Sarah Kapit’s Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen is a fantastic, relevant read. The life of a child who is on the autism spectrum is different from others in many ways. They’re often treated negatively by just about everyone in their circle, whether intentional or otherwise. Vivy is experiencing this as well. She gets a lot of support from her family, but they also want to protect her more than she would like. Unfortunately, she also misses hanging out with her brother who all of a sudden seems to be too busy for her. Of course, there are those who are just plain mean because of her differences, but there are also wonderful friends who support her in her difficulties and help her see her worth and strengths. Kapit gives us great insight into what many with autism likely experience in an engaging and entertaining way. From the difficulties and heartbreaks to the successes, you’ll be on Vivy’s team as you experience this outstanding story. Baseball fans or anyone with a connection to someone with autism will love Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!

Review of an Advance Reading Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Dial Books for Young Readers

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None 

Violence/Gore:  Few (10) brief incidents including a character jokes that his mom will kill him; character wants to rip off own skin(exaggeration); second-hand report of character getting hit by baseball; reference to zombies and head getting cut off; character falls and cuts knee; characters hit another with a baseball on accident; reference to pigeons and people getting killed by being hit by a baseball; character falls and cuts knee; character hit in the head by a baseball and sustains a concussion.

Sex/Nudity:  Two brief incidents including boy has boyfriend; reference to gay people.

Mature Subject Matter:

One incident of rude humor; reference to gay people.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None