Reviewer: LeeAnn Kendall
Published: 2025
Author: Jamie Sumner
Genre: Middle Grade Realistic Fiction / Novel in Verse
Audience: Grades 6–8
Number of Stars: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Goodreads Link: Please Pay Attention
Content Warnings: School shooting (off-page aftermath), death of children and a teacher, grief, and trauma.
Publisher’s Summary
There is a Before and an After for eighth grader Bea Coughlin. Before the shooting at her school that took the lives of her classmates and teacher, and After, when she must figure out how to grieve and keep rolling forward.
As her community rallies with marches and speeches, Bea—who has cerebral palsy—struggles with the memory of the helplessness she felt in her wheelchair while others took cover. In a world that wasn’t built for her, Bea begins a journey of healing through therapeutic horseback riding. As she connects with her horse and works through her trauma, she finds her voice and the bravery to demand change.
Review
This book was such an interesting read! An influencer mom wakes up one morning in the 1850s and is desperately trying to figure out how to get her picture-perfect life back. As time goes on, she slowly starts to evaluate the choices she has made, leading to a truly surprising ending.
This was honestly one of the more interesting books I have read in the last few years. The main character, Natalie, was incredibly unlikable and served as a very unreliable narrator. The narrative structure shifts back and forth between the brutal reality of the 1850s and the curated present day. One of the things I didn’t love about this book was that when it would time hop back to the 1850’s, it was incredibly boring and dull. Those parts of the book really seemed to drag on, while the present day portions of the book were more action packed. It would have been nice if the author could have found a way to strike a balance between the two parts. Older students would enjoy this book as it explores the influencer lifestyle and “raises the veil” on what happens behind the scenes of social media fame. While the ending was shocking, the story felt like it wrapped up a little too quickly.
🎒 Classroom & Curricular Connections
- ELA (Novel in Verse Analysis):
- Activity Idea: Discuss why the author chose verse over prose for this story. How does the white space on the page reflect Bea’s feelings of silence or breathlessness after the trauma?
- Social Studies (Civics & Advocacy):
- Activity Idea: Bea finds her voice to “demand change.” Research youth-led movements for school safety. How do individuals with disabilities advocate for their specific needs during emergency planning?
- Health & SEL (Grief and Recovery):
- Activity Idea: Explore the concept of “The Before and The After.” Have students discuss (in a safe, general way) how major life changes can split a person’s timeline and what “resilience” looks like in the “After.”
- Science & Biology (Cerebral Palsy Awareness):
- Activity Idea: Learn about how cerebral palsy affects the body. Discuss the importance of “Universal Design” and how Bea’s school environment failed her during the crisis.
