(2) YA In a series of entries in verse, sixth grader Bea Coughlin narrates the story of something important she wants us to “please pay attention” to. Bea tells her story slowly, revealing characters and their relationships in a controlled way that keeps readers intrigued as they put the different pieces together. We eventually learn that she has cerebral palsy, was adopted by Max (her NICU nurse) as a baby, has a penchant for dyeing her hair funky colors and doing magic tricks, and uses a wheelchair. The novel is organized into four sections (“Seek,” “Hide,” “Heal,” and “Hope”) and unfolds starting with “ten days before.” It then counts down to the day a shooter enters Bea’s school. Afterward, she confronts her vulnerability as a wheelchair user, while the steadfast Max provides a much-needed counterbalance: “you are a child, / and that was a tragedy, / and we will get through this together.” She slowly processes the traumatic event through writing, therapeutic horseback riding, and, eventually, activism. In a letter, Bea implores her state’s governor, and indeed all of us, to “please pay attention / and then / act.” An emotionally gripping story about school violence, trauma, and recovery, whose focus on disability and mobility asks important questions about common assumptions and protocols of disaster preparedness and safety.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(1) 4-6 Open-water marathon swimming (any continuous swim over ten kilometers) is not for the faint of heart and is typically done with meticulous planning, careful consideration for the weather and water conditions, and a skilled kayaker and other safety supports in place. But when her mother abruptly leaves and doesn't come back, Tully impulsively decides to swim the 12.1-mile Lake Tahoe Marathon, a.k.a. "the Godfather swim." At twelve, she will be the youngest person to complete the swim, and she is doing so in risky weather conditions, with an inexperienced kayaker, and without her father's knowledge. Tully's mom, an endurance athlete, was her daughter's swim coach whose obsessive exercise kept her depression at bay, and Tully believes that "this swim [is] going to bring my mother back." Written in verse, including occasional concrete poems, the book is organized in chapters by the hours into the swim (Hour One, Hour Two); as Tully gets further along, there is a peeling-of-the-onion effect, where with each passing hour more is revealed about her mother's mental health and the lies Tully told herself to mask more painful truths. This touching and deeply affecting novel takes on difficult topics such as maternal abandonment and codependency and gives readers a peek into the feelings and thoughts that underpin childhood trauma.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(4) YA Sumner continues to explore Ellie’s (Roll with It; [cf2Time to Roll) emotional growth as she faces the challenges of middle school, love, and family hardship. Ellie’s evolving relationship with Bert and the heartbreaking decline of her grandfather, who has Alzheimer’s, resonate deeply. While the treatment of bullying and Bert’s struggles could be more developed, the story remains an honest and reassuring portrayal of adolescence. Ellie’s courage and kindness make her a character readers will cherish long after the book ends.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) 4-6 When she slides off the road while driving to pick her mother up from work in a Lake Tahoe snowstorm--in a truck that is also their home--twelve-year-old Lou Montgomery ends up in state custody. A social worker deposits her in Tennessee with an aunt she has never met, and she finds herself in school for the first time in years. Middle-class norms are an adjustment for Lou, as is the encouragement to come to terms with her undiagnosed (and unacknowledged by her mother) sensory processing disorder. Lou gradually learns to accept the support that surrounds her--especially the friendship of her neighbor Well, who turns her into a theater kid--and to understand and manage her condition. But when her mother reestablishes contact, Lou finds her hard-won self-confidence challenged. Sumner does an excellent job of bringing readers into Lou's interior world ("The sounds actually hurt, like knives someone is throwing at me") and demonstrating her growth over the course of the book. Lou's mother is a compelling foil, frustrating in her self-centeredness but also determined to do her best, as she sees it; and Well and the other secondary characters provide a rich backdrop for Lou's story.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021