I loved ROLL WITH IT, so I was very excited to read TUNE IT OUT, Sumner does an amazing job of teaching the reader about disabilities, but making that only one part of the character. Disability doesn’t define Lou. She is brave, wise and determined. I will recommend this book to all readers!

I loved Jamie Sumner's first book, and so I was thrilled to get the chance to read an eARC of Tune It Out.  I had an expectation that I would like it, but this story still blew me away!  Jamie Sumner is quickly becoming a favorite author and I hope she writes many more middle grade books!  Her characters are complex and well-developed while keeping her prose succinct and moving.  She doesn't shy away from hard topics like poverty, foster care, and Sensory Processing Disorder, but her story is uplifting- full of power and hope.  I fell into her story and couldn't put it down until I had finished.  Luckily, I started reading on a Saturday and turned it into a lounging, reading day.

What I loved: 
The first person perspective of Lou's story was spot on!  Her voice when describing how loud sounds and lights feel to her was such a powerful way to understand SPD.  To experience what she experiences when an unexpected accident uproots her life and moves her halfway across the country to live with strangers was such a powerful look at what it feels like to be "placed" in the foster care system.  

I loved the setting of Lake Tahoe in northern California because it is a favorite location of mine!

I loved the best friend, Well, and how much his character adds to the story.

I loved Lou's aunt and uncle, and how Lou learns to add them to her family.

I loved the motorcycle-driving social worker and the problem-solving-ipod-buying social worker.

I loved the musical Into The Woods (my favorite).

I love how Lou learns to use strategies with her SPD and be honest about what she wants and needs.  

I love how supportive her friends are, and while there are less supportive middle school students, there is not the typical total bully in middle school trope.

It was basically total love! Thanks so much for letting me read.  #LitReviewCrew

Just finished Tune It Out and it will definitely be a part of my classroom after it comes out in September! Lou is dealing with so much -- a controlling mom, isolation, sensory processing disorder, and new situations every time she turns around. She doesn't know who to turn to or trust, but she learns to turn it out.  To listen to her own heart and to allow herself to hope.  Such an excellent story and message for all of us!  #TuneItOut

This story is told from the viewpoint of a young girl, Lou Montgomery, who has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).  My favorite thing about the book is that it is not centered on her disorder.  It is a story of a young girl struggling to find her voice when her world is turned on its head.  She has many struggles to contend with, as if being in the 6th grade was not tough enough.  This delightful story will leave you laughing, crying and hoping as you walk the path of life with this young girl.  It shows that all people deal with issues, and that her struggle with SPD may be more visible than most, but everyone has something.  Sumner weaves this tale with true life struggles but incorporates the SPD within the story without making it THE story.  I believe it is a great book for all students to read, especially those who are dealing with struggles that make them feel that they are “not normal”.  What is normal anyway??

Finished! Loved it! OMG the very beginning made me miss sitting in Starbucks reading a book. I could smell it hear and feel it. I LOVE WELL!!! 🤣 He is amazing. Lou is the strongest person I’ve ever met! So much love for this book. Thank you Jamie!

I have so much ❤️ for this 📖! You will full in love with these characters! Tune it Out by @jamiesumner_ is about hope and the importance of family & friendship. Lou-the epitome of perseverance & strength. You will also fall in love with Well! #BookPosse #NotoriousReader Order!

Thank you to Jamie Sumner for providing #BookAllies with an eARC!

Lou isn't your ordinary girl; she is more than that. Music lovin', coffee sippin', braver than on can think - she tackles her sensory processing disorder (SPD) and her voice to fight for what's right with her momma. Oh the heart I have for Lou! Invisible disabilities are real and I am so glad this book takes on this awareness for our students. I think Jamie developed such a well-thoughtout character that has to overcome many obstacles. She faces homelessness, poverty, hunger, SPD, the want to go to school, the want to fit in, the want to have a friend, and the want to stand up to her mother. I am happy with how the story ended because I was not quite ready if it ended in the way the reader might think it would end (I don't want to spoil). I am eager to share this one with my students, especially to put it in the hands of my students who DO have SPD and other invisible disabilities so they can connect with this character. Well done!

Sounds and touches can be painful for twelve-year-old Louise Montgomery, but her mother believes she is destined to make it big as a singer, so she has been pushed to perform in noisy coffee shops, karaoke nights, in casinos for much of her life. After an accident, Lou is placed in the custody of her aunt and uncle where she grapples with friendship, her relationship with the adults in her life, and her sensory processing disorder.

This book has so much heart. Sumner writes Lou’s reactions to external stimuli and her struggle with relationships with vivid details. Although her sensory processing disorder plays a key role in the plot, the changing relationship with her mother is incredibly powerful. Lou’s love of music creates an opportunity to build friendships in heartwarming characters like Well, but it also makes for a fantastic playlist! Tune It Out is a fantastic window book for some, and an important mirror book for those with invisible disabilities (as stated in the author’s acknowledgements), those who may be working with child services, and those who struggle to find their voice. Teachers and librarians may see this as a must add to their collection. Three (silent) cheers for Tune It Out!

As a part of an ARC-sharing group called #BookAllies, I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There are not many books for middle grade readers that have truly explored sensory processing disorder. Tune It Out does that and more! Lou and her mom live in a truck at a campsite. Mom can't wait until Lou makes it big with her singing career but is that what Lou really wants? One difficult evening leads Lou down a path that will impact her entire life. She must learn to deal with a new home, a new school, friends for the first time and her sensory processing disorder. Is Lou strong enough and brave enough? Does she have what it takes to "feel all the feels?" Lou and Well will have you laughing one moment and then tearing up the next. Sumner has written about SPD with accuracy, compassion and a huge heart!  The author provided me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, Jamie!

Thank you to the author for sharing an eARC of TUNE IT OUT with my reading group via NetGalley.

This one is a book I couldn’t put down. I have students who, like Lou, struggle with invisible disabilities of which the are keenly aware. In finding her voice, learning to advocate for herself, and discovering that there really is no “normal,” Lou understands the world in a way I hope all of my students eventually will.

TUNE IT OUT’s narrative is crisp and well-paced. It doesn’t drag, nor are any of the characters underdeveloped. I love Well and the effect his friendship has on Lou, and the quiet irreverence and persistence of Andrea and Melissa.

The backdrop of the theater is an unexpected- yet perfect - setting that allows for an unexpected- yet thoroughly satisfying and beautiful - climax. I rooted (quietly, with a sign) for Lou as she tackled so many obstacles at the end of the story. 

This one is a MUST ADD to libraries everywhere: class, school, public, digital. ❤️ Out in September.