Learning disabilities, such as ADHD, APD, and dyslexia, can affect multiple aspects of your educational experience. It can be frustrating to feel like the world is incompatible with your brain. Luckily, there are multiple authors out there who have struggled with those same conditions and come out the other side ready to share their experiences. For this week’s Three to Read Teen, we’re bringing you three YA novels with protagonists who embrace their learning disabilities both inside and outside the classroom.
FIRE READ
King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin
SYNOPSIS:
Pernell’s ADHD has always been a source of contention in the classroom, to the point that he’s about to start his third session of summer school. But school isn’t all bad — lunch time promises entertaining rap circles, and Pernell is determined to climb the ranks of this crowd and become the Cypher King. When rhythm is the currency, ADHD actually gives him the edge. Outside of these dreams, though, life is full of more pressure than ever. Between his vindictive English teacher, his parents pressuring him to seek medical treatment for his ADHD, and his best friend, Electra, seemingly too busy to spend time with him, Pernell is suddenly worried that he won’t even graduate high school. Can he learn to harness his ADHD to work with him rather than against him in all aspects of his life?
WHY:
Accomplished playwright and poet Idris Goodwin is neurodivergent himself, and his experiences sing through the pages of King of the Neuro Verse. With over 60 plays under his belt and an impressive grasp of hip-hop and rhythm, Goodwin’s lyricism is a force within itself. Written in verse, his first novel is a beautiful combination of self-expression and advocacy.
TEA TIME READ
Lover Birds by Leon Egan
SYNOPSIS:
Isabel and Lou couldn’t be any more different. While Isabel is the perfectly posh, wealthy new girl, Lou is an ADHD mess. After they each make underhanded comments about one another, their feud is cemented. Being enemies suddenly becomes more difficult, though, when Isabel is assigned to tutor Lou and they’re forced to spend more time with each other than before. Soon, Lou starts to realize that maybe what she feels toward Isabel isn’t all hatred, but something else entirely.
WHY:
Leon Egan (he/they) is no stranger to storytelling. Their podcast, Tell No Tales, is a truly inspired queer twist on paranormal fiction. Lover Birds is Egan’s debut YA novel and the perfect sapphic school romance to read between classes.
HEAR ME OUT
Allie’s Adventure on the Wonder by Erika Lynn Adams
SYNOPSIS:
Madness is a constant presence in Allie Little’s life. The 14-year-old girl has Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), a condition that always seems to send her galloping into nonsense. Everything Allie sees, reads, and hears swirls around in a confusing tangle and leaves others frustrated by her anxiety. Then, on a field trip aboard a ferry called Wonder, Allie meets Charlie, a wild personality who shows her that, when embraced, her madness can be the key to unlocking a life of joyous creativity.
WHY:
Writer Erika Lynn Adams has lived with APD her entire life. She credits it with inspiring her to embrace all aspects of storytelling (film, music, books, etc.) and investigate the reasons we connect with them. Based on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Adams’ own experiences, Allie’s Adventure on the Wonder is a magical look into the realities of learning disabilities and the freedom of self-acceptance.
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s edition of Three to Read Teen! Be sure to check back later this month for more entertaining YA novels.
Disabilities come in many forms. Click here to see another roundup of YA novels that feature disabled protagonists.
Visit our Three to Read bookshelf on Bookshop for the ultimate reading list.
