LIBBY: To All the Boys I Loved Before is my number one favourite. Also, Wonder and What Every Autistic Girl Wishes Her Parents Knew! What is your biggest dream for the future?

Something is different about sixth grade, and Tally now feels like she has to act “normal.” But as Tally hides her true self, she starts to wonder what “normal” means after all and whether fitting in is really what matters most.LIBBY: I’ve learnt that everyone experiences autism differently, so not to speak for other people, just to share my own voice in the hope it will help others. Tally knows she’s different: she’s autistic, meaning she sees and feels everything differently to her friends and family. Now, as she enters this new stage in her life, she is painfully aware of the way she is perceived and feeling an almost unbearable pressure to try to fit in. But what exactly are the rules for being “normal”? LIBBY: I hope they learn that autism is not an illness, it is just a different way of seeing the world. It’s not without its problems, but often those problems can be easily sorted if others make small changes to fit around us a little more. LIBBY: Whenever you are going through stressful times, don’t bottle it up but tell those who are close to you. You’ll be surprised how much it honestly does help. Autism affects people in different ways. Does it help you understand your own – and other autistic people’s – behaviour?

LIBBY: Well, because there’s a lot of similarities between me and Tally it wasn’t hard. I just wrote what I know and I feel. Sometimes I forgot I was writing as Tally and I just wrote as me! LIBBY: My Mum (she made me say that!) Really strong females inspire me, like Taylor Swift, Little Mix, Rebel Wilson, and of course, Greta Thunberg. Tally’s story feels so authentic because the book was co-authored by Libby Scott, a 12-year-old autistic writer who channeled her own experiences into the story. We had the chance to chat with Libby about discovering her passion for writing, her biggest dream, and how she used her life as inspiration for Can You See Me? Libby Scott Chats About Her New Novel, Can You See Me?: Tell us a little about Can You See Me? and what readers can expect from the story. LIBBY SCOTT: Well, it’s the story of a girl called Tally, who is fictional but kind of based on me. She’s having a hard time settling in at her new school, which she finds extra hard because she is autistic and trying to hide it. But she shares her true feelings in her diary entries, which I wrote myself. Readers can expect to feel mixed emotions. People have said they laughed and cried their way through the book.Now that I have that label it actually helps me with finding solutions to my problems. I can spot and connect well with people with ADHD and autism – it’s like a special gang that I wasn’t a part of before. Inspired by young coauthor Libby Scott’s own experiences with autism, this is an honest and moving middle-school story of friends, family, and finding one’s place.

I would 100 per cent go for it, it will always be better in the long run to know who you are. If I didn’t have my diagnosis I wouldn’t be where I am now. It’s always the better option to look into it as much as you can at a young age. What would you want other autistic kids – who may or may not have an official diagnosis – to know about what you’ve learned? Tally isn’t ashamed of being autistic — even if it complicates life sometimes, it’s part of who she is. But this is her first year at Kingswood Academy, and her best friend, Layla, is the only one who knows. And while a lot of other people are uncomfortable around Tally, Layla has never been one of them . . . until now. Tally’s story is somewhat inspired by your own! How did you use your personal experiences with autism to give Tally’s diary entries an authentic voice? Written in collaboration with young blogger Libby, who is herself autistic, this is a powerful and highly relatable story about fitting in and being yourself. Tally's diary entries give an authentic insight into one girl's perspective of being autistic, and smashing a host of common assumptions and stereotypes about autism as we see Tally’s potent sense of humour and her deep empathy. Most powerful of all is Tally’s ultimate realisation that autism is not something that needs to be hidden.

What would you want other parents to know if they are concerned about their child and wondering if they should take them to a doctor?