masters tricks to stay calm, understand others' feelings, and let her personality shine.

Download Reading Guide

You are Extraordinary
Interest Level: Grades K-3
Nonfiction

Fun rhymes and colorful pictures are used to celebrate kids who have unique challenges and gifts.  With its fun and uplifting message, children and adults alike are reminded that the world is a beautiful place when we treat everyone as the exceptional people they are!

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We Could Be Heroes
Interest Level: 3-6
Fiction

Fourth grader Hank, who has autism, becomes friends with Maisie as they devise schemes to save a neighbor's dog from being tied to a tree because of its epilepsy. But not everything is as it seems. The dog might not be the only one who needs saving – being a hero can look a lot like being a friend.

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Bat and the End of Everything
Interest Level: 3-6
Fiction

This is the third story in a funny and joyful series starring an unforgettable boy on the autism spectrum, Bixby Alexander Tam, aka Bat.  Bat grows anxious as his third-grade year comes to an end and the time to release his pet skunk, Thor, out into the wild approaches.  Summer promises good things, too, but Bat can't help but feel that everything is coming to an end.

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Who Is Temple Grandin
Interest Level: 3-6
Nonfiction

Autism did not stop her – in fact, it helped Temple Grandin become a brilliant scientist and inventor. Instead of seeing her differences as limitations, learn how Temple used them to guide her education and career in animal science in this official Who HQ book.

Look Inside

Every Shiny Thing
Interest Level: 5-8
Fiction

In this middle grade novel, told half in prose and half in verse, Lauren prides herself on being a good sister, and Sierra is used to taking care of her mom. When Lauren's parents send her brother to a therapeutic boarding school for teens on the autism spectrum and Sierra moves to a foster home in Lauren's wealthy neighborhood, both girls are lost until they find a deep bond with each other.

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The Awesome Autistic Go-To Guide: A Practical Handbook for Autistic Teens and Tweens
Interest Level: 5-8
Nonfiction

This guide encourages teens and tweens on the autism spectrum to identify their strengths, suggests how they can develop their identity, and celebrates neurodiversity. It also has tips for managing tricky situations such as anxiety and meltdowns, as well as fun activities and interactive sections.

The Secret Life of Kitty Granger
Interest Level: YA
Fiction

In 1960s London, sixteen-year-old Kitty Granger, a working-class girl on the autism spectrum, is recruited as a spy for the British government and must help bring down a group of unreformed Nazis hiding in plain sight. With help from an unusual team of fellow spies, Kitty must use her wits, training, and instincts to get out alive – and she might as well save the country while she's at it.

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Autism in Heels – The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum
Interest Level: YA
Nonfiction

At the age of thirty-five, Jennifer was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, and for the first time in her life, things made sense. Jennifer exposes the constant struggle between a carefully crafted persona and authentic existence, editing the autism script with wit, candor, passion, and power. Her journey is one of reverse-self-discovery not only as an Aspie but more importantly as a thoroughly modern woman.