Windlesham House School

Although Thunderboots was inspired by my own experiences of dyslexia (‘Thunderboots’ was my Grandpa’s nickname for me as a child), Trixie’s experiences in the story won’t be the same as that of the rest of the estimated 10% of the population who are also dyslexic - like any neurodivergent condition, everyone experiences it differently. Hopefully what Thunderboots does is normalise neurodiversity and allow teachers, parents and readers to discuss it. Despite so many people being dyslexic, there are very few books that feature dyslexic characters. My editors at Oxford Children’s Press consulted the British Dyslexia Association during the editing process to ensure Thunderboots sensitively and accurately represents a child’s experience of dyslexia. The illustrator, Rebecca Ashdown, also has a husband and daughter who are dyslexic and I think her personal experiences really helped bring Trixie to life.

During events, I always make a point of mentioning that I’m dyslexic because I think it’s important for children to realise authors can be, just like I think it’s important for them to read books about characters who think differently. The stories we read should reflect the world around us and celebrate the ways in which we’re all different, as well as the same.

NAOMI JONES Author www.naomiandjamesjones.com