I'm a mutant but not a turtle

Ninja maybe.

There used to be a dearth of books featuring black, Asian or disabled young people. In my growing-up years everyone in books was white, middle class and - unless the father had tragically died - with two parents. 

Fortunately today's books for children and young people are much more diverse. In fact there can't be many children who can grumble, "Why isn't there anyone like me in books?"

I don't think I ever thought about it when I was little so when I did come across a book with a character like me in it I was surprised - and it wasn't entirely a good surprise.

The book was The Chrysalids by John Wyndham and the character was named Sophie. The thing that was special about her - and me - was that she had six toes. 

In this post-apocalyptic novel, the survivors believe that in order to prevent another God-sent Tribulation they must practise eugenics. Humans with even minor mutations are considered blasphemies and are either killed, sterilised or banished to the Fringes, a lawless area outside the bounds of normal society.

So I finally find myself in a novel and I'm a mutant.

I read a lot of John Wyndham in my teenage years, and I've just ordered The Chrysalids from the library so I can read it again - now I come to think of it it might be on my bookshelf somewhere . . . well, what do you know? There it is on the top shelf, amongst the cobwebs, next to my Barbara Pyms.

I remember when I read my first Barbara Pym, probably in my twenties, and my delight when I discovered there were a whole lot more I could read. Delight was quickly followed by disappointment when I found out she was dead, meaning it wasn't an unlimited number.