Keedie by Elle McNicoll - Review

I've never read anything by Elle McNicoll before, but I know of her books and I know that she writes a lot of autistic characters, which is interesting for me as I'm autistic myself. I started to watch the TV show of A Kind of Spark and really need to start it again and finish it, actually. So I know who Keedie is - she's the elder sister of Addie who stars in A Kind of Spark. I liked her in the TV show a lot; she reminded me of myself. So I added this book to my wishlist and I got sent it recently and picked it up soon afterwards. I loved it so much that I've now bought A Kind of Spark and want to read it soon, and you can count me in the fan club. 

So yes this book is about Keedie. She's thirteen and she's got a twin, Nina. The two used to be close but since they turned thirteen Keedie feels like Nina has gone to a different planet. All she cares about is boys and make up and stuff. Keedie feels a chasm growing between them. Nina is neurotypical and Keedie is autistic and that does explain some of the gap between them, but not all. 

Keedie also has a huge sense of justice - common in autistic people - and she metes out some justice of her own against a bully. Someone asks her to do the same for their bully, and Keedie realises she can make money out of bullying the bullies. I loved this about her and felt for her a lot. 

Addie is only six in this book and she hasn't been diagnosed as autistic yet, but she totally is. Keedie buys her a book about sharks which goes down really well with Addie. I loved the relationship between the two of them and how it blossomed throughout the book. 

I really liked this, obviously, and I'm giving it four out of five. I'll get to the next book soon!