A Kind of Spark

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of ableism and bullying.

Addie is the protagonist of A Kind of Spark. She is an 11-year-old girl with autism who lives in Juniper, Scotland. She is very open about her autism and has accepted this aspect of herself wholeheartedly. Nonetheless, she struggles with other people’s preconceived notions, and she often finds social situations challenging because her autism makes it difficult for her to perceive and correctly interpret the body language and unspoken social cues that neurotypical people innately understand. This sense of disconnect sometimes upsets her greatly. She is also very sensitive to external stimuli and dislikes being hugged or touched, and she can become distraught upon hearing overly gruesome or visceral descriptions. She is a good judge of character and quickly recognizes that her teacher, Ms. Murphy, has very little empathy for her—unlike the librarian, Mr. Allison, who actively seeks to support Addie’s needs and fuel her interests. Addie finds it much easier to spend time with people who are aware of her needs, and the various interactions that she must navigate collectively demonstrate The Importance of External Support Systems.

Addie is very knowledgeable about her autism and is usually willing to share her knowledge with the people around her, correcting their misconceptions and explaining her experience of the world.