My Story

Picture/Early chapter Books

All The Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything by Annette Bay Pimentel and Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins – Cerebral Palsy, account of Jennifer’s tine as a child activist

A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold and illustrated by Charles Santoso – Autism

Bat and the Waiting Game by Elana K. Arnold – Autism

Bat and the End of Everything by Elana K Arnold – Autism

I Will Dance by Nancy Bo Flood and illustrated by Julianna Swaney – Wheelchair/walker/forearm crutch use, prosthetic leg

Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott by Joyce Scott – Down Syndrome and deafness

Ali and the Sea Stars by Ali Stroker and illustrated by Gillian Reid – Wheelchair use

Rescue and Jessica: a Life Changing Friendship by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes – Service dog for double amputee

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah – Limb difference

Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille – Blindness

Everyone Belongs by Heather Avis – Down’s Syndrome, Blindness, deafness, and more

Sam’s Super Seats by Keah Brown – Cerebral Palsy

Small Knight and the Anxiety Monster by Manka Kasha – anxiety

Different! A Great Thing to Be by Heather Avis – Down Syndrome

I Absolutely, Positively Love My Spots by Lid’ya C Moore and illustrated by Nina Mata – Vitiligo

Too Much! An Overwhelming Day by Jolene Gutierrez and illustrated by Angel Chang – Autism

Absent Alpacas by Kayla Whaley based on series created by Ron Roy – Cerebral Palsy

Wednesday and Woof series by Sherri Winston – juvenile arthritis

The Mermaid with No Tail by Jessica Long and illustrated by Airin O’Callaghan – amputation

Middle Grade

Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill – Deaf representation

Stargazing by Jen Wang – Brain tumor (based on author’s experience)

Sunny Side Up by Matt and Jennifer L. Holm – family member with addiction (based on authors’ experience)

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool – Autism

Con Quest! by Sam Maggs – Autism

Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly – Deaf MC, uses ASL and reading lips

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman – Unidentified intellectual disability (author research and work with street children)

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier – Cystic Fibrosis (inspired by author’s cousin’s illness)

Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos – Non-verbal Autism (author worked with Autistic children and researched methods and treatments of the time)

A Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz – Paraplegic #OwnVoices inspired by Ali’s experiences

How to Become a Planet by Nicole Melleby – Depression and Anxiety

Muffled by Jennifer Gennari – Sound Sensitivity/Sensory Processing Disorder

El Deafo by Cece Bell – Deaf Represenation, autobiographical

Charlie and Frog: A Castle-on-Hudson Mystery by Karen Kane- Deaf Representation, using ASL. This book teaches signs in the chapter headings.

Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn – Autism

Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte – Deaf Representation, uses Martha’s Vineyard Sign

Bouncing Back by Scott Ostler – Paraplegic, various reasons for wheelchair use

Quintessence by Jess Redman – Panic Attacks, Anxiety

Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! by Sarah Kapit – Autism

Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd and illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter – Severe animal allergies

Tune it Out by Jamie Sumner – Sensory Processing Disorder, specifically sound and touch

The Boney Hand: A Charlie and Frog Mystery by Karen Kane- Deaf representation

Before the Ever After by Jaqueline Woodson – Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (acquired from multiple concussions sustained while playing football)

Just Roll With It by Veronica Agarawal and illustrated by Lee Durfey-Lavoie – OCD, Anxiety

The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Noelle Ivy Weir and illustrated by Amber Padilla – Panic Disorder/Anxiety

Marshmallow and Jordan by Alina Chau – Paraplegic

The Sea in Winter by Christine Day – Sports injury, anxiety

The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family by Sarah Kapit – Autism, adult with ADHD

Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass – Autism

Smaller Sister by Maggie Edkins Willis – Anorexia, disordered eating

Set Me Free by Ann Clare LeZotte – Deafness, sequel to Show Me a Sign

Wink by Rob Harrell – Eye Cancer, blindness

My Aunt is a Monster by Reimena Yee – Blindness, disfigurement

The Golden Hour by Nikki Smith – PTSD, Anxiety

Flipping Forward Twisting Backwards by Alma Fullerton – dyslexia

Lily and the Night Creatures by Nick Lake – Kidney Disease

Button Pusher by Tyler Page – ADHD

Will on the Inside by Andrew Eliopolous – Chron’s Disease

Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt – undiagnosed Autism, family history of Autism

Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll – Dyspraxia

Hummingbird by Natalie Llyod – Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Better With Butter by Victoria Piontek – Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attacks

Young Adult

Six of Crows and King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo – Kaz from SoC broke his leg as a child and it did not heal properly so he uses a cane; Nikolai has PTSD, disfigurement; Genya – disfigurement, missing one eye and wears eye patch; Wylan has dyslexia (author has a rare degenerative bone disease and uses a cane for assistance)

Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope by Sam Maggs – Bipolar Disorder, secondary character with Cerebral Palsy

Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz – Rheumatoid Arthritis and Guacher Syndrome

Mooncakes by Suzzane Walker – Deaf MC who uses hearing aids

Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry – Brain tumor induced migraines; addiction/alcoholism

Brave Enough by Kati Gardner – Cancer, Addiction; Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and Ewing’s #OwnVoices

Just Breathe by Cammie McGovern – Cystic Fibrosis and Depression

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal – Lyme Disease and Thyroid issues in MCs, various others in support group

The Silence Between Us by Alisson Gervais – Maya: deaf, reads lips and uses sign; Beau: has a rod in his leg due to a bad break in a car accident

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer – Cerebral Palsy

One for All by Lillie Lainoff – Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

The Storm Runner, The Fire Keeper, The Shadow Crosser by J. C. Cervantes – Zane: Limb difference and cane use; Ren: seizures; Louis: Anxiety; Alana: light sensitivity in eyes

Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein – Erica “Ricky”: RA; Oliver: Childhood Cancer survivor; mentions of insulin pump

The Thing with Feathers by McCall Hoyle – Epilepsy

Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia – Eliza: Anxiety; Wallace: selective mutism

Far From You by Tessa Sharpe – Limp and chronic pain due to car accident, subsequent addiction to opioids

Sense and Second Degree Murder by Tirzah Price – Depression and discussion on Post-partum depression

Breath and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester – hip dysplasia

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant – Tess: Anxiety, Miles: Cerebral Palsy

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones – childhood injury resulting in chronic pain

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan – Deaf secondary character

Adult

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev – Emma: brain tumor, blindness after surgery; Esha: epilepsy after traumatic brain injury; Nisha: miscarriage and infertility

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev – Ashna: anxiety and panic attacks; Rico: sports injury

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert – Leprosy

The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test by Helen Hoang – Stella and Kai: Autism #OwnVoices

How Lucky by Will Leitch – Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert – Chole: Fibromyalgia; Red: PTSD

The Heart Principle (Kiss Quotient 3) by Helen Hoang – Quan: Testicular Cancer recovery; Anna: receiving an Autism diagnosis as an adult

Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev – Yash: Anxiety, PTSD; Tara: Hepatitis C induced Cirrhosis of the liver; India and China: born with cleft lip/pallete

Emma Project by Sonali Dev – Vansh: Dyslexia; Sid: Born with cleft lip and palette;

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese – late deafened individual

Honorable Mentions

Marcus Vega Does Not Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya – Younger brother with Down’s Syndrome

Renegades trilogy by Marissa Meyer – Secondary character with Brittle Bone Disease

Steampunk Proper Romance Series by Nancy Campbell Allen – Miles: Heartclock transplant; Daniel: lung transplant, prosthetic arm, PTSD; Sam: PTSD/Anxiety, Claustrophobia

Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy by Rey Terciero – Leukemia

The Girls I’ve Been by Tessa Sharpe – Endometriosis