The Unique Lou Fox

October 3, 2022
Diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD, 10-year-old Louisa Elizabeth Fitzhenry-O’Shaughnessy—whose name is 36 letters long—dreams of becoming a famous playwright with a simple name: Lou Fox. In the meantime, Lou is frustrated with grade five in Winnipeg, especially when her extensive vocabulary proves irrelevant on spelling tests: “I can talk the talk, but no way can I spell the spell.” Her teacher harps on her mistakes and her daydreaming, and often sends Lou to the principal’s office. Convinced she’s to blame when her teacher becomes sick and her pregnant mother is rushed to the hospital, Lou tries to redeem herself, along the way receiving encouragement from her understanding father and principal. Pulling from her own experience with ADHD, Carmichael (Family of Spies: Paris) deftly captures the imaginative protagonist’s internal struggle of conflicting emotions, including perfectionism and a desire to please. Designed using fonts made with consideration for dyslexic readers, this touching book with an arc toward self-acceptance demonstrates the importance of accommodation and classroom support. Lou and her family read as white; the supporting cast includes characters of Chinese, South Asian, and Cree descent. Back matter includes an author’s note, details about dyslexia and ADHD, and resources. Ages 8–12.

September 1, 2022

Gr 3-7-Fifth grader Louisa Elizabeth Fitzhenry-O'Shaughnessy is creative, innovative, warm, a fierce friend, and a loving daughter. Lou aspires to be a Broadway playwright and a Cirque du Soleil performer, and she practices her theater and gymnastics skills with her two best friends, Lexie and Nakessa, every chance she has. Lou is highly verbal and terrific in art class, but because she has dyslexia and ADHD, she finds schoolwork involving reading, writing, and memorization a frustrating slog. Lou's imagination runs wild during class, and when her teacher Mrs. Snyder constantly clocks her daydreaming, Lou comes to believe that Mrs. Snyder just doesn't like her. When Lou learns she is about to become a big sister, her anxiety at school extends to home. Lou mistakenly believes that she needs to prove her worth to the adults in her life: she needs to be perfect in her behavior and schoolwork, so her mother is proud, and she needs to direct and write a perfect play so Mrs. Snyder sees how much work she is putting in at school. In Lou Fox, Carmichael has created a refreshing, believable, and fun-loving protagonist who will be a welcome addition to library shelves. Her navigation of stage fright, jealousy, friendship, and schoolwork is deftly written with believable examples. Despite Lou's anxiety about school and home life and frequent pitfalls and fresh starts, the book flows at a cheerful, bouncing pace. The very short chapters, often between two and six pages, will build confidence for emerging readers. The font was selected with readers with dyslexia in mind, with emphasized words bolded and back matter sharing information and resources about dyslexia and ADHD. Lou is cued as white. VERDICT Prepare to fall in love with Lou Fox and her supportive cast of family, friends, and teachers. Recommended for fiction collections.-Lauren Younger

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2022
A spirited and creative wannabe playwright in Winnipeg navigates grade 5 with dyslexia and ADHD. Louisa Elizabeth Fitzhenry-O'Shaughnessy has 36 letters in her name--and she hates spelling. She'd rather go by Lou Fox, the dream name that she plans to use when she becomes a Broadway playwright. For now, though, she is stuck in class with Mrs. Snyder, someone who seemingly doesn't like anything about Lou and can sense her daydreaming a mile away. Lou nicknames her teacher the Shadow Phantom, after the stealthy character in her dad's comic books. Lou attempts to control her wandering mind but nevertheless ends up regularly visiting the principal's office. But trouble with her friends over her behavior as director of the school play and stress at home since her mother became pregnant with twins mean her level of distraction grows. Still, she is supported by a humorous, devoted father full of love for Lou just as she is. The book's text design and font were selected with accessibility for readers with dyslexia in mind, and the author shares her own struggles with ADHD in a note to readers. Lou reads as White, and there is some racial diversity in the supporting cast; unfortunately, these characterizations feel superficial, and Lou's Chinese Canadian friend leans heavily into model minority stereotypes. A strong neurodiverse protagonist nearly makes up for flatter secondary characters. (recipe, further information, resources) (Fiction. 8-12)

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