Focused, paperback/alyson gerber

Following Braced , which had three starred reviews, comes a story of a girl caught between her love of chess and her ADHD.

Clea cant control her thoughts.

She knows she has to do her homework .

but she gets distracted.

She knows she cant just say whatever thought comes into her head .

but sometimes she cant help herself.

She knows she needs to focus .

but how can she do that when the people around her are always chewing gum loudly or making other annoying noises? Its starting to be a problem-not just in school, but when Cleas playing chess or just hanging out with her best friend.

Other kids are starting to notice.

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.

Clea knows life cant continue the way its been going.

Shes just not sure how you can fix a problem thats all in your head.

But thats what shes going to have to do, to find a way to focus.

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.

About author(s): Alyson Gerber is the author of critically acclaimed, own-voices novels Braced and Focused .

She is a graduate of The New Schools MFA in Writing for Children and lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and daughter.

Visit her at alysongerber.

com and find her everywhere else at @alysongerber.