Summer Reading List for Kids and Teens: Inclusive Books About Disability and Representation
Summer is the perfect season to dive into stories that celebrate the richness of our communities and expand how we understand the world around us. This curated list invites you to explore inclusive books that highlight disability awareness through authentic, positive representation. To make it easy to navigate, titles are organized by reading level, with a dedicated French-language section at the end.
Picture Books
The Man In Motion by Lorna Schultz Nicholson with Rick Hansen
Follow Rick Hansen on his incredible journey around the world, travelling over 40,000 kilometres in his wheelchair. Along the way, he overcomes challenges and raises awareness about the potential of people with disabilities, showing how determination and courage can inspire real change.
Learn more: https://shop.owlkids.com/products/the-man-in-motion
My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete
A story about twins, Callie and Charlie. Charlie has autism and experiences the world differently. Through their sibling relationship, readers gain a deeper understanding of autism and the importance of acceptance.
Learn more: https://www.amazon.ca/Brother-Charlie-Ryan-Elizabeth-Peete/dp/0545094666
Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis
Susan enjoys laughing, playing, riding a horse, and spending time with friends. Only at the end of the book do readers discover that Susan uses a wheelchair. This is a great book because it highlights what Susan can do rather than what makes her different. It challenges stereotypes about disability by showing that children with disabilities enjoy many of the same activities as their peers.
Learn more: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780805065015/susanlaughs/
My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay by Cari Best
Zulay is a blind student who runs a race with the help of her teacher and friends. She also learns to use her cane with confidence after initially struggling with it. Readers gain a deeper understanding of how mobility tools support independence.
Learn more: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374388195/mythreebestfriendsandmezulay/
We Move Together by Anne McGuire and Kelly Fritsch
A picture book that celebrates the many ways people move and communicate. The book highlights children and adults with various disabilities working together to create spaces where everyone belongs. It illustrates disability as a natural part of human diversity.
Learn more: https://www.akpress.org/we-move-together-ebook.html
Middle Grade
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Catherine longs for a normal life in a family shaped by her brother’s autism diagnosis. After she befriends Kristi and Jason, a boy who is paraplegic and uses a communication board, she begins to question what “normal” really means.
Learn more: https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/books/rules-9780439443838.html
El Deafo by Cece Bell
El Deafo follows Cece as she adjusts to life after losing her hearing and discovers confidence through her imagined superhero identity, El Deafo, all while navigating friendships and school. The representation is meaningful because it shows a deaf protagonist whose challenges and strengths are portrayed with honesty, humour, and empowerment, helping to normalize hearing differences and celebrate self-advocacy.
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/El-Deafo-Cece-Bell/dp/1419712179
Roll With It by Jamie Sumner
A girl with cerebral palsy moves to a small town to help care for her grandfather and must adjust to a new school. Despite the challenges she faces, Ellie remains determined to become a professional baker. This wonderful book highlights the barriers people with disabilities may encounter while also showing perseverance in pursuing their goals.
Learn more: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Roll-with-It/Jamie-Sumner/Roll-with-It/9781534442566
Honestly Elliott by Gillian McDunn
Elliot has ADHD and struggles with anxiety as he navigates friendships and family challenges. Over time, he learns how to cope with his worries and build confidence in himself. This is a thoughtful book that highlights his resilience rather than letting his anxiety define him.
Learn more: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/honestly-elliott-9781547606252/
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Melody has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak or move independently, but she has an exceptionally sharp mind and rich inner life. When she gains access to new communication technology, she finally has a way to express herself. However, not everyone is ready to listen or believe what she has to say.
Young Adults
Gallant by V.E. Schwab
A gothic fantasy about Olivia, an orphaned girl who leaves school to live at her family’s mysterious estate, which is filled with supernatural secrets. She soon uncovers a dark mirror realm and must choose between joining the dead or protecting the living. Olivia is nonverbal and communicates primarily through sign language, and her communication is integrated into the narrative as a positive form of representation.
