Some days, Lauren feels slow and slimy. Everybody yells at her. She has no friends. Those are slug days. But on butterfly days, the world is full of good things.

Lauren has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and sees the world differently than other people. She has a collection of strategies to help her stay calm in stressful moments and adults have created systems to keep everyone around her safe and calm as well. Sometimes, these systems feel limiting for Lauren, especially when the adults don’t understand what she is really thinking. Other kids don’t seem to understand Lauren either, no matter how much effort she puts into interacting with them. Slug days are exhausting, and Lauren would love to have a friend who understands her. With a friend, even a slug day can turn into a butterfly day.

Slug Days acts as a window into the lived experience of someone with autism. Students who do not have ASD can develop their understanding of how the world looks and feels for Lauren. Students who are neurodivergent may feel seen and understood as they read about Lauren’s experiences at school and at home. For these students, this book can serve as a mirror.

Lauren is a protagonist that young readers will find reasonable, relatable and funny. Students will see truth in her honest interpretations of teachers’ and adults’ actions and teachers will be humbled by and find humour in Lauren’s candid evaluations.

While Slug Days looks and reads like a chapter book, the charming black-and-white illustrations allow for less text on the page and may help some readers follow the story more easily.

The book is most suitable for upper Primary and lower Junior grade learners, though other students can enjoy it as well, depending on reading ability and mode of delivery. Using the book, students can practise the perspective-taking component of the Language Arts curriculum. Through writing or speech, students can examine the scenarios in the story from the perspectives of different characters.

Jessica Ho is a member Ottawa Carleton Occasional Teacher Local.