LOUD! by Rose Robbins – a book review

LOUD! is for the (neurodiverse) girls.

Introduction:

Published by Scallywag Press in 2021, LOUD! by Rose Robbins is a catching children’s picture book that invites the reader into the protagonist’s (Abigail) struggle in school. Abigail shows symptoms of ADHD and tends to lose focus in class. She then meets a teacher who empathises with her experiences and understands her.

Theme(s):

LOUD! is about a girl who finds acceptance in her non-normative way of expressing herself.

With the help of her teacher, she uncovers a part of herself she might not have had access to before.

Summary:

LOUD! by Rose Robbins is a children’s picture book with minimal writing about Abigail, a girl who has trouble concentrating in school and often feels misunderstood. Her music teacher helps her gain confidence by encouraging her to sing in the class band. Through music and singing, Abigail discovers her talent and becomes more confident. Overall, Rose Robbins created an inclusive story that celebrates neurodiversity, self-expression, and acceptance.

The language level required to understand LOUD! is B1, and the writing style is fairly easy to understand on a beginner level of English.

About the author:

Rose Robbins is an author and illustrator. She is an autistic person herself and implements topics such as neurodiversity into her work.

LOUD! is an Own Voices Text. These are texts written by people, who are part of the marginalised or underrepresented group they are writing about.

Aside from Rose Robbins writing and illustrating books, she is also very active in the community by offering workshops in schools and libraries.

You can find her here: https://roserobbins.co.uk/

Recommendation:

LOUD! feels empowering, showing girls that it is okay to be loud and to express yourself.

The book can be used in the classroom as a conversation starter about neurodiversity or ADHD in particular.

Students could write their own song (or the class could collaborate on one). Each student could work on finding a musical instrument that fits them best.

LOUD! can be used only as a picture book for very young children, children with dyslexia, and people with low literacy.

What I loved:

The book shows a simplified version of how a classroom works, what neurodiversity may look like, and how interpersonal relationships work. This might suggest to the reader that ADHD can only look like this one example. Abigail shows signs of ADHD, usually portrayed by boys. It is very important to note that girls usually show different symptoms of ADHD than boys. They may depict symptoms like inattentiveness rather than impulsivity. When reading this book, bear in mind that it does not necessarily accurately represent the reality of children living with ADHD or neurodiversity in general. The children´s book offers a simplified and polished version of it.

Link to book:

https://www.scallywagpress.com/books-loud.html

Link to Abigail´s song:

References:

Kneidinger, J., Szép, A., & Christiansen, H. (2026). Die weibliche ADHS im Fokus: Symptome bei Frauen über die Lebensspanne. Lernen und Lernstörungen, 15(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1024/2235-0977/a000504

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Rickes (2026) Book Review LOUD!