Absolutely Everything is such an adorable and important middle grade read! Many readers will be able to relate to Marcella whether they themselves have ADHD or just know what its like to feel overwhelmed by change. A must have for all middle grade graphic novel collections!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of Absolutely Everything by Damian Alexander for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

If you’re looking for a graphic novel to hand to an upper elementary or middle school student about the stresses of middle school, handling “normal” school drama, home drama, and on top of that, realizing the craziness and chaos that you’ve felt actually has a name: ADHD? Then Absolutely Everything by Damian Alexander is the graphic novel that you need to get your hands on! This graphic novel checks most of the boxes, cute illustrations, honest representations of gay parents, autism, ADHD, and includes a diverse cast that will appeal to, yes, a diverse audience. Purchase for elementary and middle schools where Raina Telgemeier is popular and to fill the gap of ADHD and LGBTQ+ representation in your collections. A thoughtful and not preachy read that will appeal to students, teachers, and parents alike.

Absolutely Everything is a graphic novel that follows new sixth grade student Marcella, who yes, has two dads, a best friend who is starting to pull away and find a new group of friends, and a very confusing brain. She gets distracted easily and sidetracked, is disorganized, and has trouble focusing and it is starting to stress her out and have a negative impact on her schoolwork and grades. With all of the changes that come with entering a new school and grade and time of her life, she is also dealing with moving apartments and a friend who she seems to be losing. Can she find a way to handle it all by herself and is there something actually wrong with her? Read on to see if Marcella’s middle school beginning has any connections to your own or your students.

Marcella is a girl who can’t keep her thoughts straight. She’s entered sixth grade but can’t get to the bus on time, can’t keep her deadlines, doesn’t remember when she has test, etc. She’s all in her head thinking that she’s not a good person just because things are not easy. In this book, we follow Marcella as her anxiousness grows until its seen by her fathers. Once it’s caught, she gets the help she needs that makes the year better. This is an interesting graphic novel that kids will see themselves in. And for that, I think it has a place on Library shelves. is this the greatest graphic novel ever, no, but I did enjoy it from beginning to end.

Thanks to NetGalley, Damian Alexander, and Lerner Publishing Group for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Absolutely Everything does a great job of showing what it’s like to enter middle school and be overwhelmed. It’s hard for Marcella to juggle all these new changes. She forgets a lot of things, even though she tries to remember. She puts off assignments and then forgets about it. She just thinks that she’s not ready for 6th grade and its faster pace.

I am the mother of four children diagnosed with ADHD. I’ve seen how tweens and teens try hard to keep up with everything that’s happening. In a time of great change (increased assignments, changing rooms every hour, changing friendships), executive function is critical. Yet, some kids don’t have that ability. Some of these problems started in middle school, and some when they entered high school. Marcella is struggling in many places, just like my kiddos.

It’s great to see how Marcella’s outlook changes once she finds out that this is a very common problem for kids. She has the support of her two dads, the teachers, and the administration of her school. After her dads bring her to a psychologist, who diagnoses ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), things begin to change. Marcella learns different tools to use, like color-coded tabs and binders. She begins to regain her confidence.

The artwork was good. I appreciated how the artist tried to show how Marcella felt. This was done not just with text, but with the illustrations, too. I loved the bold colors throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great graphic novel. The story was so well done and the graphics were amazing. This will be a great kids book.

This is a great book for younger readers who feel that no one understands what they are dealing with as they navigate both growing up. Following Marcella's story may also help children understand or put a name to what they themselves are experiencing related to ADHD. I think this also provides more information to parents about how ADHD can impact their child in both the home and school settings. So often it is seen as either not paying attention or not being able to stay still, but the truth is that ADHD impacts so many aspects of life. I think this book also offers an important reminder that even children who grow up in very supportive families can have trouble expressing their thoughts and feelings to their parents. And maybe younger readers can see how sometimes having the difficult conversation is what brings about positive change. I would recommend this book to classroom and school libraries!

