Read my interview with Scholastic’s Ambassador of School Libraries Mr. I’m so excited to share the cover of my new middle grade novel FOCUSED with you! Following Braced, which had three starred reviews, comes a story of a girl caught between her love of chess and her ADHD. In a starred review, Booklist called Alyson Gerber’s first novel, Braced, “a masterfully constructed and highly empathetic debut about a different kind of acceptance.” With Focused, she explores even further how, when life gives you a challenge, the best way to face it is with an open mind, an open heart, and the open support of the people around you.įiled Under: ADHD, Events Watch the Scholastic Online Preview of FOCUSED But that’s what she’s going to have to do, to find a way to focus.

She’s just not sure how you can fix a problem that’s all in your head. When Clea fails one too many tests, her parents take her to be tested, and she finds out that she has ADHD, which means her attention is all over the place instead of where it needs to be.Ĭlea knows life can’t continue the way it’s been going. It’s starting to be a problem-not just in school, but when Clea’s playing chess or just hanging out with her best friend. but how can she do that when the people around her are always chewing gum loudly or making other annoying noises? She knows she can’t just say whatever thought comes into her head. In a starred review, Booklist called Alyson Gerber’s first novel, Braced, “a masterfully constructed and highly empathetic debut about a different kind of acceptance.” With Focused, she explores even further how, when life gives you a challenge, the best way to face it is with an open mind, an open heart, and the open support of the people around you.Following Braced, which had three starred reviews, comes a story of a girl caught between her love of chess and her ADHD.Ĭlea can’t control her thoughts. A story full of charm, compassion, and empathy. Taking Up Space promises to be a realistic and compelling story about struggling with body image and learning that true self-esteem comes from within. It’s starting to be a problem-not just in school, but when Clea’s playing chess or just hanging out with her best friend. Booklist described Gerber’s novels in starred reviews as both highly empathetic and truly inspiring.

Alyson gerber focused