Ten of the Best: Children’s Novels with Disabled Characters

‘The depiction of disabled characters in books for young readers has changed in the most fundamental way in the past century and a half,’ says Rebecca Butler. ‘In nineteenth century texts disabled characters were sometimes being justly punished for their misdeeds “in God’s school of pain” or being prepared solely for a graceful exit from life. Today, thanks to writers such as those listed below, disabled characters are presented as people who can live useful and productive lives, whatever the nature of their impairments. The change in the way disability is handled in texts is as fundamental and significant as the change in the way women were traditionally depicted.’ Here Rebecca Butler chooses her top ten children’s novels with disabled characters.

Saffy’s Angel

Hilary McKay, Hodder, 978 0 34085080 0, £5.99 pbk

In her eccentric and dysfunctional family, Saffy learns that she is an adopted child. She recollects a plaster statuette of an angel, symbolic of her lost identity. Sarah, presented initially just as ‘the girl in the wheelchair’, is determined to help Saffy rediscover her angel. Sarah becomes a living, vibrant and tenacious character who will not give up until the angel is found. 11+

A Different Life

Lois Keith, Livewire, 978 0704349469, £5.99 pbk

Libby Starling lives a perfectly ordinary teenage life, worrying about her looks and romantic dreams. She contracts a mysterious illness which leaves her paralysed below the waist. The book charts Libby’s journey and that of her family, through accurately recorded periods of rage and despondency, to the point of equilibrium. Her new identity is accepted as the basis for her different life. 13+

Out of Place

Lois Keith, Crocus, 978 0946745470, £7.99 pbk

Eva, a disabled girl in Nazi-dominated Austria is classified by the medical authorities as ‘a useless eater’, a candidate for ‘euthanasia’. Her family’s Jewish housekeeper finds her a place on a refugee ship by pretending Eva is Jewish. In London she grows up believing herself to be a Jewish girl, until the truth about her racial origins is revealed with shocking consequences. In this ironic book it is the kind people who tell lies and the cruel people who tell the truth. 13+

Sisterland

Linda Newbery, David Fickling Books, 978 0099 472827, £6.99 pbk

Newbery’s book is a striking portrayal of the impact of Alzheimer’s syndrome on an individual and her family. The story links the historical period of the Holocaust with the modern day. The link between the time periods is dramatically revealed through dementia. Racial conflict in the contemporary world evinces echoes of the Third Reich. The young sisters of the title witness history reified in their grandmother’s erratic memory. 14+

The Gift

James Riordan, Oxford, 978 0192 753601, £5.99 pbk

One twin is able-bodied, the other a wheelchair user. One twin is a gifted athlete, the other a poet. They also reveal other and more surprising skills. This book is memorable inter alia for the portrayal of a selfish and dishonest mother who exploits her children to cheat the benefit system and steal from shops, and for a rare positive portrayal of a special school. 11+

Paralysed

Sherry Ashworth, Simon & Schuster, 978 1416900948, £6.99 pbk

A teenage boy suffers a disabling accident on the rugby pitch. His girlfriend is determined to stand by him. His friend regards himself as responsible for the accident. The narrative is accurate and harrowing. 13+

Accidents of Nature

Harriet McBryde Johnson, Andersen, 978 1842707418, £5.99 pbk

Along with many other issues, this book deals with the sensitive area of disability and sexuality. A seventeen year old girl with cerebral palsy goes to summer camp. She is challenged to transform herself over the summer. It’s a painful read in parts but uplifting. 13+

Dreaming in Black and White

Reinhardt Jung, trans. Anthea Bell, Mammoth, 978 0749741570 pbk. OP but available from Amazon.

A young physically disabled boy has dreams that tell him what his life would have been in Nazi Germany. He is a candidate for the T4 programme, whereby Germany was to eradicate the disabled members of the population. While many children know of the Holocaust, few know that Hitler targeted the disabled as well as Jews, homosexuals and political opponents. 11 +

Before I Die

Jenny Downham, David Fickling Books, 978 1862304871, £6.99 pbk

This is a rite of passage book. The journey is undertaken by Tess, a young woman informed that she is terminally ill. She is far from a stereotypical victim of illness. Contrary to expectation, the book becomes a celebration of life as well as a prelude to death. 13+

Pig Heart Boy

Malorie Blackman, Corgi, 978 0552559799, £5.99 pbk

13-year-old Cameron needs a heart transplant if he is to live long enough to see his brother born. No human donor is on hand. He is given the heart of an animal. This book tells how he comes to terms with his new identity. His relationship with his over-protective mother is depicted in credible terms. 11+

Rebecca Butler writes and lectures on children’s literature.  She is currently in the fourth year of a doctorate researching how children’s literature featuring wheelchair users can be used in the field of primary education.