Another Golden Sower Nominee. This book made me wish I was still teaching English, because even though it takes place in middle school, I would read it out loud to students to demonstrate empathetic characters. Really sweet story told from the perspective of a boy with ADD and how it affects his perception of pretty much everything, from family relationships to schoolwork. Important book for teachers and students. Listened to it on Libby, really liked the narrator. ( )

// Received an advance readers copy in exchange for a fair review //

"Maybe the rules change when you grow up. Maybe there are times when you can quit, for a while at least. But I don't think you should be allowed to quit on people. And nobody should be allowed to quit on Heather."


Someone love me as much as Joseph loves Heather please.

Joseph and Heather were just so good for each other and the story in general. They grew up so well and the character development was amazing and so clearly seen. Even the characters we written so well. I just absolutely adored the characters here *cough* Charlie *cough*. I ended up enjoying Charlie's character in the end of the book.

The writing style did not bore me at all and I found myself being widely amused at a lot of parts. Julian was the key to this amusement of mine.


I love how the book focused on having someone there to push you to do your best and catch you whenever we fall. I have always liked books that focuses a lot more on the friendship of the characters more than the romantic side, even though this did include some parts that were romanticized. For me, I was just struck more on Heather and Joseph as partners and friends than them being a couple.


This is was a really great middle-grade, coming of age type of read. This book is for those who are looking for a sporty read and for those who feel like giving up on whatever 'thing' they are focused on. Whether it be liberal arts, performing arts, music, sports, writing, or just whatever your thing is.


"I guess there's a line that even bullies know not to cross:" ( )

This book is about Joseph, white and Jewish, has ADD, is clumsy and phobic, and seems to be a magnet for middle school bullies. Heather, the new girl, is white, very tall, and athletically gifted. They may seem an odd pair, but they share a common problem: they don’t fit in. At the urging of his Resource Room teacher, Joseph joins the new cross-country team right along with Heather—the one most likely a last-place finisher of races and the other the almost-certain winner. But each needs support that the other provides. Heather is dealing with an unengaged mother who is on an extended trip to Hawaii, leaving her feeling rejected and vulnerable. This book is a great way for other people to see how others can be pushed away for the lack of their abilities and how that makes them feel. ( )

The book Side Tracked is about a boy named Joseph who has trouble getting bullied in middle school. Unlike most boys in his class he isn’t athletic and he is taken to the resource room because he has ADD. These two things have made him a target of students, however, he has found friendship and encouragement from his teacher. He later takes this teachers advice by joining the track team and becomes friends with the most athletic girl in school, Heather, who was also an outcast. Through their friendship they navigate middle school and over come the trials they face together. This book is really great for middle school students. It shows how students can be pushed away for their abilities or lack their of. This book encourages students to see the harm that can cause and to not do it. This is also a great book for middle schoolers because it shows a healthy friendship between a boy and a girl. Lost of students are filled with hormones and confused about the social aspects of being friends with the opposite gender. This book shows them that this is normal and a healthy relationship and that boys and girls can have plutonic relationships. This book is also vital because it normalizes students with ADD and students that are taken to resource rooms, and shows they share the same wants and struggles as everyone else and should not be cast out for being different. This would be a great book to have in any classroom, and could make a good lesson in an English class about social aspects of middle school and acceptance. ( )