A MILLION MILES FROM EVERYDAY

SPEAK UP!

by Rebecca Burgess HARPER COLLINS, £9.99

Part of the Harper360 programme, this debut graphic novel by Rebecca Burgess centres on Mia, trying to make her way through a world that doesn't understand her autistic self. While she wishes she could speak up, singing and songwriting is where she finds her true voice as Elle-Q! Assisted by her best friend Charlie, she has become a viral sensation, but no one knows Elle-Q!'s real identity, so should Mia blow her cover and enter the local talent show? Rebecca Burgess is herself autistic and her brilliantly drawn story with a heroine you can get behind also explodes a few stereotypes.