Mia, a 12-year-old White girl, struggles to fit in at school.

13, 2022 Middle schooler Mia is autisticand a secret viral pop sensation. Cover for Rebecca Burgess Speak Up (Paperback Book) (2022). SPEAK UP by Rebecca Burgess illustrated by Rebecca Burgess RELEASE DATE: Sept. The artwork really pops, with expressive illustrations that spill over the panels and colors that brighten the page. Brave, witty and empowering, this graphic memoir follows Rebecca as they navigate their. The opportunity to go live at a local talent show is in Mia and Charlie’s reach, but will Mia’s fear of being in the spotlight get in the way? While there is a lot going on in this story, it all comes together in a heartwarming conclusion. They don’t know that Elle-Q is really Mia, singing her lyrics to music Charlie has written for them. Meanwhile, Laura and the other mean girls are all super excited about music videos from Elle-Q, an anonymous singer whose songs are going viral online. Even so, children in school make fun of her. Her mother urges her to suppress particular behaviors, including stimming, in public. Growing up, Rebecca assumes sex is just a scary new thing they will grow into as they get older, but when they leave school, start working and do grow up. Mia is also autistic, and sometimes fitting in is difficult. She likes to write poems and song lyrics, and her best friend, Charlie, shares her interests.

She'll have to decide whether she'll let her worries about what other people think get in the way of not only her friendship with Charlie, but also showing everyone, including the bullies, who she is and what she has to say.Gr 4-8–Mia learns how to speak up and allow her true self to emerge in this warm coming-of-age graphic novel. Together, they've taken the internet by storm little do Mia's classmates know that she's the viral singer Elle-Q! But while the chance to perform live for a local talent show has Charlie excited, Mia isn't so sure.

While she wishes she could stand up to her bullies, she's always been able to express her feelings through singing and songwriting, even more so with her best friend, Charlie, who is nonbinary, putting together the best beats for her. Twelve-year-old Mia is just trying to navigate a world that doesn't understand her true autistic self. For fans of Click and Brave, this touching coming-of-age middle grade graphic novel debut follows an autistic girl who finds friendship where she least expects it and learns to express her true self in a world where everyone defines her by her differences.

Speak up by rebecca burgess