Katya Balen read English at university and then completed an MPhil researching the impact of stories on autistic children's behaviour. She has worked in a variety of special-needs schools and is the co-founder of Mainspring Arts - a not-for-profit organisation that provides creative opportunities for neurodivergent adults.

Laura Carlin is an illustrator and ceramicist based in London. She has won numerous awards for her children's books, including a BolognaRagazzi Award and a V&A Book Illustration Award. Her favourite things to draw are dogs and sad people.

We are her world and her universe and her space and her stars and her sky and her galaxy and her cosmos too

Frank is ten. He likes cottage pie and football and cracking codes. Max is five. He eats only Quavers and some colours are too bright for him and if he has to wear a new T-shirt he melts down down down.

Sometimes Frank wishes Mum could still do huge paintings of stars and asteroids like she used to, but since Max was born she just doesn't have time.

When tragedy hits Frank and Max's lives like a comet, can Frank piece together a universe in which he and Max aren't light years apart?

This jaw-dropping, heartbreaking and hopeful novel from debut author Katya Balen will remind you we are all made of stardust. For fans of thought-provoking, moving middle grade from Wonder to Skellig

This sensitive, heartbreaking story boasts a wonderful narrative voice and secret codes that add another layer of intrigue

The struggles of those with autism and those who love them in a book with an achingly huggable main character

A brave and beautiful book with a big heart. I loved it.

This is a moving, absorbing novel about a pair of brothers - one is autistic, one is not, and I came to love both of them

What Balen captures in Frank's voice is the authentic experience of being ten and facing up to all the difficulties that brings. His story, and that of his family, will live long in the hearts and minds of its readers

Invigorating, enlightening and exciting are the only words that describe the opening chapters of The Space We're In, as 10-year-old wild boy Frank and his (yep, you guessed it) autistic brother, Max, prepare for their first day back to school

A truly extraordinary book ... It packs a pretty powerful punch but is a beautifully written and ultimately uplifting story with stunning artwork. Warning: you will need tissues

Laura Carlin's monochrome illustrations combine artistic skill with a childlike element that complements the text

Stunningly beautiful, I cried and smiled my way through this book in turns [.] Katya Balen has captured the sense of wanting to be grown up, but still being a child perfectly.