Book Review: Tune It Out by Jamie Sumner

Title: Tune it Out

Author: Jamie Sumner

Genre: Middle Grade Realistic Fiction

Number of Pages: 288

Rating: B+

Recommended?: Yes

---

Tune it Out centers around Lou, a shy pre-teen girl whose negligent mother is trying to turn her into a famous musician. Lou has SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) and when her mom forces her to perform she gets overstimulated and has anxiety attacks. After an incident involving her mom’s car, Lou gets taken by CPS and sent to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle.

She misses her mother and has a lot of trouble assimilating, but she gradually begins to bond with her aunt and uncle and is befriended by a flamboyant boy who is as sociable as she is withdrawn. I really felt for Lou, she was a endearing and well-written character who was so much more than her diagnosis. Even though her friend Well’s role in the story was a little bit predictable, I still enjoyed his character and what a good friend he was to Lou.

This is the first book I’d ever read about SPD, and the reader got a really good sense of Lou’s challenges and how hard social situations were for her. The only thing I didn’t like about this book was that I thought Lou’s mom was let off the hook too much. She was portrayed as being ultimately loving and well-meaning but she knowingly put Lou in a terrible situation and put her life in danger with her neglect. I didn’t want Lou to try to give her mom a second chance, I didn’t think she deserved it. Overall this book was really satisfying and I can’t wait to read this author’s other novel, Roll With It.

Advertisement