Focused

March 1, 2019

Gr 5-8-Seventh grader Clea doesn't know why she can't seem to get her homework done on time or why she gets distracted and fails tests. Saying things she doesn't mean is her normal, even when she wishes it wasn't. She blurts out answers at chess club, ruining a live-action game, and then exposes her best friend's family problems to everyone at school. When her parents take her to be tested for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), she is angry and anxious but also hopeful. She doesn't want to have ADHD, but she does want to feel like she has control over her actions. Clea's signs of ADHD are realistic: the little things that distract her, impulse control issues, and poor management skills. Readers with and without ADHD will relate to Clea's struggles in her school and social life as she strives to achieve the balance she needs to be successful. At times, the protagonist appears more mature and self-aware than her age. She puts her doctor's and counselor's support into place with very little parental help and quickly learns how to advocate for herself. Her explanation of her diagnosis and enumeration of its effects on her and the supports she needs sometimes takes away from the immediacy of the story and veers toward the didactic. However, the portrayal of what it can be like to live with ADHD is spot-on. Also, the message of supposed weaknesses being hidden strengths is a perennially important one. VERDICT A good addition to realistic fiction collections.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 15, 2019
Gerber, who tackled scoliosis with Braced (2017), turns her lens on a young woman with ADHD.Massachusetts seventh-grader Clea loves magic and chess, hates math, and wants to be a better friend, sister, and student. No matter how hard she tries, she struggles to finish homework and tests on time, putting her spot on the chess team in jeopardy. Meanwhile friendships hit a snag when she impulsively blurts out sensitive information her best friend and chess teammate, Red, would rather keep secret. When teachers and the school counselor suggest her struggles may be related to ADHD, Clea is resistant to diagnosis and treatment, considering it a black mark and further evidence that she is somehow broken. Through it all a friendship blooms with Sanam, another chess teammate, who encourages Clea with her own story of learning differences and her persistent optimism. Though not a biographical story, Gerber's tender first-person narrative perfectly resonates with the ADHD experience, which she knows firsthand. The supportive world Clea inhabits both at home and at school is an ideal place free of stigma; would that all students with learning differences experience such in real life. Gerber's text and author's note feature excellent information and resources for ADHD brains and the hearts who love them. Clea and Red present as white while Sanam's name suggests she's Middle Eastern or South Asian. An accurate and compassionate picture of growing up with ADHD is the icing on the cake of this well-told novel. (Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from February 15, 2019
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Seventh-grader Clea struggles to finish homework on time, has trouble concentrating in school, and is often forgetful, disorganized, and blurts out things without thinking. Best friend Red is supportive, but he doesn't really understand her challenges, and classmates make fun of her because they think she's not smart. Clea loves chess and knows that if she continues to fail assignments, she won't be allowed on the school's team. Luckily, her teachers notice she's struggling and suggest Clea get tested for ADHD. She's soon diagnosed, but even with medication, things don't just automatically improve. After she blurts out a secret Red didn't want revealed, he refuses to speak to her. Sanam, Clea's dyslexic chess teammate, offers helpful advice, and with time, Clea's family comes to understand what she's going through. Clea also has a realistic love-hate relationship with chess champ Dylan, and a special one with her six-year-old sister, who has difficulty enunciating words. Clea's likability, persistence, and ability to bounce back from adversity is truly inspiring. Author Gerber (Braced, 2017), who has ADHD herself, is able to compassionately and realistically convey the experience in this sweetly appealing story, which concludes with a list of helpful resources.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)