All the Pieces of Me

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Rebecca Westcott and Libby Scott

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 9 to 11

Published by Scholastic, 2022

Chapter books
Coming-of-age
Autistic spectrum conditions
Disability

About this book

‘Home is like being alone in your own pack of lions. You don’t always get along with them, but you know you belong with them. Being in school is like being thrown in with the whole zoo.’

For 14 year old Tally, starting Year 9 is not proving easy. Attempting to maintain friendships is exhausting, understanding teachers’ expectations is challenging and making sense of all the spoken and unspoken rules of school life is quite simply a nightmare. Plus, being on the autistic spectrum, she finds the combination of shouting, canteen smells, floor polish and fluorescent strip lighting a painful onslaught on her senses. Then, to top it all, best friend Layla announces that she’s moving to the States, leaving a lonely Tally with some tough decisions to make on the friendship front. It appears that there can sometimes be a hefty price tag attached to being accepted in a group - the question is whether it’s one Tally is prepared to pay.

This is an unreservedly readable and universally relatable picture of school life. With a wholly authentic voice, further enhanced by the many intermittent journal entries and ‘news reports’ from Libby Scott (herself an autistic teenager), this is the fourth book created by the impressive Scott-Westcott team. Thoughtful, funny, touching and convincing, this is a book about loyalty, family, friendship, making difficult choices and finding your voice. It also subtly shares some powerful (but never preachy) messages about neurodiversity, the good and bad facets of social media and learning that ‘not-good friends’ are not really ‘friends’ at all.

About the author

Rebecca Westcott was born in Chester. She went to Exeter University to train as a teacher and has had a variety of teaching jobs that have taken her to some very interesting places, including a Category C male prison. She started writing a diary when she was eight years old, although she had no idea that one day her entries would be used to help her write a book. Rebecca currently teaches in a primary school and lives in Dorset with her husband and three children. Dandelion Clocks is her first book.

About the author

Libby Scott loves hot chocolate, Little Mix and her dog Louie. She is also autistic, and after her mum Kym shared a piece of Libby’s writing online, Libby and her writing went viral. She lives in Kent with her family. Her mum is an early years consultant, trainer and conference speaker who previously worked for the London Borough of Lewisham as a School Improvement Advisor for Early Years and a Strategic Lead for Early Years.