Children's Books Featuring Characters with Disabilities
Level: Juvenile Fiction
(Children's fiction or chapter books; for children in grades 4-6; ranging from 60 to 200 pages, the books are generally divided into chapters, contain fewer illustrations, and have more complicated plots or concepts.)
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Adam and the Magic Marble
A marvelous story of three heroes - Adam, Chris (both have Tourette syndrome), and Matt (who has cerebral palsy). Constantly taunted by bullies , the boys find a marble full of magic powers that are nearly impossible to control. They accidentally aim a magical spell at the bullies, and ... the adventure begins. (ISBN: 978-1878267306)
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Blue Bottle Mystery: An Asperger Adventure
Ben and his friend, Andy, discover a mystery after finding a blue bottle. As they work out the mystery, Ben is diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. His diagnosis makes it easier for him, his father, and his teacher to understand why Ben sometimes has problems at home and at school. (ISBN: 978-1853029783)
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First Star I See
Paige is a young girl with ADD who is trying to win a school writing contest. (ISBN: 978-1884281174)
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How Many Days Until Tomorrow?
Josh is a 12-year-old who has dyslexia. When he spends a summer on an island with his grandparents, he develops strengths and discovers new talents. (ISBN: 978-1597130608)
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Margaret's Moves
Nine-year-old Margaret, confined to a wheelchair by spina bifida, longs for a new, lightweight "sportsmodel" chair so that she can speed around as fast as the athletic brother with whom she has an ongoing rivalry. (ISBN: 9780590416672)
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My Friend Ben
Narrated through the eyes of a classmate, this story tells of Ben, a boy with traumatic brain injury who is included in a general education class. (ISBN: 978-0964427143)
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My Name is Brain Brian
Brian, a 6th grade boy, is diagnosed as having dyslexia. His initial trepidation at being singled out for attention is gradually replaced by enthusiasm for learning new ways of learning. (ISBN: 978-0590449229)
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Sara's Secret
Justin is five with cerebral palsy and a cognitive delay. He "can't walk or talk, or even sit up," but he still makes his sister happy. She is not happy when her teacher plans a unit on disabilities. She doesn't want people to know about her brother. (ISBN: 978-0876148563)
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Sparky's Excellent Misadventures: My ADD Journal by me (Sparky)
This is the imaginary journal of Sparky, a young boy with ADD. Sparky tells funny and not so funny stories about his life at school, at home, and with friends. (ISBN: 978-1557986061)
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The Flying Fingers Club
Entering a new school, Donald struggles with his learning disability and makes friends with a deaf boy who teaches him sign language and joins Donald in a search for a newspaper thief. (ISBN: 9780930323448)
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Wrongway Applebaum
Stanley is in 5th grade when his awkwardness and inability to tell left from right conflict with his family's interest in baseball. (ISBN: 978-0698206106)
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Zipper, The Kid with ADHD
Zachary, a 5th grader with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has trouble concentrating until a jazz musician recognizes his talent and gives him the motivation to try and do better. (ISBN: 978-0595476152)