Learn more: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/gallant-v-e-schwab?variant=39741029744674
A Game Most Foul by Alison Gervais
A teen writer searches for a missing classmate while also dealing with two detectives who claim to have travelled through time. Although she has hearing loss, her observational skills become one of her greatest strengths.
Learn more: https://www.harpercollinsfocus.com/9780310159230/a-game-most-foul/
She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Laureth Peak was always taught by her father to notice patterns, events, and numbers. When he suddenly goes missing, Laureth and her brother travel to New York to solve cryptic clues and find him. Using the same skills their father taught them, the siblings must spot the extraordinary to make sense of the mystery. The story portrays Laureth’s blindness realistically while also emphasizing her resourcefulness and independence.
Learn more: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250056986/sheisnotinvisible/
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish by Seiko Tanabe
Josee is mostly housebound without her wheelchair. One day, she barrels down a hill in her wheelchair and is helped by Tsuneo. After Tsuneo walks Josee home, her grandmother, who Josee lives with, offers him a job caring for Josee. Tsuneo accepts the job to help save for his dream of studying abroad. At first, Josee is not interested in becoming friends, but the two slowly begin to influence each other’s lives.
Learn more: https://yenpress.com/9781975340452/josee-the-tiger-and-the-fish-light-novel
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
After losing her leg in a bus accident, Jessica struggles to adjust to life as an amputee and fears she may never run again. With support from friends and a new perspective on disability, she begins rebuilding her confidence. The representation is hopeful and realistic, emphasizing friendship and accessibility while avoiding stereotypes of pity or helplessness.
Learn more: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/200415/the-running-dream-by-wendelin-van-draanen/9780375866289
French-Language Children’s Books
Le petit astronaute by Jean-Paul Eid
Le Petit Astronaute tells the story of a family raising their son, Tommy, who has cerebral palsy, and follows their everyday joys, challenges, and deepening bonds. The representation is powerful because it portrays disability with tenderness and realism, showing a child who is valued, loved, and fully human, while highlighting the resilience and emotional growth of the people around him.
Learn more: https://www.amazon.ca/Petit-Astronaute-Jean-Paul-Eid/dp/2897771038
Amis instantanés by Heather M. O’Connor
Amis instantanés follows Tyson, a boy who does everything “too fast,” and Suze, a new non-verbal classmate in a wheelchair. When Tyson learns to notice Suze’s cues, they form a gentle friendship that helps their classmates see different ways of communicating. The book’s representation is positive because it treats neurodiversity and disability with warmth and respect, modeling inclusion through listening, empathy, and simple actions that let every child belong.
Learn more: https://www.scholastic.ca/editions/livres/view/amis-instantans
Ma maison-tête by Vigg (Vincent Gagnon)
Ma maison-tête follows a child who imagines their head as a house filled with rooms that hold different thoughts, feelings, and memories, offering a gentle and imaginative journey through inner life. The representation is meaningful because it normalizes complex emotions, shows that every mind contains many “rooms,” and encourages readers to understand themselves with curiosity, acceptance, and creativity.
Learn more: https://editionsfonfon.com/collection/histoiresdevivre/ma-maison-tete/
La petite casserole d’Anatole by Isabelle Carrier
Anatole carries a small casserole that makes everyday tasks harder and sets him apart from others, until supportive people help him find ways to move through the world with confidence. The story offers a gentle metaphor for disability and difference, encouraging empathy, acceptance, and a focus on each child’s strengths.
Learn more: https://www.amazon.ca/-/fr/petite-casserole-dAnatole-Isabelle-Carrier/dp/2841812960
Vivre avec un handicap by Catherine Dolto and Colline Faure-Poirée
This picture book helps explain various physical, cognitive, and sensory disabilities and shows that children with disabilities navigate everyday life with courage, creativity, and resilience. It is a strong choice for building awareness and promotes empathy, understanding, and inclusion.
Learn more: https://www.gallimard-jeunesse.fr/9782075122900/vivre-avec-un-handicap.html
