Brainbow (a Graphic Novel) - by Maya Henderson (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A sixth grader discovers she has synesthesia in this middle grade graphic novel about rumors, friendship, and the power of new (and colorful!) perspectives. Perfect for fans of Allergic.

Most kids have five senses. Rosie has six.

Eleven-year-old Rosie can sense colors--and she thought everyone else could, too. After the first meeting of her middle school's math league ends in confusion, Rosie wonders why nobody seems to know that every letter, number, and song has a special hue of their own. While her best friend Harper is too busy impressing the cool kids to care, Rosie befriends Yara, a lonely classmate who informs her that this condition has a name--synesthesia! But when Rosie's secret gets out, rumors start to spread. The math league's first tournament is only a few weeks away, and no one trusts the girl with "brain colors" anymore.

With difficult friendships and a competitive academic club to navigate, can Rosie find the courage to embrace her unique gift after all?

Review Quotes

* "Middle grade readers will be absorbed by the social stories layered throughout....An excellent, modern contribution to the small but mighty world of middle grade literature about synesthesia and other lesser-explored forms of neurodivergence."--School Library Journal, starred review

"Equal servings of friend drama and neurodiverse representation make for a satisfying whole."--Kirkus

About the Author

Maya Henderson is a debut author-illustrator who received a BFA in Illustration with a minor in sequential arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Her work has been featured in The New Yorker Magazine online edition, and she has interned with HarperCollins Children's Design Department. While she primarily works digitally, Maya also enjoys using analog media such as pens, pencils, and highlighters to draw diary comics based on funny, everyday experiences. Maya lives, writes, and draws from her home in rural New York.