There are those who fit right in at school, who make friends easily and understand all the rules, who have no trouble paying attention in class and following directions. And then there are the rest of us. Joseph Friedman is one of us. Small compared to the other seventh graders, slow and unathletic, struggling with attention and sensory issues, Joseph knows what it is to feel lost, to miss out on a teacher's instructions, and to be bullied. 

However, he is not without help. Joseph has a supportive family, and at school he has access to a Resource Room, a place where he can go to catch his breath, quell his anxieties, and reset his ADD brain when he needs to. In the Resource Room, he has Mrs. T., a teacher who gets what it's like for these kids in school. And if that's not enough, in P.E. class (Joseph's least favorite), he finds help in a surprising place. Just as bully Charlie Kastner is charging at him with a soccer ball, a new kid--a girl even--deftly cuts Charlie off and steals the ball, heading toward the goal. 

When Joseph finally gets to talk to the new girl, he finds out that she is named Heather, she is far taller than he expected, she is smart, and she wants to be a track star. Fortunately for them both, Mrs. T. has decided to start a track team, and even though Joseph is not fast, this offers him an opportunity to be part of something bigger than himself. 

I am big fan of middle grade books done well, and Diana Harmon Asher's Sidetracked nails it. The novel, her first, is told in first person through Joseph's entertaining voice, and that makes for an absolutely charming story. Honest about the struggles of being in seventh grade, of being ADD, of being bullied, Sidetracked shows readers how to deal with life's challenges with humor and grace. I would recommend this to readers of all ages who find themselves struggling to feel like they fit in. Joseph and Heather's individual struggles to find their places, to find success in a hostile environment, to find what makes them special is something that everyone can relate to. And the fact that it's a lovely story with such fantastic characters just makes it that much better. Don't get sidetracked (sorry! sort of) from reading this book! 

Galleys for Sidetracked were provided by Amulet Books/ABRAMS Kids through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.