Incredible book by Idris Goodwin. The novel is written in verse, an excellent choice to accentuate the main protagonist's, Pernell, ADHD and his fiery spirit to win the title of Cypher King. The verse style format might be too much for some readers, but I loved it. Pernell is in his third year of high school (soon to be a senior) and also his third time in summer school with his English teacher, Ms. Harding. Because of his undiagnosed ADHD, his teacher is incredibly impatient with him as he never pays attention to her class and sometimes even speaks to him with frustration(maybe even with a humiliating tone) rather than make a plan to help her student. I would recommend this book for both educators and students who could learn and relate to the book.

I tend to love a novel in verse, and I understand that at times, it was a good choice. But I just think this novel was lacking...overall. The story was disjointed. The character didn't really show any growth. This is the kind of book that could have been read in a few hours, but it took me a few days because I lost interest around the halfway mark. I think King of the Neuro Verse had a lot of potential, but I ultimately didn't like it.

I went into this book only knowing that the main character has an ADHD diagnosis (like me), so I figured it’d be a story I would relate to in some ways.

I wasn’t quite expecting the specific direction the overall story and journey would take, but I was fully intrigued from the start. I can already tell (or at least I hope) that the audiobook is going to be AMAZING! I’m definitely looking forward to rereading this in audio form once it’s released.

Pernell’s journey was relatable in so many ways—navigating your learning environment and trying to work while dealing with a learning difference that you’re not fully aware of at first. I really appreciated that he had a community around him who wanted to ensure he had the right support.

As for the writing, yes, it’s in verse, and some sections are written as pure dialogue between 2–3 characters. But the story still flowed cohesively and was extremely easy to follow, even in this format.

Well done!!

Oh! And side note, there is mention of first love in the synopsis that I see online—that is barely talked about 😂

Pernell is starting his third year of summer school as he heads into his senior year due to his academic struggles that are a result of his difficulty focusing. He is clearly bright with two involved and educated parents who want him to do well, but aren't sure of how to help him. At one point, Pernell says of his father, "And I know, I'm not what he thought he was gonna have in a son-bad grades, all this summer school, no discernible talent-but he still believes in me, I know he does." And you just ache for all of them. As an educator, I was annoyed that the school hadn't done anything to try to figure out what was happening with his poor academic performance, which suggests other underlying issues in our education system. However, I appreciated how Idris Goodwin portrayed the challenges and joys (being a Cypher king) a teenager experiences with ADHD at home and school, and liked seeing the road to support/success via his parents' support, therapy, and some accommodating (finally) at school. As Dr. Yessler tells him, "It's not about changing who you are, Pernell. It's about giving you a fair shot, making the game a little less rigged."I think teens and teachers would appreciate this novel in verse.

Thanks to Net Galley for the advance copy.

This is a 3 for me. Maybe I’m too picky about novels in verse, but this one didn’t really hit me in the guts. I like Pernell, but didn’t develop a lot of connection with him. The cypher king raps are good, and the competition aspect was fun. The ending just sort of derailed and didn’t give answers. I wish the author had gotten more into the bathroom grate mystery. There’s some good themes and ideas here, just wanted to see more from it.

Idris Goodwin's King of the Neuro Verse shares the perspective of Pernell, a Black teen in summer school, using his gifts of language even when his traditional school/learning environment doesn't fit his neurodiversity. There are stream of consciousness sections highlighting how Pernell's brain makes connections among seemingly different topics in ways that aren't always appreciated or understood by others (peers, teachers, even his parents at times). Writing from Pernell's vantage point, as a reader, I could celebrate his gifts and contributions as he finds his place despite the barriers he faces as a neurodiverse teen.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the e-arc.

This story follows Pernell, a teen who loves rapping, specifically participating in cyphers in summer school. He also has ADHD and has to combat this as it brings about challenges specifically in the classrooms that teachers seemingly don’t understand.

