A Kind of Spark
Perfect for readers of Song for a Whale and Counting by 7s, a neurodivergent girl campaigns for a memorial when she learns that her small Scottish town used to burn witches simply because they were different.
"A must-read for students and adults alike." -School Library Journal, Starred Review
Ever since Ms. Murphy told us about the witch trials that happened centuries ago right here in Juniper, I can’t stop thinking about them. Those people weren’t magic. They were like me. Different like me.
I’m autistic. I see things that others do not. I hear sounds that they can ignore. And sometimes I feel things all at once. I think about the witches, with no one to speak for them. Not everyone in our small town understands. But if I keep trying, maybe someone will. I won’t let the witches be forgotten. Because there is more to their story. Just like there is more to mine.
Award-winning and neurodivergent author Elle McNicoll delivers an insightful and stirring debut about the European witch trials and a girl who refuses to relent in the fight for what she knows is right.
Available Formats
State Awards
Illinois
2025, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Award, Nominee
Indiana
2023, Indiana Reads Aloud List, Selection
Louisiana
2023-2024, Louisiana Reader’s Choice, Selection
Oklahoma
2023, OLA Sequoyah Book Award Masterlist, Nominee
Rhode Island
2024, Rhode Island Middle School Book Award, Selection
Washington
2023-2024, Sasquatch Book Award, Selection