Book Review :: Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt

Good Different is a stunning novel-in-verse narrated by Selah, a 13-year-old girl struggling to act normal amidst an onslaught of feelings (as all 13-year-olds are, but they do not know that).

The metaphor of the dragon carried throughout the book works on several levels: to embody Selah’s emotional state, as one struggles inside her; as a strike against social norms, as seen in her rule set (“Don’t talk about dragons too much”); and as a symbol of difference that’s powerful and cool.

A turning point in the story comes when Selah attends a Fantasy Convention where she encounters others embracing dragon art, dragon lure, and living life on the autism spectrum. Selah goes online and finds much to learn about herself and others, tools to assist with the impinging world, and a brave new word: accommodations. The scene with her school hallway lined with poetry brought me to tears.

Empathy can be taught, and in showing (not telling) how different can be awesome, this book is a welcome lesson. There should be a copy of this book in all middle/elementary school classrooms and libraries. As Selah says:

I am full
of possibilities—
I can do more
than just hide

Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt. Scholastic Press, April 2023.

Reviewer bio: Elizabeth S. Wolf has published five books of poetry, most recently, I Am From: Voices from the Mako House in Ghana (2023). Her chapbook Did You Know? was a 2018 Rattle prizewinner. Elizabeth’s poetry appears in multiple journals and anthologies and has received several Pushcart nominations.