Trouble with a Tiny t by Merriam Sarcia Saunders (March 2021, Capstone, for ages 8 to 12)
Westin Hopper can't sit still. His ADHD brain constantly gets him in trouble. He's always thinking about something else instead of paying attention in school and at home. As if that's not enough, his parents are divorced and argue a lot, he's constantly bullied at school, and his best friend, Josh, no longer wants to be around him.
Drawing is the only thing West cares about.
West finds a magic pouch that belonged to his missing uncle, and discovers it can bring his thoughts to life. His toy T-Rex comes to life and it's tiny at first, but then it starts growing. West also brings to life a squad of headless Army men, and then a Thor, who marshalls the Army men to keep the T-Rex at bay.
If it wasn't for his new friend Lenora, West wouldn't be able to handle it all. Lenora helps West realize that his drawing talent may be the answer to dealing with the mess he's created. And West helps Lenora deal with her feelings about her mother.
How West and Lenora help each other through this bizarre situation makes for a great read. This is fast-paced and fun, with plenty of humor and warmth and honesty about neurodiverse kids and bullying. West is such a likable character, I was totally invested in his conflict. In fact, I was so involved, I actually had trouble putting this down to make dinner yesterday!
Merriam is a specialist in learning and behavioral disorders. Here's her professional website.
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Merriam is one of #the21ders!
This sounds like a fun story. Glad it has a fast-paced plot. I'm excited to feature Merriam and her book today too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Natalie. I will hop over there next!
DeleteThis book sounds wonderful! Natalie Aguirre actually just posted an interview with the author of this book and her agent today, which was quite interesting. The premise here sounds both touching and entertaining! Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Completely!
DeleteThe book sounds like a totally off-the wall imaginative books, Joanne. I have a granddaughter with ADHD & I'll try to get it for her! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh, I think she'll love it, Linda!
DeleteI just read another blog post about this book. Sounds fun.
ReplyDeleteYes, Liz! I didn't even realize Natalie had posted an interview with Merriam and her agent today.
DeleteOh Joanne, this looks so cute. I'm adding it to my reading list -- hope we get a copy this year. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful week of reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shaye! You too!
DeleteHow cool that both you and Natalie featured this one today! I love that it features a boy with ADHD, and it sounds so authentic. I also think the idea of our thoughts coming to life--and a life-sized Thor is pretty cool and has a lot of kid appeal!
ReplyDeleteAh, they're all tiny at first, Jenni, including Thor. But then they start growing! And yes, there's plenty of kid appeal here.
DeleteThanks for your review. I'm adding this one to my list. It triggers a memory of a similar book I read ages ago. Hopefully when I read this, I'll remember the title.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cheriee. Let me know when you do remember it!
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