What are the best books for children who feel 'weird' or different?

No matter who they are, it’s not uncommon for children to feel weird or like an outcast at school. The Book Doctor recommends some fantastic, offbeat characters guaranteed to make a child feel great about being unique

• Julia Eccleshare - theguardian.com, Monday 4 August 2014 

The right book or character can instantly turn around a child’s self-esteem Photograph: Catalin Petolea/Alamy

My niece is seven years old, and recently on holidays she asked me if I thought she was weird as someone in school had said that to her, and she didn’t know why. Could you recommend any books that would help her understand that even if she is different, that this is not a bad thing? I hate the thought of her dwelling on these words, as apparently this happened a good while ago and she was still worried about it.

School conformity has a lot to answer for! Most people can remember unhappy times when they didn’t belong to whatever group was then the most popular, sporty or fashionable. As with your niece, peer pressure may have made them feel weird and there may not seem to be an alternative way of being.

Feeling an outsider is a very common theme in children’s books. It may be for external reasons, such as having recently moved, changed schools or because their family is different in some way. Jacqueline Wilson explores how girls cope with being different because of the unusual things about their families in books such as The Bed and Breakfast Star and, for older readers, The Illustrated Mum.

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