Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers on October 25, 2022
ISBN: 0593562992
Pages: 304
Genres: Psychological thriller, Realistic Fiction, Suspense
Format: Fiction
Goodreads

Twelve year-old Cora is neurodivergent  and feels isolated from most people, especially after losing her mother to an illness. She meets and immediately becomes best friends with Adrien who has ADHD. Adrien’s father works as a CEO for a company called The Pomegranate Institute which is creating a virtual program that will allow grieving people to visit holograms of their lost loved ones. Cora is taken with the project, and in particular, the scientist developing it, Dr. Gold. It takes a tragedy for Cora to find out why Adrien is so apprehensive about it.

This book is terrific and has wide appeal. Elle McNicoll is neurodivergent and has created a novel in which neurodivergent readers will feel represented and neurotypical readers will develop further understanding of neurodiversity. All readers will be wrapped up in the tense unraveling of the clandestine AI eugenics being performed at Pomegranate. Recommended for middle grades but could also be enjoyed by older readers.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath