ARC review

Poetic, moving, and utterly heartbreaking, Please Pay Attention is a novel that demands to be read, felt, and deeply considered. Jamie Sumner masterfully captures the raw realities of a school shooting through the eyes of Bea, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy who navigates the world from her wheelchair. Her voice is honest and powerful, offering a perspective that is too often overlooked in stories like this.

This book isn’t just a story. It’s a wake-up call. Bea’s experience reveals the terrifying reality that not all students are equally protected when the unimaginable happens. It forces readers to confront the painful truth of how schools, safety protocols, and even society fail children in moments of crisis. It’s eye-opening in the most necessary way, making it impossible to look away or ignore the need for change.

Please Pay Attention broke my heart and filled me with rage, but more than anything, it left me inspired. Voices like Bea’s matter, and so does everyone else’s. “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” Every single person should read this book. It’s time to listen, speak up, and demand better for our children.

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2025 reads: 84/300

i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.

content warnings: school shooting, grief, ableism

there is a before and after for bea coughlin, an eighth grader with cerebral palsy. before the school shooting that took the lives of her teacher and classmates, and after, when she has to figure out how to keep going. as she learns to heal from this traumatic event, she finds the bravery to demand change.

with how prevalent school shootings, and discussion around them, are, many of our discussions leave out disabled people. this is true for other emergencies, too; there are almost never solid plans to get disabled people to safety should a fire or severe weather happen. this is something bea reflects on a lot throughout this book. as a wheelchair user, she felt helpless during lockdown, when her classmates were taking cover and she needed help. when she finds equine therapy, she begins to find the courage to speak up against school shootings and how disabled people are often disregarded in our society. this was a novel in verse, and i thought that was a great choice. bea had a lovely voice. i highly recommend this book.