Inspired by Meg's own experience living on the spectrum and largely “passing” as neurotypical, GOOD DIFFERENT is an extraordinary novel-in-verse about a neurodivergent girl who comes to understand and celebrate her difference.
“This is like the next "Wonder." Written by a young woman with autism, "Good Different" is a prose poem about what it means to own your neurodiversity. It examines how these undercurrents affect life, school, friendships and family, and how to turn pain into prose. Kuyatt is gifted and her parents' lifelong insistence that her neurodivergent features were her superpowers has propelled her to keep writing and sharing, advocating and illuminating, and building a community of thinkers. This story will make any neurodivergent person feel less alone but will also be a balm for all families who contend with this on a daily basis. Short and sweet, eye-opening and original, "Good Different" should be required reading, especially at schools.”
GOOD MORNING AMERICA recommends GOOD DIFFERENT by Meg Eden Kuyatt on a list of “13 Books to Spring Into Reading” curated by Zibby Owens!
An extraordinary novel-in-verse about a neurodivergent girl who comes to understand and celebrate her difference, for fans of Starfish and Counting by 7’s.
MEG EDEN KUYATT
“Relatable, profound and beautifully heartfelt. I loved it.”
—Elle McNicoll, author of the Schneider Family Book Award Honor-winning A Kind of Spark
Inspired by the author’s experience living on the spectrum as someone who largely “passes” in society as neurotypical, GOOD DIFFERENT by Meg Eden Kuyatt (On sale April 4, 2023 | Ages 8-12 | Scholastic Press) is an extraordinary novel-in-verse about a neurodivergent girl who comes to understand and celebrate her difference from a promising new voice in children’s literature. A poignant and much-needed addition to books about the autism experience, GOOD DIFFERENT will appeal to fans of Starfish and A Kind of Spark and leave a lasting impression on all its readers.
Selah knows her rules for being normal. She always, always sticks to them. This means keeping her feelings locked tightly inside, despite the way they build up inside her as each school day goes on, so that she has to run to the bathroom and hide in the stall until she can calm down. So that she has to tear off her normal-person mask the second she gets home from school, and listen to her favorite pop song on repeat, trying to recharge. Selah feels like a dragon stuck in a world of humans, but she knows how to hide it. Until the day she explodes and hits a fellow student.
Selah's friends pull away from her, her school threatens expulsion, and her comfortable, familiar world starts to crumble. But as Selah starts to figure out more about who she is, she comes to understand that different doesn’t mean damaged. Can she get her school to understand that, too, before it’s too late?
MEG EDEN KUYATT is a neurodivergent author and college-level creative writing instructor. She is a 2020 Pitch Wars mentee, and the author of poetry books. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably playing Fire Emblem. If she could be a Pokémon, she’d be Charizard. Find her online at www.megedenbooks.com or on Instagram at @meden_author.
Talking Points from Meg Eden Kuyatt (GOOD DIFFERENT)
“Gifted and talented” kids may just be another term for neurodivergent…and may be a title that’s causing more damage than good.
Meg can expand on feedback she received as a “gifted and talented kid” that was meant to be encouraging but instead, instilled in her the expectation that everything she does must be extraordinary and the repercussions this had when she hit adulthood.
The Complicated Politics of Passing as Neurotypical—and Writing as Autistic
Meg can expand on feedback received about her work of masking/passing autistic characters and how they have been invalidated by readers because they do not meet their limited understanding of what it means to be autistic.
Surviving as a Neurodivergent Person: The Ableism in Everyday Life
Meg can expand on ableism in workplace expectations, of what it means to be a “team player,” and how 9-5 isn’t really sustainable for neurodivergent folks, which is supported by unemployment statistics.
“High-functioning” (and other problems with how we talk about autism)
Meg can expand on the ableism in how we talk about autism: Asperger’s, “high-functioning”, the puzzle piece, etc.
