Payton Gritas has just had the shock of her 15-year-old life. Not only does her dad have multiple sclerosis, but her parents and her older brothers have known for months, they’ve just opted not to tell her.

Suddenly Payton, who normally follows all the rules and gets top grades, is in full rebellion. The school guidance counselor recommends she focus on something, anything, to take her mind off her family situation for a while until she is less emotional about dealing with it. The fun, and trouble, starts when Payton chooses her focus object: Sean Griswold’s head.

Because of the alphabetical proximity of their last names, Sean has sat in front of Payton every school year since third grade. She hasn’t really paid him much attention before, but suddenly he’s her assignment, and with the help of her friend Jac, she’s intent on finding out everything she can.

Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt is at turns funny and emotionally insightful and thoroughly enjoyable. The more Payton finds out about Sean, the more she wants to know. Eventually she has to deal with her fears for her father’s health, her feelings of being betrayed by her family, and her growing interest in Sean. She learns a lot about making judgments about people without knowing them very well. She also discovers a lot about her self and figures out how to confront her fears instead of running away from them. I recommend Sean Griswold’s Head for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 12 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.