Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers

Incredibly reassuring and helpful for readers struggling in an ableist world.

Carter (How to Be a Girl in the World) draws from her own experience of undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia in this moving, authentically told story. Every night, blonde Wisconsin fifth grader Gwendolyn reads the list of 54 takeaways she noted from a school report mailed to her home, all of which have her believing she's "sometimes not a good student or daughter or person in general." She wishes she could live up to her single mother's expectations, but she finds her PowerKids after-school program challenging, and an outburst at the local stables, the only place she feels fully herself, has gotten her banned. So when PowerKids offers a summer horse camp, and Tyler--Gwendolyn's recently discovered half brother, who is of Greek descent and has struggles similar to hers--Gwendolyn determines to fix whatever is "wrong" with her. Carter provides searing descriptions of Gwendolyn's attempts at "appropriate" behavior ("I'm going to be good today. I just know it"), as well as of the school's differing class- and gender-related expectations for more privileged, already-diagnosed Tyler and still-searching Gwendolyn ("It's like being bad is just one thing about him and not everything about him"). A compassionate portrait of what a diagnosis can offer. Ages 8-12. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary. (Oct.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 3-7--Gwendolyn Rogers has a list of 54 things that are wrong with her, compiled from the individualized education program (IEP) report she wasn't supposed to see. She is inattentive, too demanding, and overemotional, to name just a few items on the list. But somehow the adults in Gwendolyn's life can't seem to diagnose her, and Gwendolyn is convinced she's just bad. If only she were more like her half brother Tyler, who has been diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and takes medication to help him focus. Gwendolyn feels calm only when she's with horses, a privilege that was taken away from her after a bad experience at equine therapy. Gwendolyn's single mom, with the help of Tyler's mother, is finally able to get her to see Dr. Nessa, who works through treatment options with her. Throughout the novel, characters have conversations about addiction, sexism at school, and gender identity. At times the book becomes didactic, but the facts presented about gender and neurodiversity are important ones, and the overall authentic voice makes up for these moments. Dr. Nessa is cued as Black; all other characters are cued as white. VERDICT Carter draws from her own experience as a neurodivergent person to create a novel worth adding to middle grade collections. This book will resonate with neurodivergent and neurotypical kids alike.--Katharine Gatcomb, Nashua P.L., NH

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

This beautiful and important book reminds us that kids are not problems to be solved, sorted, and labeled. It urges us to make space in our hearts—and in our world—for all the forms of neurodiversity we don't yet understand. —Alyson Gerber, author of Taking Up Space, Focused, and Braced