Everything But Typical: Influential Neurodivergent People Who Have Shaped the World

Gr 4-6–Weston creates an inspiring collection that celebrates finding one’s own path. The people featured in this collection range widely in age, roles, backgrounds, and types of neurodiversity. Young people will likely recognize several names including Simone Biles, Billie Eilish, and Dav Pilkey and be interested in less-familiar names as well. The ages of those featured range from those born in 1942 through 2003; the majority was born in the 1990s. They are athletes, pop culture icons, writers, and more. The book is mostly representative of people with autism, ADHD/ADD, and dyslexia/dyscalculia, but there is inclusion of Tourette’s syndrome, synesthesia, bipolar disorder, and others. Each biography starts with a full-page black-and-white portrait by Cruickshank in a style representative of the featured person, followed by a few pages of text broken down with several bold headings. The font is accessible in a clear sans serif style. The text also features “You Want to Know” informational boxes with context about neurodiversity. This title explores neurodiversity in an inspiring light, showing neurodivergent readers that they can create their own versions of success. All readers will find this an engaging and joyful, accessible text.