Disability

This collection features titles that offer insight into disability, offering guidance for generating meaningful discussion about topics including blindness, deafness, autism spectrum disorder, physical disabilities, dyslexia, and Down syndrome.

Cost of Living

by Martyna Majok

Publication year 2016

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loneliness, Disability

Tags Drama, Relationships, Disability, Dramatic Literature, Poverty, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Cost of Living, a play by Martyna Majok, premiered in 2016 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. It transferred to an off-Broadway theatre in 2017, produced by Manhattan Theatre Club, and is slated to debut on Broadway in fall, 2022. The play was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and also won a 2018 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play. The title of the play refers not only to the monetary costs of... Read Cost of Living Summary

Counting by 7s

by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Disability, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Disability, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction

Counting by 7s is Holly Goldberg Sloan's first middle-grade novel, published in 2013. A New York Times bestseller, this contemporary story draws upon themes relevant to Sloan's own life. The novel is set in present-day Bakersfield, California, which Sloan says is “emblematic of the characters,” in the sense that it is “often overlooked.” Sloan's subsequent novels include Short (2017) and The Elephant in the Room (2021).Plot SummaryThe novel's protagonist is 12-year-old Willow Chance, a “highly... Read Counting by 7s Summary

Each Tiny Spark

by Pablo Cartaya

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Disability, Justice, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Memory, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Fathers, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Immigration, Politics & Government

Tags Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness, Disability, Trauma & Abuse

... Read Each Tiny Spark Summary

El Deafo

by Cece Bell

Publication year 2014

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Friendship, Disability

Tags Humor, Disability, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Biography

El Deafo is a 2014 semi-autobiographical, graphic novel by American author and illustrator Cece Bell. Bell, who was born deaf, recounts her childhood in the format of a guide starring an anthropomorphic rabbit, “Cece.” The book endeavors to undermine negative representations of deafness by representing Cece’s difference as valid, even empowering, with the assistance of modern technology. Throughout the book, Cece occasionally assumes a superhero persona, “El Deafo.” El Deafo challenges common misconceptions about disabilities... Read El Deafo Summary

Fefu and Her Friends

by María Irene Fornés

Publication year 1990

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Friendship, Gender Identity

Tags Drama, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Disability, LGBTQ+, Modernism, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Fefu and her Friends is a play by Cuban American playwright Maria Irene Fornés. It premiered in 1977 at the Relativity Media Lab, a small venue on New York’s Lower East Side. Set in 1935 New England, the play concerns a group of women who knew one another in college and gather for a reunion as adults. Within six months, Fefu was produced off-Broadway at the American Place Theatre, earning Fornés her second Obie Award... Read Fefu and Her Friends Summary

Fish in a Tree

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Gender Identity, Disability

Tags Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Disability, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

Fish in a Tree is a 2015 middle-grade novel by American author Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Shouting at the Rain, One for the Murphys). It follows the story of a middle-school girl named Ally, who is artistically and mathematically talented but unable to read due to her dyslexia. Throughout Ally’s school career, she uses humor, misbehavior, and feigned sickness to distract from her learning difficulty, doing everything in her power to avoid writing and reading tasks... Read Fish in a Tree Summary

Forget Me Not

by Ellie Terry

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Friendship, Childhood & Youth

Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

... Read Forget Me Not Summary

Freak the Mighty

by Rodman Philbrick

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Disability, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Freak the Mighty tells the story of two boys—a slow-learning giant and a genius in a disabled body—who become friends, share adventures, and defend themselves against bullies and social rejection. Published in 1993, Freak the Mighty sold two million copies in nine languages, received multiple awards, and was made into a Golden Globe-nominated film, The Mighty, starring Sharon Stone, Kieran Culkin, Gillian Anderson, and Harry Dean Stanton. Max’s adventures continue in a sequel called Max... Read Freak the Mighty Summary

Game Changer

by Tommy Greenwald

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, Loyalty & Betrayal, Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Forgiveness, Guilt, Memory, Conflict, Hope, Mothers, Fathers, Childhood & Youth, Masculinity, Truth & Lies, Fear, Family

Tags Sports, Realistic Fiction, Disability, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Game Changer Summary

Get a Life, Chloe Brown

by Talia Hibbert

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Disability, Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class, Friendship, Art, Forgiveness, Animals, Safety & Danger, Perseverance, Love, Hate & Anger, Grief, Fear, Conflict, Loneliness, Hope

Tags Romance, Humor, Health, British Literature, Disability, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Get a Life, Chloe Brown Summary

Ghost Boy

by Martin Pistorius

Publication year 2011

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Education, Disability, Psychology, Psychology, Biography, Health

Ghost Boy: The Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body (2011) is a memoir written by Martin Pistorius with Megan Lloyd Davies. The autobiography details Martin’s childhood misdiagnosis, a mistake that cost him years of his life where he could not communicate with anyone around him. Martin is a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, who at the age of 12 suddenly and mysteriously started losing all control of his muscles and... Read Ghost Boy Summary

Good Kings Bad Kings

by Susan Nussbaum

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Yessenia Lopez—a 16-year-old, wheelchair-bound Puerto Rican girl from inner city Chicago—arrives at ILLC from juvie after violently assaulting her classmate in school. With absent parents and a recently deceased guardian (Tía Nene), she is explosive and struggles to get along with her peers. However, she develops friendships with a few of her roommates and caring adult employees, like Joanne and Jimmie. Though she hates ILLC and finds it to be demeaning, she has nowhere else... Read Good Kings Bad Kings Summary

Hello, Universe

by Erin Entrada Kelly

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Disability, Modern Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure

Hello, Universe (2017) is the third novel by Filipino-American author Erin Entrada Kelly. It is intended for children aged 8 to 12. The title won the 2018 Newbury Medal, and its author has garnered other awards for previous novels, including a Golden Kite Award and an Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature. Kelly’s other books include Blackbird Fly (2015), The Land of Forgotten Girls (2016), You Go First (2018), and Lalani of the Distant Sea... Read Hello, Universe Summary

Holly

by Stephen King

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Good & Evil, Social Class, Mothers, Death, Disability, Mental Health, Race

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism, Disability, Health

... Read Holly Summary