Tune It Out

Lou's life feeling like a revolving door or small stages and small towns.  Her mother swears she has the voice of an angel and is convinced there will be a talent agent in the audience one day, but for now Lou sings at talent shows and coffee shops for donations and prize money.  The problem is Lou hates performing in public.  The crowds and noise make her feel overwhelmed, and if people are close enough to touch her, she just can't handle it.  Even the slightest touch sends her over the edge.  She's told her mother a million times, but it never sinks in.

When Lou gets into a car accident driving to pick her mom up from her waitressing job, the police have a lot of questions.  Why is a twelve year old driving?  Why are Lou and her mom living in the back of the truck?  Why hasn't Lou been to school in a year?  Suddenly Lou is separated from her mother and in a hospital room with bright lights, strange sounds, and people who don't know she doesn't like to be touched.  

That's how she ends up halfway across the country with her aunt and uncle.  Lou barely remembers Ginger and she's never met Dan.  It seems so strange to be far from her mother and living in a big house with her own bedroom and more than enough food to eat.  And now she's back in school again which isn't so bad since she has Well who seems determined to be her friend.  

Lou decides this is her opportunity to not be the weird kid, to hide all her sensitivities to sound and touch.  The counselor at her new school thinks she has a sensory processing disorder, but Lou can only hear her mom's voice in her head claiming there is nothing wrong with her.  As Lou begins to understand the truth about herself, she also begins to accept the reality of the life she had with her mother.  Now she has to find the courage to speak for herself and grab onto the best possibilities life has to offer.

Jamie Sumner's new book is sure to appeal to middle school readers who crave stories with pain and emotional depth.  This is also an interesting representation of a character who has a sensory processing disorder but who is not necessarily on the autism spectrum.  Recommended.