Set in New Jersey, the novel Figure Eight centers on a group of middle school friends who meet to help each other solve their individual problems.

Max has dyscalculia, a brain condition that makes solving math problems difficult.

His friend Eric has dyslexia, so he mixes up his words. Dyslexia causes learning difficulties in reading or interpreting words or letters properly.

Tori is a neighborhood girl who comes around to ask Max’s mom for help with her problems. And Pecos the Parrot has trouble expressing herself with words. She says, “oh boy” for just about everything.

This realistic portrayal of family and friends depicts what caring people can do to help each other through their challenges.

Says the author, “I was a middle grade teacher, and I knew a lot of kids like the ones in the book. And there were no books for kids struggling through dyscalculia. I decided that it was time to write one.”