Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

Olivia Bean is an odd duck. She is ten years old, wears mismatched clothes sometimes inside out, never brushes her hair, and always talks about rats. She has NLV, which is Nonverbal Learning Disorder. It is a neurological condition that can prevent a person from understanding anything that is not verbal. They will comprehend your words but will not get subtext and can never understand sarcasm.

Len, her father, has been raising Olivia on his own ever since his wife died. It is a very hard life. Then in walks Rachel Berman and her two children, Jamie and Dustin. Jamie and Dustin go to the same school as Olivia and they don't openly tease her - but they wouldn't be caught dead in the same room with her.

As Rachel and Len's relationship becomes deeper, secrets held by all come apparent and empathy comes alive.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a teacher and I like trying to understand many types of learning disorders. My school is dealing with autistic children now more than ever, and since this is one form of autism it is good to understand it.

I feel that young people should read books like this to understand about those "weird" children that attend their schools and realize that they have feelings and can't help what they do. This story also spoke about bullies. Olivia is bullied and doesn't understand why. She isn't mean and wants friends but the other girls are cruel.

INSIDE OUT GIRL is a wonderful story that sends a good message about how we treat others. ( )

This was an excellent story with interesting characters. Rachel is an overprotective Mom and seems a bit strange at first, and her kids seem to act a bit younger than their ages, perhaps due to the overprotection. Olivia Bean, the young girl with non-verbal learning disorder, is fascinating and all the characters develop and change over the course of the novel. I cared about the characters and loved the book. ( )

I recently realized that I was falling behind in my 2009 reviews while trying to catch up on the leftover books from 2008. Inside Out Girl had been sitting on my review pile for some time patiently waiting for me to read it. I'm so glad that I finally did pick this book up as I really enjoyed it.
Inside Out Girl introduces us to Olivia and her father Len. Olivia has NLD which is a nonverbal learning disorder. We are also introduced to Rachel, a single mother of two, owner of a parenting magazine, and a overly cautious parent. When Len and Rachel start dating, Rachel's children are furious as they go to school with Olivia whom they know as "inside out girl". Before anyone knows it, certain circumstances will change all of their lives forever.
Ms. Cohen really knows how to weave and tale and made me really care about Olivia and what happened to her. There are many different situations that the characters had to deal with throughout the story. I thought that this helped me as the reader see the characters grow and change in ways for the better. I really enjoyed this story and am so glad that I finally gave it a chance. A great way to start 2009 off on the right foot. ( )

Rachel Berman is head of a Perfect Parentmagazine and single mother of a 12 year old boy and a 14 year old girl. Len Bean is a widower and father to a ten year old daughter, Olivia, who suffers from NLD, nonverbal learning disorder. Rachel and Len meet and suddenly their lives and the lives of their children are blending into a family, if not a dysfunctional one. Olivia is a joke at school and Rachel’s kids, Janie and Dustin, are not inclined to make her life any easier. Janie is dealing with her own hormonal and sexual issues that take center stage.

There are a few surprises here and there, but I don’t want to give any away. This was a very enjoyable book about issues that most families are dealing with. I loved her writing style and the story moved at a fast pace. I think you will enjoy getting to know Olivia, as I did, and becoming a little more informed about a disorder that is closely linked to autism (but not the same). And Janie’s story will bring back the early teen years when whatever someone said about you at school one day had the ability to ruin your whole life. My only complaint is that some things were a little too convenient. As readers, we are agreeing to suspend our disbelief, but that only goes so far.

read more http://stacybuckeye.wordpress.com/200... ( )

Inside Out Girl - Tish Cohen.

I finished this book on Saturday Evening. I kept putting it aside after a page or two here or there as I hadn't committed to read it completely. But when I picked up it on Saturday I read to the end until I fell asleep very satisfied. I loved this story.

It is the story of Olivia who has a non verbal learning disorder. It is the story of what a parent goes through when raising a child that has a disability. To make matters worse, Len is Olivia's father is a single parent who has suffered a devastating loss. It is all about his love and devotion to his remarkable daughter. There is another story line with a single mother Rachel, raising a preteen (Dustin) and a teen (Janie) and what she goes through in her struggles to raise her children as a single parent while running a magazine company that is not doing so well.

The book intertwines these two families in a way that helps to reveal several sub themes and leaves this book a good read for just about anyone! It is a believable, heart warming story of what seem to be real characters.

Olivia is the brave heart of the story. Her stories of rat dropping and feeding habits are quite amusing. Most of the antics of sweet, smart brave Olivia will have you cheering for her and her family through out the whole story.

I believe this would be a great book club read or a great any day read. There are a number of surprises and journeys that the family members encounter in the duration of the book. I will leave it as a surprise for everyone. I was enchantingly surprised throughout the book with the depth of the story and the characters. I hated for the story to end.