Fair portrayal of what is essentially an adult with SPD - but as the character in question was 12 years old, the narrative was not as compelling as it could have been. I do not believe the thought processes & characterization were relatable or appropriate for middle grade readers. I also found some of the adult characters to be a little too "quirky" to be realistic & recognizable influences in the average child's life & am therefore not sure that the intended audience can connect with them, or with this story.

This was a heart warming story that I enjoyed reading. I think it would be a great recommendation for students who are struggling with sensory processing disorder or being placed in foster care/removed from parents custody.

While I wish this book was an #OwnVoices representation of Sensory Processing Disorder, I thought the book was good.

In the beginning of Tune It Out, Lou is homeless, lives with her mom and does not go to school. Instead, she spends her time in coffee shops, singing, despite the fact that she hates crowds, lights, noise, and people touching her. When she drives her mom's pickup truck in a snowstorm alone and crashes it, She enters foster care and lives with her aunt. She goes to a new, private school, and discovers there is a reason why she hates sounds, textures, lights, and people touching her: Sensory Processing Disorder. With the help of her Aunt, her new Uncle, and her new friend Maxwell she learns to cope with it and accepts their help. 4/5 stars.

Louise's mom is convinced that Louise's singing voice will be their big break and save them from a life of living in their truck, traveling from one campsite to the next always out of reach of school officials and child protective services. It's not that Louise minds the singing so much, she has problems with certain noises and people touching her. On the night Louise must drive to get her mother from her waitressing job, a snow storm and a deer crossing the road causes Louise to wreck the truck. Louise is removed from her mother's care and taken to her estranged aunt and uncle's home. After being enrolled in school, she finds out she has a sensory processing disorder. At first reluctant to deal with the problem due to fears of what the other kids will say about her, she finally understands her new friends are true friends and that even though her mom loves her, the life they were living was not in the best interests of Louise.

I loved everything about this book! The topic of homelessness and the effects of poverty are teased out, in addition to not painting child protective services as an evil, but as an entity that advocates for children. There are many stories of the ugly side of foster care, but too few about the necessity of foster care. I also love how this story introduces the topic of sensory processing disorders, which is something else many kids deal with that is little understood. Sumner is proving to be one to watch! I look for this book to be on several state reading award lists.

This book was better then I expected. The author did a nice job of trying to show both sides of the story with her parents and it is always refreshing to see more books for kids to relate to with the protagonist dealing with sensory issues.

I loved Lou and her friend Well, and the story was good, drawing me in, making me cheer for Lou as she navigates the challenges of her life. Sumner described well how Lou's Sensory Processing Disorder made her feel. At the same time, the plot did seem message focused, trying to educate about SPD, as well as explaining how Lou needed to separate herself from her mother's dysfunctional behavior while continuing to love her. Also, not many kids experiencing homelessness have all of the pieces fall into place for such a fairy tale ending, with well-off, loving relatives who take them in and send them to expensive private schools. Still, a good choice for middle grade readers.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc! 5 stars! Lou is homeless living with her Mom in Tahoe when an incident happens causing her to go live with Aunt and Uncle in Nashville. Lou has Sensory Processing Disorder and is coping with moving, her relationship with her Mom, and SPD.

So many important topics here in a short book! I appreciated the sensitivity and realism in all of them. This is a great one to remember for the kids.

Beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful.

Lou is such an interesting character and serves as a great window into the world of someone with SPD.

Wow! This book involves a character with SPD and that is something so important to have in stories. Many children have SPD and it's wonderful to have stories to offer them where they can see themselves reflected in the pages.

I really enjoyed this book. It is always great to see a diverse main character. This is definitely one we will be purchasing for our libraries.

I think you’ll love Lou’s story as much as me — it’s a beautiful character arc, the most authentic portrayal of SPD in middle-grade literature that I’ve read, and an un-put-downable, heartfelt story. 12-year-old Lou and her mom live in a truck. While her mom works as a waitress, Lou hangs out or sings for money, living her mom’s dream even though Lou dreads performing, it makes her extremely anxious. One evening, underage Lou drives in a snowstorm to pick up her mom from work and gets into an accident and Lou gets out in foster care with an aunt she’s never met. In her new home, Lou goes to a fancy private school where, after a fire drill meltdown, she’s assessed with Sensory Processing Disorder. She starts to get help with an occupational therapist and a sensory diet, understanding herself better, and learning to trust her kind aunt and uncle. Her situation is complicated and imperfect which feels completely authentic.

Loved it. I teared up once. Not that the book left any loose ends, but I sort of wish the book were longer.

Lou loves to sing, but she hates to perform. Truly hates it, complete with panic attacks. A large part of it is that she doesn’t deal well with loud noises, so applause causes her real distress. But Lou’s mother insists that Lou is their way out of the financial problems they are in. Currently living in their truck, Lou and her mother look for her big break when Lou performs at a local coffee shop. Just as things seem to be going their way though, an accident leads to social services discovering how Lou and her mother have been living. Soon Lou is being sent across the country to stay with an aunt and uncle she hasn’t seen since she was a young child. Enrolled in a fancy school, Lou misses her mother horribly even though she now has her own room, plenty to eat and adults who love her. With a new friend who insists she joins theater, Lou starts to see a new future for herself, though she’s not sure where her mother fits in.

The author of Roll with It returns with another story about a child with special needs. Lou’s sensory processing disorder plays a large role in the story and in the way that she feels about herself, too. From riding on planes to appearing on stage to letting her voice be heard, it is all more difficult for Lou. Lou’s special need is portrayed with empathy as is the homelessness that Lou and her mother experience and the other struggles that her mother faces.

