Can You See Me?

Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott have written a warm, honest story for 11 year olds about an autistic girl starting at a big new school, and it's called Can You See Me?

What happens

Tally is eleven. She's funny and clever and fiercely loyal. She can juggle, she can play a song straight back after hearing it once, and she went to circus school over the summer. She's also autistic, and starting at Kingswood Academy is the scariest thing she can imagine. (This edition uses American words, so it's sixth grade and Mom, but it's the same big move up.)

Her new school shoes hurt. The noise in the yard is like a pack of hyenas. Her friends from primary have started telling her to stop being embarrassing. And when the homeroom groups are read out, Tally's the one left on her own.

What makes it special is that you see both sides. The story follows Tally through her days, and in between there are pages from her own diary, each with an anxiety rating at the top. What everyone else sees and what's going on inside Tally are often VERY different things.

One scene says it all. Her big sister Nell promises they'll go for ice cream "in a couple of minutes". Tally watches the clock. When two minutes are up and Nell's still reading, everything falls apart. It's such a clear window into why words need to mean exactly what they say.

Then there's the tiger mask. Tally wears it when the world gets too much, because behind it nobody expects eye contact or a smile. It's a small detail that will stay with you.

Some of it is tough to read. There are meltdowns, a boy who used to call her names, and friends who don't always get it. But Tally's family love her fiercely and it really shows, even on the hard days.

For an autistic reader it could be a real "that's me" book. For everyone else it's a brilliant way to understand a friend or classmate a little better.

What to read next

Tally fans can also try Ways to Be Me, which finds her at ten, starting with her own All About Me page and a family dinner of Granny Lola's chilli that goes very wrong.