First, I'm really attracted to McNicoll's adroit use of metaphors throughout the book. They allow the reader to get more sophisticated in their depth or understanding of a feeling or event without the author being too wordy. Though some of them may challenge the readers, like one metaphor about being a "cartographer of your own heart," but they don't overwhelm the text.

Initially, I didn't know if the main character was male or female (SPOILER ALERT: she's female), which ends up being somewhat important to the story because of how females historically are portrayed when they are being bossy vs emphatic, snobby vs reserved, and relevant to this story, aggressive vs assertive.

In this story aggressive vs assertive is emphasized on the themes of bullying, being an upstander, and friendship. There are some really good discussion prompts in the book, too, based on these themes. For example, "It'll be bad for a really quick minute. But the good will last forever." Another place for a good discussion are some passages in chapter 14. One is the connection between kindness and integrity. Another is "Distraction is the enemy of anxiety."

There might be a few places where the Britishisms may affect a teen outside of Scotland to stumble. One example is the use of "Bully for him," especially because a theme of the story is bullying.

I believe McNicoll did a great job of helping non-autistic readers understand what their autistic peers might be experiencing. Even concepts like "masking" are well explained within the context of the story, so the terms and concepts aren't preachy and teachy but instead flow naturally from the characters' thoughts and actions.

I'm looking forward to getting this book for my middle school library.

A Glimmer Of Change is the prequel to A Kind Of Spark. I didn’t realize that when I requested the book and hadn’t read A Kind of Spark yet, but had no issues with understanding since it’s a prequel not a sequel. This book is about Keedie, who has autism and feels like she’s too much for her small village. I enjoyed getting to know her and read her story.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC for this book. This book highlights the experiences of Keedie growing up neurodivergent in a school where everyone is trying to be like one another. Keedie uses her voice to stand up for others, but it creates other problems. This is a perspective that every child needs to hear.

A GLIMMER OF CHANGE is such a heartfelt prequel to A KIND OF SPARK. Highly relatable, this book saw right into my autistic heart and once again healed parts of me I didn't think could be healed. Keedie (and Elle McNicoll), you are so loved.

Keedie is autistic and sees the world a little differently than her twin Nina. As they grow older they are growing more apart. Finally, things come to a head when Nina starts hanging out with the popular kids, kids who bully and call others names. Keedie takes it upon herself to deal with the bullies for other kids. A introspective look at an autistic character and how they see the world. An emotional sister story. Highly recommended.

loved this one. a quick and easy read, but full of heartfelt moments, quotable passages, and unforgettable characters. from a teaching or parent perspective, I feel like this should be required reading or at least included in every classroom library. the protagonist is a wonderful character and role model both in general and when it comes to autism representation. Keedie's journey is universal (outcast/misfit in a school of popular bullies) and the book lends itself easily to discussing general themes of what it means to be a hero, what is bullying, what does it mean to be an other, how do we deal with peer pressure, how do you decide when to speak up, how hard is it to speak up, what kind of masks do people wear and are they always necessary? why or why not? what makes a true friend? what's hard about having siblings? what's great about it? I could go on and on ☺️

Keedie is autistic and so are some of her friends. She has always been labeled as too loud and too much. The world wants her to conform to their rules, but she knows she has to stand out and stand up for those being treated unfairly.
What a beautiful book about being yourself and standing up for others.
I love the sister relationship in this too. I loved Keedie and Addie and how Keedie really took the time to understand her.

A middle grade read for everyone so that they can learn that it's okay to be different.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.