The Book
Autistic author celebrates neurodiversity in a MG book that explores time travel, magic and stepping into your own power.
Naturally Nic/k
Nic loves to perform magic tricks, but after the girls at school made fun of her, she hid her passion, thinking she’d never be good enough.
When Nic's class goes on a school trip to the Thames Tunnel to celebrate its famous Fancy Fair, she sees her two bullies vanish. Curious to find out what happened, she steps through a mysterious alcove and finds herself at the original Fancy Fair—over one hundred and fifty years in the past!
Meanwhile, Nikolai’s life isn’t going so well. Another magician has taken his dad’s spot to perform, and his brother, Amos, has gone missing. With rumours of kidnapped children spreading through town, Nikolai is worried. Then, out of nowhere, a mysterious girl appears, claiming she’s from the future—and says that two of her classmates have disappeared.
To solve the mystery, Nic and Nikolai must work together. But can a neurodivergent girl from the present, a magic-student failure, really help a boy who’s a master at designing tricks and picking locks? Nic isn’t so sure, but she knows she has to try!
The Author
Kathryn Rossati is an author of YA and children’s books, as well as a poet. She is neurodivergent and has hypermobility spectrum disorder. Her favourite hobbies include country walks (despite her achy limbs and misbehaving joints), tai chi, painting, and anything related to The Legend of Zeldagames. She lives on the Isle of Wight and is often found daydreaming or receiving “constructive” criticism from her boisterous parrot and chatterbox budgie.
How The Book Came About
On wanting to celebrate more diverse characters, Kathryn explains: “A few years ago, I was talking to my husband (we weren’t a couple then, but very good friends), and he was telling me about his interest in magic and cardistry, and it inspired a shy character who wanted to perform magic but wasn’t yet confident enough.
Initially, though I knew that Nic was autistic and did show some of her traits, I didn’t outright say it in the first draft because I wasn’t sure what readers would think – I’d not long been diagnosed myself and was in burnout with related mental health issues, and I was very conscious of the fact that I was deep diving into everything autism related in order to understand and accept myself more. I think I was worried about making an issue of Nic’s neurodivergence rather than showing it’s just how she is.
However, after reading Elle McNicoll’s A Kind Of Spark, which holds nothing back and deliberately states that the main character is autistic, I felt more confident in my own writing and had Nic show more of her autistic traits. As I unmasked in my personal life, Nic unmasked her traits alongside me. I loved writing her chapters, and writing Nikolai’s parts was an absolute blast. I think they make a great team, and I can’t wait to share them with the world.”
RELEASE DATE: 28/02/2025 ISBN: 9781835741351 Price: £8.99
Tagged in Autism Book releases