Lou Montgomery is not your typical twelve-year-old girl. She doesn't have a school, and she doesn't have a home. She lives with her mother in their truck, staying at a campground. Food and money are scare, but Lou is happy she has a mom who cares about her. Lou has a sensory processing disorder and doesn't like touching or loud noises, which is difficult because her mother wants her to become a star. Lou is an amazing singer, and her mother frequently takes her out to perform to help them raise money. Sooner or later, she is sure Lou will become a star and make their lives great.

All of this changes one snowy night when Lou has to drive their truck to pick up her mom. After a crash and police involvement, everything changes. Lou finds herself flying across the country to stay with an aunt and uncle she has only met once. She goes from no school to attending a fancy private school that is nicer than anything she has ever known. Will Lou be able to adjust to this new life away from her mom? Will she be able to fit in at school given her SPD? Luckily with some good friends, family, and teachers, Lou has a great chance to change some things in her life.

This book draws the reader in, and from the moment I started I couldn't stop. I read the book cover to cover, loving Lou's world that author Jamie Sumner created. The way music adds to the world just makes things even better. I even went on Spotify to create Lou's playlist that her friend Well sent her. Listening to the songs and reading along made this an amazing immersive experience. Read this book. You won't be disappointed.

Jamie Sumner knocked it out of the park again! This book has everything-homelessness, food insecurity, sensory issues, foster care, even musical theater! Lou is real & honest. You will love her & ache for her.

After reading Roll With It, I was excited to see another middle school book from Jamie Sumner. Tune It Out is about Lou. The book starts off with her living with her mom in their car in Tahoe. She doesn't go to school. Instead, she and her mom performs to make money. After an accident, Lou is taken away from her mom and is placed with her aunt and uncle. She attends school for the first time in awhile and makes a friend. Lou tries to learn more about herself and her family.

I love that Jamie Sumner has now written two books that shows how individuals are not defined by their (dis)abilities. Lou is determined. She is brave. She is thoughtful. I loved reading about her, and I think others will like her as well.

I look forward to reading more books from Sumner.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lou Montgomery is living with her mother in Tahoe, not attending school and singing for crowds to earn money. While her life has never been exactly ordinary, it upends when she (a 12 year old) crashes her mothers car on her way to pick her up. When authorities become aware of the way Lou is being taken care of, she is separated from her mother and sent to live with her aunt and uncle across the country.

My heart swelled at Lou learning and realizing that she should be taken care of, and that her life does not need to be the chaos it once was. Lou finds her worth and learns to deal with not only missing her mother and the circumstances that came with her, but how to live life with sensory processing disorder.

There are so many layers to this book in which to learn from, but most importantly you will fall in love with Lou and her journey.

From a very young age, 12 year old Lou struggled with loud noises and physical contact. In fact, her mom was the only one who doesn't make her jump or cringe.  She and her mom have moved around a lot and are currently living in their truck.  Lou has a beautiful singing voice and while she hates performing in front of crowds, she sings at coffee shops, casinos, or any place her mom can land a gig to help pay for their basic needs.  On a snowy night, Lou is involved in an accident when she attempts to pick up her mom from her job.  The accident causes Lou to be separated from her mom and placed in the temporary custody of her lawyer aunt and teacher uncle.  Living in a new home, attending the private school where her uncle teaches, and making new friends is a big transition for Lou but gradually she learns more about her mom, her grandparents, and most importantly, herself.  While her mom never wanted Lou labeled, Lou begins to realize that acknowledging her sensory processing disorder doesn't make her weak, it gives her the strength to manage it and be truly happy.

Narrated by Lou, Tune It Out was a story of heartache, happiness, and hope.  At the beginning, my heart broke for both Lou and her mom.  I know Lou's mom loves her daughter and never intended anything bad to happen to her, but was too proud to ask for help.  I was overcome with happiness as Lou began to trust others especially new friend Well realizing that good friends accept you for who you are.  And lastly, Lou gave me hope because with the support of family, school, and friends, she stopped running away from her problems, learned from her mistakes, spoke up for herself, and forged her own path. Thanks to the author, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for sharing a digital galley of Tune It Out with my #bookexcursion group.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for sharing an eARC with me in exchange for an honest review. I really loved Roll With It, but this book was even better. The topic of homelessness and being taken from a parent was heartbreaking and felt real. I have not experienced these things, but the way Jamie Sumner wrote it, I felt like I had experienced that life. This book is a must read and I will definitely be buying for my students.

Lou is a girl who has faced many obstacles in her young life...homelessness, feeling different, and a mom who doesn’t really see who she truly is. Forced to move to Nashville with an aunt and uncle she barely knows, Lou learns to let people in and discovers that she can have her version of a normal life.