Throughout the book there is a sense of hope, a feeling that there are adults around to help. Whether it is social workers, school counselors, teachers or relatives, Lou is surrounded by adults willing and able to help her move forward and make big decisions about her life. Still, while they lend a supportive hand, it is Lou who makes her own decisions, challenges herself, and finds her own unique path.

A deep look at a child with a disability, poverty and community. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

A young girl who battles autism is thrown into the worst possible atmosphere homeless and with enormous talent her mom wants her to perform. Needless to say this is an internal battle that can't be won. When an accident happens one evening that alerts the authorities - Lou is removed from her Mom and sent to stay with relatives that she didn't really even remember. The journey to conquer her SPD and the other battles she faces with her Aunt and Uncle will have you cheering for her as Lou meets new friends and finds out that she can "Tune Out" things that don't matter and embrace the things that do.

Outstanding! I adored this book!

I loved the characters. Lou is a delight all the way through the story. I loved her aunt and uncle and the ways people at her new school accept her. I am a sucker for a positive foster care story, and this is an excellent one. But Lou also gets some terrific perspective and insight about her mom and their relationship, which was so enjoyable to watch. The sensory processing pieces were well done. The social workers and the school counselor were everything you would hope for from their professions. Sure, the kids all felt older than 6th grade, but I loved this so much I did not care. I would read this again, it was so good. Would make a fantastic read aloud or book club selection. Do not miss this one!

Louise "Lou" Montgomery lives with her mom - a struggling, single parent with nothing but praise and encouragement for her daughter. Maybe a little too much so.

Lou doesn't like sudden or loud noises. She doesn't like to be touched (or any sort of contact). But Lou's mom won't listen to anyone who might suggest that Lou is 'on the spectrum' and she pushes her daughter, who has a great singing voice, to perform in public at local establishments.

Lou's mom is convinced that the two of them should leave their Lake Tahoe 'home' and move to Los Angeles where Lou can really be discovered. But before they can head out, Lou (who is only 12) is driving the car to pick up her mother and has an accident. Having an accident gets the police involved, and being only 12 and driving gets child protective services involved.

It seems that Lou hasn't been to school in some time, and home life sometimes means sleeping in the car. Lou is going to be sent away, separated from her mother, and she will be staying (at her mother's request) with her Aunt Ginger and Uncle Dan in Nashville, until her mom can get settled and prove that she can care for her daughter.

Lou misses her mother fiercely, but makes some pretty good friends at her new school - friends who really understand her (they wave signs that read "Applause" instead of actually clapping just so that they don't upset Lou). She gets involved in the school play (as assistant director) and meets with a counselor who listens and is patient.

When Lou does finally get to see her mother (in a public, supervised location) she sees that her mother really isn't ready for her. She doesn't listen to Lou, instead making plans as if nothing had changed. Lou sets her straight, letting her know that she's <em>never</em> liked preforming in public, and she'll stay with Ginger and Dan and her friends.

This is an easy to read, quick book, with lots of heart, plenty of feel-good moments, and a central character that readers will rally around.

I don't know much about autism or 'the spectrum' but clearly Lou shows signs of having some issues. Whether or not these specific issues will resonate with readers - I don't know. But most of us have felt 'different' or separate from the crowd during school, and there are aspect here that we can relate to.

I have a few issues with the mother, presented in such a positive light - even when Lou finally realizes that her mother hasn't been understanding her. Everything here is Hallmark Channel squeaky clean and we don't get a lot of time to settle in to all of Lou's new routines, but instead Lou makes big adjustments that seem slightly out of character in order to keep the story moving swiftly.

Still, it tugs at your heart and Lou is a strong character and it's easy to want to see her succeed. This will definitely hit home with a certain school-aged audience.

Looking for a good book? <em>Tune it Out</em> by Jamie Sumner is a very positive look at a young girl with some social issues showing strength of character as she starts a new life (at age 12) with distant relatives and new friends.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

A great book for fans of 'sad' books with happy endings like Counting by 7s or Shouting at the Rain. It's always been Lou and her mom against the world as they live paycheck to paycheck out of their car. Lou has an (undiagnosed) sensory processing disorder and has severe panic attacks if she is forced to be immersed in loud crowds or touched by strangers. When child services separates Lou from her mom and sends her to live with her aunt in Nashville, she discovers a new world. I loved the growth and development of Lou throughout this story. I highly recommend this moving and powerful story about family, coming of age, and overcoming obstacles.

Tune It Out was absolutely fantastic! This book will be put high on the list for a middle grade book club book. Lou is a fighter. Despite growing up in poverty, getting taken from her mother, and having a sensory processing disorder, she continues to grow and develop friendships with unique and caring classmates. This book is filled with emotion and has many lessons to teach. A beautifully written story about being true to yourself.

I LOVED this book. It deals with real, serious issues (sensory processing disorder, homelessness, poverty, family issues) in a way that is accessible and appropriate for upper middle grade readers. It both broke my heart and brought me hope. Lou's journey from believing she is unfixably broken to learning that not everything is as she once thought to acceptance of herself and her world is told relatably and with a lot of heart. The story unfolds one small piece at a time, and the reader discovers each new twist right alongside Lou. It is so important for young readers to see that "normal" incorporates a vast ranges of individual differences, strengths, and challenges. Tune It Out demonstrates this in a beautiful, heartfelt way.

I also enjoyed the author's previous release, Roll With It. This one, however, has greater depth and I would recommend it even more highly. Roll With It might be more appropriate for a slightly younger audience.