*Thank you to Lerner Publishing Group for letting me read an ARC of this book through NetGalley!*

Absolutely Everything
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.64/10 overall

Characters - 6

Atmosphere - 7

Writing - 7

Plot - 6

Intrigue - 7

Logic - 7

Enjoyment - 6.5

Overall Thoughts:
This book was pretty average in my opinion. I was interested to read this since I enjoyed this author's other book, Other Boys. Unfortunately, this one wasn't as interesting to me. Nothing in particular stood out as super original and the plot was pretty basic. I think I enjoyed his memoir more because I could tell that he put a lot of heart into it. Other Boys also had more moments of surprise and suspense, even if some of the story was enhanced for dramatic purposes, it felt realistic and relatable. There were certainly moments in Absolutely Everything where I did relate to Marcella, but I didn't feel as invested in her story because it felt a lot more cookie cutter. Overall, still an enjoyable read but I was hoping for a bit more. 😔

Another wonderful graphic novel for young readers from Damian Alexander. It’s a relatable story and main character with art and style that will be engaging for students.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Absolutely Everything by Damian Alexander is a Middle Grade contemporary graphic novel tackling ADHD. Marcella has recently started to struggle in school and is constantly overwhelmed by school work as well as her interpersonal relationships. When she misses her best friend’s recital, her fears and anxiety get much worse.

One of the things I really liked is how the lead is a thirteen-year-old girl who is struggling with the kind of ADHD that results more in feelings of being overwhelmed. According to multiple reports, AFABs are still underdiagnosed with ADHD and AMABs might be overdiagnosed and this really highlights how there are different types of ADHD and how it can look from the POV of someone who is experiencing it. We see Marcella losing track of time, of how she struggles to keep her attention on most things, and the feelings that come with all those little things adds up and makes her situation worse. This really probably really speaks to someone who has her specific type of ADHD.

Another thing I liked was how Marcella struggles with growing up and letting go of her childhood toys and isn’t interested in romance yet even though some of her friends already are. Kids develop at different rates and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to hang on to your childhood a little bit longer as long as you’re doing your best to also fulfill your responsibilities. Everywhere I turn around these days, it’s like kids are no longer allowed to just be kids and have to look like they’re thirty before their fifteenth birthday so I do think that this is a very important message.

We do get some hacks that work with Marcella’s ADHD and play to her strengths and interests. The graphic novel doesn’t say this will work for all kids, but it does give a starting point if a reader is looking for ideas to implement themselves.

I would recommend this to fans of contemporary fiction dealing with neurodivergence and young readers who are struggling with ADHD

This is a great graphic novel with a look at how hard middle school can be especially as someone with ADHD and anxiety. I liked that the character is female as many times its more boys really with ADD or ADHD. I really liked the graphic novel format and think kids will really see themselves within these characters. I even related, as I have anxiety.
I think it was a good look at changing friendships and changes in the home, while having to deal with school and sometimes intrusive thoughts in your head.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a really great book to explain ADHD to young children, especially those who are recently diagnosed. It especially tackles executive dysfunction well.

Starting middle school is tough! Marcella is dealing with change, being overwhelmed, and not being able to concentrate. She deals with school starting too early in the morning, not being able to focus on people talking to her or school projects, friendship changes and not wanting to paint anymore even though she used to love it. The book does a great job showing her growing frustration in the illustrations even without words. After dealing with too much and breaking down, Marcella learns that she has ADHD. Finding that out helps her understand why things become too much for her to focus. I think it was realistic that it took awhile for teachers and even Marcella's dads to figure out things were not going well for her. I like that her dads figured out ways to help her to stay organized and on task. The author’s note at the end was nice and explained the character and how it related to him growing up. I think the book approaches the topics of ADHD, being overwhelmed and change in a good way. Many kids will be able to relate to this coming of age story.

