Button Pusher

This episodic, autobiographical graphic novel from Page (Raised on Ritalin, for adults) chronicles his experiences with ADHD from grade school to high school graduation. When eight-year-old Tyler has trouble concentrating at school, sometimes behaving in a way that even he doesn't understand, a doctor recommends family counseling, leading him to therapy, diagnosis, and medication, and shifting the way he understands himself and his loved ones. Alternating with a story arc that revolves around school, friendships, and family conflict, fact-driven infographic interstitials contextualize the story and clinical diagnosis, offering statistics and explaining changing understandings of ADHD over time. Crisp, clean art expressively conveys Tyler's internal dialogue, feelings, and sensory experiences, effectively communicating emotionally charged personal moments, including his father's angry outbursts and his own reactions to his "race car brain." Though a mention of Tyler's quitting medication due to body image is inadequately contextualized, the well-paced interweaving of story beats and explanation, told with a refreshing honesty of feeling, make this a factually informative, accessible introduction to ADHD. Ages 10-14. Agent: Britt Siess, Martin Literary & Media. (Mar.)

Gr 7 Up--In this memoir, Page looks back on a childhood and adolescence marked by abuse and ADHD. Tyler is a good-hearted kid, but his attention wanders and he's impulsive; he doesn't understand why he does the things he does, causing problems in school. He explains, "My thoughts and actions don't get through to my brain until it's too late." The family doctor prescribes Ritalin, which Tyler takes for the next eight years. As he grows, Tyler begins to see some of his own behaviors in his father, whose mood shifts quickly and who is verbally and sometimes physically abusive; Tyler vows not to be like him. Tyler's parents' marriage is volatile, and though his mom almost leaves his dad, they don't divorce till many years later. Before his junior year of high school, Tyler stops taking Ritalin (without consulting his doctor), but as he heads off to college, there's foreshadowing about the challenges he will face with adult ADHD. Action in the cartoon art is easy to follow, and high-emotion scenes are intensified with color: fighting parents in fiery orange, Tyler and his younger brother cowering in blue. Interspersed throughout are notes from doctor's visits and information about how the brains of people with ADD/ADHD work differently. Tyler and his family are white. VERDICT This resonant memoir shows one boy's journey through childhood and adolescence as he struggles with his father's anger and his own brain; it's a mirror and a window, but not medical advice.--Jenny Arch