A History of My Weird
For ages 10+
An unforgettable, powerful and all-consuming story of two Year 7 children (one autistic, one non-binary) struggling with their first term at Secondary school, puberty, friendships, dysfunctional family life, discrimination and bullying.
By Chloë Heuch (Firefly Press, 2024)
This is a massive story. It tackles big topics for biologically born girls in particular: boobs, pubes, starting periods and starting Secondary school. These are transitions that come all at once for many, and in the case of puberty in general - for boys too! However, this is definitely and eyes wide open journey into the world of a couple of girls who in today’s society in the UK (Wales, in the case of this story) could very well be in your classroom, or living within your own household. Perhaps reading Mo, Carys and Onyx’s story or stories will touch a nerve. You most likely will feel out of your comfort zone, or something in a character’s experiences will set off unpleasant triggers - for life as it is now, or how the past could have played out differently. As a mother of a 12 year old girl, neurodivergent, there was a lot in this story that resonated with me, and our experience with her first term at her initial Secondary school (I’m sad to say). Telling her about Mo’s journey in ‘A History of My Weird’ in the sunshine over lunch together, as we like to swap updates on the books we’re currently reading (she’s hooked on the tween/YA ‘Divergent’ series), I could see that her damaging experiences akin to Mo’s were still raw even though she’s since moved to an amazing new school she loves to bits.
If you observe the slightly Beano-style front cover artwork then read the blurb on the back of the book you’ll be fooled into thinking this is a romp around a Victorian asylum by some lonely/quirky kids off on an adventure sneaking out against parent’s wishes, curious about what they might find, and that perhaps they’re a little silly, irresponsible… and can’t wait to be spooked on Halloween… Honestly? NOPE! This is a gritty, heart-breaking, raw story about blended families, domestic emotional abuse, neurodiversity/LGBTQ+ discrimination and religious/psychological cure obsession, horrific bullying of neurodivergent children within the Secondary school system by teachers and other peers, and a warts ’n’ all showcase of a Year 7 (11-12 years old) girl going through the earlier stages of puberty.
Protagonist Mo returns after the Summer break to her gymnastics club only to be snubbed by Coach for her growth spurt, no longer sparrow-like, she decides she’ll never return, this, the first of many occasions an adult lets her down. As many children do, Mo starts her new Secondary school along with some familiar faces from her out of school club and Primary school, but that’s not as comforting as you might think, as it they’re the ‘mean girls’, girls who prey like hawks on other girls who don’t confirm to their social-media ready archetype. I’d love to tell you that this is as bad as it gets… but Mo’s first experience of a Secondary school teacher is horrendous - a disagreement over shark vs megalodon facts leads Mo to be screamed at and told to GET ‘OUTSIDE NOW’!!! The saving grace is Mo being handed a note containing a drawing of the teacher being gobbled up by such finned creature… and it’s the start of a type of codependent friendship between Mo and Carys/Onyx that takes readers on an absolute rollercoaster of a ride through both their lives, culminating in an incredibly dangerous night-time expedition to a local ruined Victorian asylum leading one of them to suffer a distressing (almost life threatening) accident as a result.
It turns out then that this book is a story of two halves. Although Mo is the protagonist on paper, as it is the insight into her autistic brain, experiencing firsts through her lens - her reaction of utter disgust to puberty and anxiety about the changes her body is going through, how she navigates her homelife between Mum’s and Dad’s - both with new partners and equally (thankfully) loving, her hyper-sensitivity/empathy, her need for explanations of ‘people’ stuff. Most of all - Mo’s autistic obsessive trait leads her on this quest to find out more about how autistic people and possibly her local distant relatives were treated in the local Victorian asylum system. Mo’s sense of injustice and personal curiosity are set alight by her History teacher who introduces the topic.
Finding safety in the School’s Drama Club, Carys/Onyx and Mo are nurtured, supported by teacher Ms Latimer without whose brave interventions with other teachers harassing and bullying both children, and reporting situations to the Head teacher, otherwise goodness only knows how things might have turned out. I mentioned that there is a storyline about domestic abuse - well this is within Carys/Onyx’s household - Carys has struggled all their life with their gender, born a girl, they manage to become themselves by the end of the story thanks to the inclusive attitude of friends and good examples of inclusivity set by more senior pupils. This is a massive insight into masking, fear, and the torture that a minority of parents these days put their children through to ‘cure’ them of being queer - hence the parallel to Mo’s investigations into dark how/why/consequences of the Victorian asylum system of ‘curing’ autism or other learning disabilities.
Readers, this is incredibly serious stuff. This book is extremely powerful. What an incredible feat for author, Chloë Heuch, (neurodivergent herself) to have been able to capture not one, but two massively heart-squeezing, deeply personal life episodes, and to so mistress-fully be able to weave them seamlessly so that it’s utterly unputdownable and in my case, as the reader, left rendered unable to read another book for days while still processing!! This is all at once a book to firmly plant yourself into the sneakers of children going through many first experiences, struggling with self-expression giving themselves permission and the courage to be (and celebrate) themselves, unapologetically. It’s a scary first term of Secondary school, and it’s not much to do with Halloween. Such an urgent read for empathy and awareness. Sorely highlights the lack of teacher training and accountability in safeguarding and adapting classroom teaching methodology for neurodivergent children.
This book is for fans of: ‘Stitched Up’ by Joanne O’Connell (MacMillan, 2024) - also set in Wales, ‘Gooseberry’ by Robin Gow (Abrams, 2024), ‘Glitter Boy’ by Ian Eagleton (Scholastic, 2023), or ‘Jamie’ by LD Lapinski (Hachette, 2023)
Please note: There is child injury due to a fall, and mentions of hypodermic needles used by ‘druggies’ that are observed in the old asylum. The book is rated for readers aged 9+, but I wouldn’t recommend it for any children younger than 10+/Year 6.
Ad - uncorrected proof review copy provided by the publisher
