The Very Secret Diary of Jesse Jones

Jesse, a keen but secret skateboarder, has to endure being 'different' as an autistic non-binary child and is having to deal with bullying, death of their dad, birth of a baby sister plus 'familial' abuse. Jesse's story relates to their early and middle years of childhood and will appeal to autistic or otherwise neurodivergent and typical children, between the ages of 13-16. Jesse is trying to work out what being comfortable or not, feels like; how to discern 'true' friendship; how to separate 'appropriate' from 'inappropriate' and how to connect school expectations on their work, when it isn't interesting. Jesse is also occupied with the need to protect their baby sister from the familial abuse they experience, but without upsetting the adults in their life. All of these daily experiences are complicated by Jesse's autism. Jesse has written down much of their mindful debates in their diary, which forms the book along with Elizabeth Talbot's beautiful and brilliant illustrations, that depict Jesse's drawings, also from their diary. The book is written by an autistic author and is broadly based on their own life experience, although dramatized and written in non-graphic detail of the abuse but rather hints to recognising and being able to tell and get support.