Review: "Focused," by Alyson Gerber

As Clea starts seventh grade, she is falling behind and overwhelmed with her schoolwork, but she absolutely loves to play chess and wants to be a top twelve player on the team. Her parents decide to get her tested for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and see if that may be what's causing her to not be able to pay close attention to instructions or stay focused on her homework. After extensive testing, it's confirmed that she does have ADHD. She's not hyperactive, but she does have explosive outbursts of emotions and she can't hold her attention for very long. Her doctors give her ideas on ways to help herself in school, what she can do to study, what accommodations her teachers can make to help her succeed, and Clea is embarrassed at first to ask her teachers for help or tell her friends what's going on with her. But, if she wants to be a top chess player on the team, she can't fail her classes! I enjoyed getting a glimpse inside the brain of a child with ADHD and Clea very maturely handled her diagnosis to become more successful in school and life.

Mrs. Denney's Rating: ***

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