I like this story. At times it felt a little confusing to read as it would becomes jump with the verse style format. I took into account that we were reading from the perspective of a teenager with ADHD, so that was probably the point. Once I remembered this perspective it did become easier for me to follow. I think it gave a good idea of what children with ADHD deal with, especially when people don’t understand even when they try to help. His teacher was impatient and lacked empathy when it came to him, whereas his parents often try to get him help to determine what his needs were. I feel like the fact that this story was set in the past, pre-2000s set the tone and added a lot of context as well to the response Pernell received. I think a lot of people that have ADHD will relate to this story.

One of the main things that I think would’ve made this reading experience better for me would be to have the audiobook to read along with the text. I think with the way the story is written and the fact that it’s in verse made it a little awkward to read at times, but this is a personal preference and I don’t think it takes away from the story.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you so much Simon Teen for the e-arc of this book! King of the Neuroverse follows Pernell who is a teen with ADHD. He’s a boy who wants it all- the cool girl, to be the rap king at lunch, and to pass high school. However, his plans make it hard when he has ADHD because his attention is torn between 14 different things. The story is told in verse and I think it works really well because of how a neurodivergent person’s brain works. It shows how his thoughts jump back and forth and I myself have ADHD, so it’s realistic. The book is a quick read, and I felt like the way it was written was perfect for my own ADHD. I personally loved the pop-culture and 90’s references, but I’m not sure if teens today will get it or if the 90’s is making a come-back in popularity. But it added a level of nostalgia especially in terms of rap music back in the day. This is one of those books that places you in someone else’s shoes, and I think it’s an important story to be told because it shows how neurodivergent teens may think and how they’re treated at school (looking at you, Mrs. Harding). The story is told in a joyful tone despite everything and I just love Pernell as a character.

King of the Neuro Verse is told from Pernell’s point of view, as a black teen, struggling with ADHD. The prose style would normally benefit a student who could relate, but the story is also jumpy with dated references. I understand that to be the point, to read from someone with ADHD, but for an audience of reluctant reading teens, they will struggle to stay engaged.

This is story is told in prose.
Pernell is attending summer school for the 3rd time. He suffers from ADHD and has struggled his entire academic life, especially with English (his reason for subsequent sentences to summer school). He has one friend who actually listens to him and tries to understand the way Parnell processes but when she leaves he is lost. Parnell finds himself drawn to a circle of lunch friends who form "ciphers", taking turns forming rap stanzas. He finds clarity in these times that may just help him pass this last summer of English and raise him up to Cypher King status.
I found myself lost in what was supposed to be Purnell's thoughts and story which was probably intentional I'm guessing? I don't think the reluctant reader would stick with this book because of that. The cipher battles were fun and I wish there had been more of that.

Though I appreciate the story and the poetry format, I couldn't get into this one so I DNF'd after 32%. I definitely think there are people out there who would enjoy it but I felt like I couldn't connect enough or get pulled in by it enough to continue.

Idris Goodwin's King of the Neuro Verse delves into the workings of the mind of an ADHD-afflicted protagonist, using the potency of rap and music to mirror his cluttered, yet creative thought process. The story captures the way music, specifically hip-hop, helps him try to make sense of his world, both ordering and disordering him in equal measures. By a blend of poetic prose and rhythmic flow, Goodwin narrates the way the rap link of the protagonist is a central means of sorting through his thoughts and feelings. This amalgamation of narrative and music provides the reader with a dynamic, unified experience, showing how the rhythms of rap can anchor and liberate the shattered mind.

4.5⭐️ The title of this book immediately caught my attention and the book did not disappoint! I loved the premise of the book and thought the author did a great job realistically portraying the frustrations of a high school teen with undiagnosed ADHD in the late 90s. I also loved that the novel in verse format of the book purposefully connects to the main character.

As an English teacher, I hated how Ms. Harding treated Pernell and couldn’t imagine ever treating a student the same way she did to him!

The only issue I had was that Pernell’s summer school situation was never clearly resolved. It seems unrealistic that he’d never end up hearing back from the teacher as to whether or not he passed even if the teacher retired, especially going into his senior year. I think we’re meant to assume that he does pass, but I also wanted to hear the teacher’s comments since he proposed and presented such a unique project as a way to pass summer school.

