Elle McNicoll is a neurodivergent children’s author from Scotland who is passionate about disability rights and representation talks to Andy Stewart of Wigtown Book Festival. She was inspired to write her beautifully told debut A Kind of Spark after her research revealed that only 0.05 per cent of protagonists in children’s books are neurodivergent. Her protagonist, Addie, is an autistic 11-year-old who lives in a small Scottish village and is inspired to campaign for a memorial to the real-life ‘witches’ tried and executed in the area because they were seen as ‘different’. Elle talks about her experiences growing up and invites us to create our own characters and stories based on our own experiences and lives.

Watch the video on the Reading is Magic Festival website