The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Neurodiversity

Feeling Like an ADHD Alien: A Graphic Novel by Pina Varnel

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Feeling Like an ADHD Alien: A Graphic Novel by Pina Varnel
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Buy from your local indie.

I have read so many books on ADHD, and this sweet graphic novel absolutely made me feel more seen than any of them. This so perfectly depicts what it is like to be INSIDE of the ADHD experience and how alienating it feels to not know why everyone around you seems so much more capable. Capable of things everyone expects to be automated levels of easy. Honestly, every single person who loves a person with ADHD needs to read this. And to my fellow ADHDers, I hope this helps heal your inner child. It’s truly perfect.

Feeling Like an ADHD Alien: A Graphic Novel by Pina Varnel, (List Price: $17.99, Rocky Pond Books, 9780593325568, September 2026)

Reviewed by Jenny, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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This Moth Saw Brightness by A. A. Vacharat

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This Moth Saw Brightness by A. A. Vacharat
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Get the audiobook

This wild ride of a YA novel follows (D)Wayne, a high school student invited as a participant in a bizarre experiment that may or may not be part of an undercover government plot. Sort of a Mysterious Benedict Society meets the Tuskegee experiment, this quirky tale tosses together a mix of family dynamics, neurodivergent challenges, and teen drama with some Andrew Smith-ish humor thrown in for spice. I couldn’t put this one down.

This Moth Saw Brightness by A. A. Vacharat, (List Price: $20.99, Dutton Books for Young Readers, 9780593698600, May 2025)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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All About Brains by Lake Bell

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All About Brains by Lake Bell
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Buy from your local indie.

This is another of what we call “conversation starters” in our bookstore. It’s a great entry point for kids — and their grown-ups, too — to learn about differences. Each portrait of a child is explained in facts and straight language, making what could be sensitive topics into approachable conversations. I love how this book normalizes difference and helps give kids (and adults) language to use and grow in their own understanding.

All About Brains by Lake Bell, (List Price: $19.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665906753, April 2025)

Reviewed by Jamie Southern, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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