Despite my issue with the ending, I loved the book and will definitely be buying a physical copy to add to my classroom library for my students. Anyone who is a fan of Jason Reynolds or Angie Thomas will love this book too!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for this arc!

This was a real cool ARC read. Idris Goodwin gave the opportunity to know exactly what a child may feel who deals with ADHD. I think that so many children don’t know how to express exactly all the emotions that’s running around inside their head or have a comfortable outlet to be able to do so. Which causes them to get in trouble, when they just need to express themselves. I was so glad that Pernell found his through mostly cyphering and recording conversations for the future.

Mrs. Harding my goodness! I’m not sure if she lost her passion or just really didn’t know what avenue to take with Pernell. I do know her approach was wrong and out of line. It can be challenging when teaching but this is what you sign up for. Therefore when you are dealing with children you try to meet them at their level and give them all the tools possible to be successful! I’m glad she retired. It was long overdue.

The blessing was that Pernell had a great support team in friends(especially Electra) and family. He found what he loved and did a great job expressing himself through that. Also big kudos to his parents for standing up for their son and having a family reset to see what works for them as a family. Again a nice read that I believe everyone would enjoy!

Thank you for the opportunity of an early read!

This was a novel in verse set in the 80’s. The main character was a struggling student that had a passion for rap. While I really liked the concept of this book, the format of talking to the future was very distracting to me, and made it hard for me to enjoy this book.

Hand this book to someone who is neurodiverse or to someone who needs to understand how individuals with neuro diversity think and act. This book is extremely informative and the novel in verse format makes it easy to digest.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Kids for the ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this read and found it to be a well-written novel in verse that offers many literary allusions and puts center stage the challenges that can be associated with experiencing, being diagnosed with, and treated for ADHD. I could see some young readers struggling with this book because it doesn’t really have a typical narrative arc with a climax/significant action; however, the nature of its format (verse) does make it a fast read and it could prove to be a good addition in a poetic forms unit or unit in disability studies.

I would place this book in upper middle school/lower high school. Although Pernell is heading into his senior year of high school, I think that much of this book would resonate with students at the beginning of their high school career, particularly because students often prefer reading about people who are a few years older than them. It is also refreshing to read a book without a lot of swearing or other material that makes it hard to recommend to readers of a variety of ages.

If anyone loves poetic prose and short chapters, the book would be for you.
Sadly my brain, late diagnosed autism. When there’s a lot of short chapters and written in like magical realism, I have the hardest time understanding.

Thank you for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Blackstone Publishing, and Idris Goodwin for the opportunity to read King of the Neuro Verse in exchange for an honest review.

King of the Neuro Verse is a novel told in a poetic verse style. Let's take a loot at the title for a moment. The main character, Pernell, has ADHD. It's his third year of summer school English. At summer school, there is a group of kids who like to cypher. In poetic terms, this is basically going around in a circle and taking turns saying poetry, often bouncing of what others say. So, a poetry circle, kind of like for beats! The students love their cipher time, and Pernell shows some skills that dub him the Cypher King. English is challenging for him when it comes to deeper meaning, but when applied to a poetic form, he gets it! The Neuro aspect to the title likely refers to Pernell being neurodivergent, and it's the poetic beats that help him make connections.

The novel takes place in 1999, an important element to how ADHD is perceived at the time, especially by educators. When his summer school teacher has a last minute emergency, his least favorite teacher takes up the role. He thinks she's out to get him, but really, there is a disconnect between the teacher and Pernell's best way of learning information. Once they have a discussion about his ADHD, he aims to use his unique way of learning as an advantage to learning the English curriculum.

This novel is a well-written exploration of self-expression featuring a Black teen with ADHD. The poetic verse style offers its own beat for the reader, and gives it a more joyful bounce while Pernell navigates through summer school, ADHD, poetry cyphers, and his long-standing romantic crush. It makes for a unique, diverse, and fun novel for teen readers.

Thank you so much to the publisher, author, and NetGalley! We need more books like this. Thank you so much to Goodwin for putting this book out into the world. I'm really looking forward to seeing it show up in my library. A great hi-lo suggestion for a large group of youth.