Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers

By: Caela Carter

Narrated by: Hope Newhouse

From the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Notable and Charlotte Huck Honor Book Forever, or a Long, Long Time comes a moving own-voices story that shines a light on how one girl’s learning differences are neither right nor wrong...just perfectly individual. For fans of Alyson Gerber, Cammie McGovern, and Kathryn Erskine.

No one can figure out what Gwendolyn Rogers’s problem is - not her mom, or her teachers, or any of the many therapists she’s seen. But Gwendolyn knows she doesn’t have just one thing wrong with her: She has 54.

At least, according to a confidential school report (that she read because she is #16. Sneaky, not to mention #13. Impulsive). So Gwendolyn needs a plan, because if she doesn’t get these 54 things under control, she’s not going to be able to go to horse camp this summer with her half brother, Tyler.

But Tyler can’t help her because there’s only one thing “wrong” with him: ADHD.

And her best friend, Hettie, can’t help her because there’s nothing wrong with Hettie. She’s perfect.

So Gwendolyn is hopeless until she remembers the one thing that helped her mother when her own life was out of control. Or actually, the 12 things. Can these Twelve Steps that cured her mother somehow cure Gwendolyn too?

©2021 Caela Carter (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

So amazing

I loved this book! The writing is gorgeous and the story is enthralling inventive and interesting

Amazing 😃!!!!

Best book ever. I read this amazing book over and over. I really recommend reading this book

Should be required reading

I am a veteran teacher & a mom of 2 young kids with ADHD. We have just begun our journey with ADHD! I. Am. So. Grateful. For this story! It should be required reading for anyone who works with or HAS kids!!! Thank you! Thank you!!!

(Title is a mouthful but fitting!)

Amazing!

This book allows us into the mind of a struggling child who just wants to be ‘normal’ all while experiencing the ups and downs. Couldn’t stop listening and finished in one day!! You won’t be disappointed!!!

Funny and sad

This is a book that I read over and over again,fun and it’s a touching story

I’ve never felt so seen. Cried & laughed the whole time.

This is THE book to read if you have a kid who is neurodivergent, or if you yourself as an adult need to feel seen and heard by someone in this world. As someone who lived my entire life knowing that I was different, but never having the resources or recognition to understand it as a neuro developmental disorder, I just thought I was stupid, lazy, unorganized, and pretty much all of the things that Gwendolyn puts on her list. While I personally did not suffer with as many anger issues, my self-esteem was always in the gutter, I always felt like someone was mad at me, I was very often lonely, sad, out of place, spacey, dissociative (at one point, my mom had my hearing tested because I could be so focused on something that I would absolutely not hear someone yelling my name right next to me, just as Gwendolyn experiences in the book), and as I got older and became an adult and still could not figure out how to “do life“ no matter how hard I tried, I finally reached out for help, actually thinking that I was suffering with early onset Alzheimer’s at the ripe age of 35, and around 37 years old, I was diagnosed with ADHD. My entire life made sense. I also found it quite ironic that I grew up with a lifelong fascination, love for, and ability to understand/train/ride horses from a very young age, something I still do to this day, so the fact that the main character in this book has that in common, just made it all that more enjoyable for me. 

Even if you’re not necessarily looking for a book to better understand, different types of brain, power, and just want a comical and heart, wrenching story about a sweet kid, highly recommend. . I couldn’t stop listening and can only hope that we may be yet later books as Gwendolyn gets older, and we can continue following her journey.