Rainy by Sis Deans

Grade 4 and Up

Rainy isn’t thrilled about going to camp, away from her family and her beloved dog. Without her family there to help, how will she stay focused when her thoughts start bouncing around her brain like Ping-Pong balls?

Once Rainy finds friends who can handle her extreme energy, she decides that camp is great. She’s even gotten good at keeping track of her things. But when bad news from home floods her head with too many thoughts, she forgets the rules and sets off on a dangerous journey.

I’ve read many books in my life but this is the first book I’ve read starring a child with ADHD. I’m trying to create a character with ADHD and this book gave me some good information about what it’s like to live with it. I’ve always wondered what is going on inside the mind of someone with so much energy. You can practically see the thoughts bouncing around in their head.

I think the best way to handle a kid with a difference and pretty much anyone is to concentrate on what they can do rather than what they cannot do. You can’t force someone to be something they’re not, you have to work with them, not against them.

The thing I didn’t like was anytime someone told Rainy to act ‘normal’. I hate when people throw that word around like it actually means something. No one is ‘normal’. Anyone the least bit interesting is weird in someway.

Speaking of ADHD, here’s a fun Frazz comic on the subject.

Be sure to check out the ‘Author’s Note’ at the end of the book.