I was just asked today for some ADHD books so I thought I'd channel that into today's Brainstorm. Here are just three fiction books featuring characters learning to thrive with ADHD, and despite being fiction contain real helps for those living with ADHD or better understanding for those around people with ADHD. There's a wide-spectrum of genres and reading levels here to appeal to a wide range of readers. To see my full summaries/reviews of each title plus any content notes/trigger warnings, please scroll below.
My Full Summaries & Reviews
My Whirling Twirling Motor by Merriam Sarcia Saunders, ill. by Tammie Lyon
Charlie feels like he has a whirling, twirling motor inside of him that makes him often late or inattentive or accidentally unkind. When his mom says she wants to talk to him after he's tucked in bed he is worried. Is he in trouble again?
A reminder that kids with ADHD need a little grace too and positive things to focus on. There's information and recommendations for teachers and parents working with ADHD kids in the back of the book. I can see this being a very helpful book for any families with ADHD kids and teachers too.
New from Here by Kelly Yang
Knox may struggle in school, but overall he likes his life in Hong Kong. So when his parents announce that he, Mom, his older brother Bowen, and little sister Lea are all leaving for the US in early 2020 due to the growing danger of covid spreading from China but Dad and their dog are staying behind, Knox is not happy. His parents think it will be like SARS again, and that the States will be safer. But Dad is the only one in the family who gets Knox and his idiosyncrasies. And California may be fun during summers, but Knox is really not sure about going there for a long period of time. Knox loves Mom, but Dad is the one who knows how to cook and take care of the house. He has so many worries, and he isn't the only one.
Knox and his family have a lot of adjustments after they get to the States. They realize that online schooling with Hong Kong isn't sustainable so they have to adjust to California public schools, they are adjusting to Mom running the house, she loses her job and has to start job hunting, the kids decide to see if they can help their Dad find a job so he can join them in the States (and also try to fundraise to get him a ticket to come), Knox learns that he has ADHD when he's enrolled in the California school and starts to figure out why he does some of the things he does and feels things he does, the kids try to find new friends, and unfortunately, they face racism both in school and the neighborhood from those who blame them for the virus or think that because they are Asian they are carriers. Kelly Yang has a note in the back of the book about how this book was heavily based on her own family's experience during 2020. I really like the growth in the relationships of the 3 siblings as they come together to help out their parents. Knox will really help readers learn about the challenges and the super abilities of those with ADHD. I don't think I've read another character who more clearly articulates what it is like to have ADHD. The racism experienced by the family is sadly very realistic, but Knox and the others learn to respond in positive ways and the overall message of the book is so great. The ending of this is so heartwarming and powerful. Tissues may be required for some readers. Though this is set in a very certain time period, the messages and themes covered are universal and I can see this being popular for a very long time.
Notes on content: No swearing. No sexual content. Some sibling fighting and playground bullying. Some racist comments and actions, but Knox and readers learn how to respond to this in positive ways and learn what combats hate. Homelessness is discussed (both present and past). Money is tight for several families. Fear of covid is part of the story. Deaths from covid are mentioned but none happen on page. 1 person runs away from home but is found within 24 hours.
The No-Brainer's Guide to Decomposition by Adrianna Cuevas
Frani Gonzalez is used to being a bit strange. First off, some would give her a 4 letter label, but she likes to think that she has an active spider in her brain named Arañita who hops from web to web of thoughts in her brain at lightning speed. Sometimes Arañita creates problems, like making her late to school or distracting her during conversations so she doesn't hear what the person said or messing up the steps in the intake procedure for new specimens. And that brings us to the second strange part, Frani lives on the Central Texas Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, otherwise known as a body farm. Her father is the professor who oversees the acres of land where human specimens are laid out to decay and scientists study the process, and Frani loves to be his assistant. Her older sister Essie finds it gross and tries to ignore it. It's summer break, so Frani is excited to get to help out more with the research. One of the other scientists, Dr. Tanaka has brought his son, Benji along, and while she is showing Benji around the farm they stumble across something unusual. A teenage boy who should be very dead but is walking and talking to them. Frani and Benji decide to try and help the boy they dub Mateo figure out what happened to himself, but as more corpses become undead, they have to bring in their fathers and the campus police chief to help figure out what is turning the specimens into zombies and how to stop them because most aren't anywhere near as friendly as Mateo.
I really appreciate how Frani's narration of this story will help build empathy and understanding among readers for those with ADHD, and also allow readers with ADHD like Frani's to feel seen. The adventure allows Frani to process how she feels about her brain (she doesn't like it much of the time) and eventually come to a place of more acceptance and appreciation by the end, but also feeling ok to reach out for help when she needs it. Mateo (who they find out is really named Santiago) has a rather tragic story and his part of this tale is bittersweet. Frani keeps waiting for new boy Benji to dump her as a new friend for being too weird, but he's a great guy and handles all the weird and gross stuff he gets thrown into with a great attitude. He's a good friend when Frani needs it. Frani's older sister Essie is pretty awful to her the few scenes when she is on page, constantly telling Frani she's going to mess things up and she isn't trustworthy, but there is a bit of a breakthrough by the end of the book. Profe (Frani's dad), Dr. Tanaka, and the police chief get 5 stars for being pretty cool adults in a middle grade book and sharing the load in the whole solving the zombie problems thing. I found that a breath of fresh air. How often are adults treated like the tweens' teammates in problem solving in middle grade adventures? I love forensics stories, strong science-based fantasy/scifi, and have read books about real body farms. I was pleasantly surprised that the body farm aspects of the book felt on point, true to life, and scientifically sound to me, and it was a fantastic setting for a middle grade horror story. The method used to reanimate the dead was also science based and made sense, even if I don't think it would work in real life. Obviously, the whole body farm setting is not for all middle graders. Know the tween or teen you hand this to and make sure they can handle people studying death and the decay process and realistically describing reanimated corpses and how they'd fall apart if trying to walk or jump or such.
Notes on content: Language: None; Sexual content: None; Violence: Some zombies come after Frani and Benji and others but they pretty easily get away. Most of the dead at the body farm died of disease or natural causes and donated their bodies to science. One person died of a rattle snake bite off page. Tranquilizer darts and injections are used to capture and un-animate zombies. In some tumbles and other incidents Santiago loses more and more parts, he has a finger and ear in his pocket by the end and one arm got stitched back on.; Ethnic diversity: Frani's family appears to be Hispanic American and so is Santiago. From their last name, I'm guessing the Tanakas are Japanese American. Others among the dead and living are white and Black American. ; LGBTQ+ content: It is mentioned Essie has a girlfriend; she is never on page.; Other: The natural decay process after death is talked about a lot. A body farm is realistically described. Someone did the zombie experiment on purpose without thinking of ethical concerns. Essie is not very understanding of Frani's challenges with ADHD most of the book and is quite harsh.
