A History Of My Weird

Maureen, known as Mo, Prendergast is an eleven-year-old gymnast who is autistic. She is struggling with her body changing shape due to puberty and there are some direct references to pubic hair and periods which are unusual in middle grade fiction but welcome.

At her new school, Mo meets Carys Melling who prefers to be called Onyx and identifies as non-binary. Carys’s mum is accepting of their choice but because she, herself, is suffering emotional abuse from her husband, she feels she must abide by his wishes and he is hostile to Carys’s choice.

Both Onyx and Mo are lonely and frightened by all the change they are experiencing. They become increasingly aware of their separate differences and the inherent problems. Meanwhile, Denham, the local, former asylum, becomes the focus of their shared interest as they wonder about the lives of the outsiders who were interned there in the past.

What new experiences will this interest bring and will Onyx and Mo ever feel comfortable in the school community?

This book is packed with issues very sensitively handled. It also, as is rare in middle grade, looks at the role of adults in being prejudiced against children’s differences. Any child who has ever felt alone or different in some way, will feel validated by Heuch’s narrative.