A flash back to the pandemic, a book on my reading pile that didn’t really jump out at me. I’m not sure why, I hadn’t even read the blurb. One day I decided to give it a whirl, and I was so glad that I did. I joined the blog tour and started shouting about the book from the rooftops. [A Kind Of Spark original review here: https://wp.me/p9Eqea-2T%5D
Since then, I’ve been a complete fanboy of Elle’s books, and I’ve made sure that there are copies in every school I’ve worked in.
But enough of the preamble, on to Keedie…
We start by seeing Keedie confronting some bullies who are upsetting her best friend, Bonnie. She quickly realised that is what she does well. She is the only person brave enough to stand up when others won’t. Yet somehow she’s the one always getting in trouble for it.
Demand grows, and she sets up her own anti-bullying agency, learning more about the bullies with every one that she confronts.
Unfortunately, the biggest bullies of them all are her twin sister’s friends. Nina is slowly turning into one of them, and Keedie is losing her twin. Also, their headteacher is unimpressed by Keedie’s efforts and appoints his own anti-bullying ambassadors – Nina and her aforementioned friends… which obviously doesn’t sit well.
At the same time as losing one sister, Keedie is learning more about our old friend, her little sister, Addie. As the whole family begins to consider whether she too is neurodiverse, the kindness, tenderness, and protection that Keedie shows her little sister brought a tear to my eye.
Rather than a book about autism, Keedie is an inclusive book about kindness and standing up for what is right. Although, Keedie is an absolute kick-ass heroine who teaches us more about understanding how neurodiverse people have to navigate a world made harder by neurotypical people.
Elle’s books have taught me more about Autism than my 18 years working with Autistic children and any course I’ve been on. Her stories make me reflect on my practice: when have I made life harder? How can I make life easier? While reading Keedie, I wanted to get my highlighter out and pick out chunks of text that I wanted to share with friends and colleagues.
The tagline says Before there was Addie… There was Keedie. In Juniper, Keedie set the groundwork for Addie to succeed. But in the literary world, Addie walked so that Keedie could not just run but fly! It’s not often that a prequel or sequel exceeds expectations, but Keedie is simply spectacular!
Thank you, Elle, for writing not just this but everything.
Thanks, Annabelle and Knights of for my copy.
Keedie is out 4th April; save yourself the time by just pre-ordering it now!
Mister Bodd 