Absolutely Everything follows Marcella, a girl with ADHD struggling to adapt to middle school and a small move that disrupts her daily routine. I think this does a good job of showing what ADHD can feel like in terms of not being able to get started on work, losing things, not being able to keep track of a schedule, etc. I was a rare girl in the 90s who was diagnosed with ADHD fairly early, but all I had in terms of books about the subject was Joey Pigza Swallows the Key, which didn't mirror my experiences. It's nice that kids now have more characters to whom they can relate.

Marcella's ADHD symptoms do appear to be pretty severe, and I don't know how sustainable some of the solutions offered by the book would be in real life, but they're a good first step.

Do I think Absolutely Everything is doing something particularly special to stand out among the Invisible Emmies and Smiles and Clicks of the middle grade realistic fiction graphic novel sphere? Not really. But my students eat these books up, and I can see this one being a favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc!

This graphic novel does a great job of showing what it feels like for a six grade girl with unmanaged and undiagnosed ADHD. It affects every aspect of her life-- her school work, her friendships, and her home life. I'm confused though what time period it is supposed to take place in. There is much diversity in her friend group in terms of races , genders, and other disability types like autism. Her parents are two dads. However, when she is diagnosed she has never heard of ADHD. It is hard to believe that in the present day, a middle schooler would have never heard of ADHD. While the author does a good job of portraying how ADHD affects a middle schooler based on their own experiences growing up, it seems very unrealistic that the main character has never heard of ADHD.

A coming of age story about the struggles of having ADHD. Marcella struggles with deadlines, paying attention in class, and her overall class schedule. She is having a hard time balancing everything that comes with being a sixth grader. With the help of a caring teacher and her two dads, she is able to find her spark again. Marcella finally gets her diagnosis and figures out a schedule that works best for her. Overall, a relatable informative story about the struggles of ADHD.

4.5 ⭐️ from my 11 year old daughter. This is a great graphic novel about how hard it can be as a teenager with ADHD. This book explores the new diagnosis of ADHD and the character's journey while navigating friendships, family and school.

Thank you NetGalley for this Advanced Reader's Copy. This is a book we'll be reading again.

As someone with ADHD, I found Alexander's portrayal of what goes on inside your head to be very realistic. I liked the illustration of all of the "noise" and how all of your thoughts get piled up on top of each other, making things hard to manage. If I had read this book as a middle schooler, I might have been able to seek help with the forgetfulness, messiness, and overwhelm I dealt with on a daily basis.

I loved this book for someone who dosent have ADHD it was intresting to see what it would be like with ADHD. I love the freind dynamic in this book it was light and playful and totally what 6th grade was like!!

I loved this book. It felt like a window into my neurospicy brain. Loud environments that completely derail me without bugging others. The rumba cleaning as you flit from project to project without finishing something. The trouble with deadlines and appointments.
A solid middle grade graphic novel that covers middle school friendships, changes and challenges. Loved the wide spread representation, the visual way ADHD overstimulation was represented, and the growth of the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for a digital ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Marcella Dwyer-Hoffman has just started middle school. So many changes! New friends. New school. Trying to memorize her class schedule. Moving into a different apartment with her 2 dads. Losing her childhood BFF. It’s just all too overwhelming. Marcella can’t handle all the changes, all the constant chatter and noises she hears during her classes to the point where it becomes a major distraction. The distractions also enter her life at home where rather than focusing on a big school project, she feels she needs to match up her pairs of socks, clean up her room (admittedly, uncommon for children and teens), and re-read her favorite book series. But why can’t she concentrate? Why is she doing so poorly in school? Why do these changes upset her so? Why does she feel like such a disappointment to everyone? Why can’t she understand why she is always upset and sad? Absolutely everything is taking its toll on Marcella.

After having just read another graphic novel of a child who is neurodivergent, I found this one significantly more understandable as it is geared towards the elementary and middle school-aged audience. It illustrates the child’s despair and confusion when they realize they are having difficulties with school, social settings, and life in general, but have no clue why that is. A child who reads this graphic novel will gather a better understanding of their ADHD diagnosis and discover ways to cope.