There is a saying "a book your heart needs", this is that book for me. I have a daughter who is autistic and has SPD so it hit home. I love it for my daughter so she will be able to see herself in this book but also her classmates will she her in this book. Maybe even understand her a little more.

Fans of Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale and Joan Bauer’s Almost Home will quickly fall in love with this story.

Lou struggles with loud noises and being touched. When the book starts she and her mom are living in their truck until an accident during a snow storm. The accident separates Lou from her mom, but gives her the opportunity to reconnect with relatives, meet new friends, and attend school.

This book is an unforgettable, sweet story about learning to accept help and the power of friendship. I only wish I could give it more than five stars.

I loved ROLL WITH IT, so I was very excited to read TUNE IT OUT, Sumner does an amazing job of teaching the reader about disabilities, but making that only one part of the character. Disability doesn’t define Lou. She is brave, wise and determined. I will recommend this book to all readers!

This story is told from the viewpoint of a young girl, Lou Montgomery, who has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). My favorite thing about the book is that it is not centered on her disorder. It is a story of a young girl struggling to find her voice when her world is turned on its head. She has many struggles to contend with, as if being in the 6th grade was not tough enough. This delightful story will leave you laughing, crying and hoping as you walk the path of life with this young girl. It shows that all people deal with issues, and that her struggle with SPD may be more visible than most, but everyone has something. Sumner weaves this tale with true life struggles but incorporates the SPD within the story without making it THE story. I believe it is a great book for all students to read, especially those who are dealing with struggles that make them feel that they are “not normal”. What is normal anyway??

Finished! Loved it! OMG the very beginning made me miss sitting in Starbucks reading a book. I could smell it hear and feel it. I LOVE WELL!!! 🤣 He is amazing. Lou is the strongest person I’ve ever met! So much love for this book. Thank you Jamie!

I have so much ❤️ for this 📖! You will full in love with these characters! Tune it Out by @jamiesumner_ is about hope and the importance of family & friendship. Lou-the epitome of perseverance & strength. You will also fall in love with Well! #BookPosse #NotoriousReader Order!

Thank you to Jamie Sumner for providing #BookAllies with an eARC!

Lou isn't your ordinary girl; she is more than that. Music lovin', coffee sippin', braver than on can think - she tackles her sensory processing disorder (SPD) and her voice to fight for what's right with her momma. Oh the heart I have for Lou! Invisible disabilities are real and I am so glad this book takes on this awareness for our students. I think Jamie developed such a well-thoughtout character that has to overcome many obstacles. She faces homelessness, poverty, hunger, SPD, the want to go to school, the want to fit in, the want to have a friend, and the want to stand up to her mother. I am happy with how the story ended because I was not quite ready if it ended in the way the reader might think it would end (I don't want to spoil). I am eager to share this one with my students, especially to put it in the hands of my students who DO have SPD and other invisible disabilities so they can connect with this character. Well done!

Sounds and touches can be painful for twelve-year-old Louise Montgomery, but her mother believes she is destined to make it big as a singer, so she has been pushed to perform in noisy coffee shops, karaoke nights, in casinos for much of her life. After an accident, Lou is placed in the custody of her aunt and uncle where she grapples with friendship, her relationship with the adults in her life, and her sensory processing disorder.

This book has so much heart. Sumner writes Lou’s reactions to external stimuli and her struggle with relationships with vivid details. Although her sensory processing disorder plays a key role in the plot, the changing relationship with her mother is incredibly powerful. Lou’s love of music creates an opportunity to build friendships in heartwarming characters like Well, but it also makes for a fantastic playlist! Tune It Out is a fantastic window book for some, and an important mirror book for those with invisible disabilities (as stated in the author’s acknowledgements), those who may be working with child services, and those who struggle to find their voice. Teachers and librarians may see this as a must add to their collection. Three (silent) cheers for Tune It Out!

As a part of an ARC-sharing group called #BookAllies, I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There are not many books for middle grade readers that have truly explored sensory processing disorder. Tune It Out does that and more! Lou and her mom live in a truck at a campsite. Mom can't wait until Lou makes it big with her singing career but is that what Lou really wants? One difficult evening leads Lou down a path that will impact her entire life. She must learn to deal with a new home, a new school, friends for the first time and her sensory processing disorder. Is Lou strong enough and brave enough? Does she have what it takes to "feel all the feels?" Lou and Well will have you laughing one moment and then tearing up the next. Sumner has written about SPD with accuracy, compassion and a huge heart! The author provided me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, Jamie!