Opening Lines From Disability-Inclusive Books
Some books have the power to grab you from their first sentence, and these eleven YA books are no exception. Check out each of their opening lines, as well as the disability representation they provide, and get ready to find your next favorite book from our fourth INCLUDAS Book Party event!
This is not a sponsored post nor are we endorsing any of the books or authors. Please use your own judgement when considering reading a particular book for yourself.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Genre: YA Fantasy
Disability Representation: ADHD
Other Representation: Latine, gay, and trans protagonists
“Yadriel wasn’t technically trespassing because he’d lived in the cemetery his whole life.”
The First Thing About You by Chaz Hayden
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Disability Representation: Spinal muscular dystrophy
“The day before I moved to New Jersey, I told my only friend that I was okay with never seeing him again.”
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Genre: YA Mystery
Disability Representation: Anxiety
“You know I can’t let you leave….”
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Genre: YA Mystery
Disability Representation: Chronic pain
Other Representation: Indigenous and biracial protagonists
“I am a frozen statue of a girl in the woods.”
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
Genre: YA Romance
Disability Representation: HIV+
Other Representation: Black, bisexual protagonists
“As much as I’ve tried to convince him otherwise, my father still thinks he needs to accompany me to my first gynecologist appointment.”
Unravel by Amelia Loken
Genre: YA Fantasy
Representation: Deafness
“My thumbs prick with temptation, the yearning to thread my magic into the muslin cloth almost irresistible.”
The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Disability Representation: OCD
Other Representation: Malaysian protagonists
“By the time school ends on Tuesday, my mother has died seventeen times.”
A Dark and Starless Forest by Sarah Hollowell
Genre: YA Fantasy
Disability Representation: Anxiety, depression, deafness
Other Representation: Queer protagonists
“The snowdrops in the gardening book are mocking me.”
The Art of Insanity by Christine Webb
Genre: YA Contemporary
Disability Representation: Bipolar disorder
“The car accident this summer wasn’t an accident.”
Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore
Genre: YA Magical-Realism Romance
Disability Representation: ADHD, dyslexia
Other Representation: Latine, nonbinary protagonists
“No one believed it when I said I’d seen the world under the lake.”
Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens edited by Marieke Nijkamp
Genre: YA Short Story Anthology
Disability Representation: Disabled stories
Other Representation: Queer protagonists of color
“There it is—do you hear it?”
Which of these opening lines immediately grabbed you? Are there any opening lines of other disability-inclusive books that you would recommend? Please share in the comments, and happy reading!
