Pajama Press

School Library Journal

“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…Prepare to fall in love with Lou Fox and her supportive cast of family, friends, and teachers. Recommended for fiction collections.”

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Kirkus Reviews

“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.”

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Publishers Weekly

“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.”

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School Library Journal, Fuse 8 

“It would seem to me that if one were writing a middle grade novel about a girl that’s dyslexic and has ADHD, it might make complete and utter sense if said book were written in a dyslexia friendly font. So often this is just simply not the case, and it’s nice to see Pajama Press making a bit of an effort here with this publication. In this story Louisa Elizabeth Fitzhenry-O’Shaughnessy wants to be a writer, but has to deal with things like a teacher who simply doesn’t understand what having ADHD actually means. Fortunately, Lou has a lot of good coping techniques and the book takes time and attention to display these.”

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Foreword Magazine

“The books also strikes an excellent balance between acknowledging the hardships that disabilities bring and making it clear that disabilities do not define people—they can even be strengths. Though Lou has trouble concentrating in school, her active mind means she can balance the intricacies of complex plots. Her struggles encourage others to learn more about dyslexia and ADHD. In the book’s sweet ending, Lou dedicates her play to someone who she’s come to understand is not so bad after all.

Both humorous and melancholy, The U-nique Lou Fox is a touching novel about a young playwright’s self-discovery and creative triumphs.”

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Portland Book Review

“Jodi Carmichael has written a solid middle-grade novel that gives a good picture of what kids with learning disabilities have to deal with and how hard it can be and how it can affect those around them…the writing is great and the story is compelling.”

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Children’s Literature–CLCD

“The storyline is adaptable to middle school and upper elementary. Themes include family relationships, friendships, learning disabilities and school. The author also has ADHD and addresses the day-to-day difficulties of living with a learning disability”

YA Books Central

“Appreciate those close to you. The author is able to evoke empathy for Louisa, as she becomes overwhelmed by the challenges faced every day. The plot isn’t overly complicated, but the feeling of normalcy helps to make the book approachable. This book became more than I expected, and I highly recommend you give it a shot.”

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The International Educator

“The U-nique Lou Fox by Jodi Carmichael is a book about a girl named Louisa, who dreams of being the youngest Broadway playwright in history, as well as the youngest Cirque du Soleil gymnast. But for now, she’s in fifth grade, with two best friends (Lexie and Nakessa), ADHD and dyslexia, and a teacher, Mrs Snyder, who seems to hate her. Then Lou’s mom delivers some bombshell news: Lou is going to be a big sister—to twins! Will she ever get to spend time with her mom after the babies are born? This book is amazing. I could really feel what Lou was feeling.”

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CM Magazine

“Probably every family, and every teacher, knows a Louisa. ‘Louisa’ in our family (the name has been changed to protect the innocent) is every bit as fun and creative and caring as author Jodi Carmichael’s Louisa. And she struggles every bit as much as Louisa to focus and function in a school environment. Carmichael, who has ADHD herself, has created a totally believable character.

Our ‘Louisa’ loves to cook, and so it is a nice bonus that Carmichael has included a recipe at the back of the book for “Mom’s Tofu Chocolate Chip Cookies”. Carmichael also includes short descriptions and resources for more information on dyslexia and ADHD, as well as a message to her readers…I hope that every Louisa in every classroom gets an opportunity to read or listen to The U-nique Lou Fox. It will be wonderful for all Louisas to have their uniqueness recognized and affirmed. Highly Recommended”

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Storytime with Stephanie

“Everything about The U-nique Lou Fox is fantastic. Pajama Press Inc has ensured the book is accessible using a font and font size to make it dyslexia friendly. Jodi Carmichael writes from personal experience. As an adult with ADHD, her writing celebrates the wonderful things that come from having such a creative, empathetic and adventurous spirit…This story exudes kindness and generosity and is a must have for classrooms and school libraries. It’s time for more stories about neuro-atypical children.”

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Jill’s Book Blog

“Rating:★★★★★ … This is a fabulous children’s novel! Not only is it written about a main character with dyslexia, but it was printed with consideration for readers with dyslexia. The text was set in Helvetica and the headers are in OpenDyslexic, so they are easier to read for children with dyslexia…I appreciated this detail in the story.

There were also parts of this story that are universal…lessons that everyone can relate to.

The U-nique Lou Fox is a great middle grade story!”

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