“Excellent middle grade and young adult book! This very well-written story about a middle school girl with scoliosis blends a very heartfelt account (based on the author’s experiences as a child) of being in a back brace and the accompanying blow to her self-confidence, with a realistic and warm story of friendship and middle school and soccer and boys. There is an author’s note about her own experiences with scoliosis and resources for kids experiencing the same struggles she did. While the issue in this book is a specific one, Rachel’s efforts to deal with being different will be relatable to pretty much every teen and tween in our world today. I will be purchasing for both of my school libraries. (I received an e-ARC of this book from Edelweiss- all opinions are my own).”

Shop for FOCUSED at  McNally Jackson (signed copy)   Indiebound Amazon Barnes & Noble  Target  Book Depository

Shop for BRACED at  Indiebound Barnes & Noble  Amazon Target Book Depository