Bravo, Jalen! is a helpful story of a child who struggles with test anxiety. This book teaches what anxiety is and also helps young readers understand what they can do to manage those feelings using the SHARP approach. The SHARP approach resonated with my older listener and my younger listener understood the three Fs. This book has lessons that any tester can benefit from!

A great book for ages 7-12, but honestly, it could help many adults who still remember the anxiety of test days. I never ate before exams, afraid of getting a stomachache—no one taught us breathing techniques or coping strategies, and reading this brought back those stressful memories. I truly wish our kids could have better tools and succeed without that fear.

My only downside is the text formatting—some pages are beautifully designed, but others feel cramped with small, tight lines, making them uncomfortable to read (though this might be an e-version issue).
Overall, an important book for young students navigating test anxiety!

As a teacher, I absolutely loved this picture book. This book focuses on the three Fs of testing anxiety! However, the main character learns that his acronym, SHARP, for stage fright can be used for test taking as well. Test preparation does not begin with the test, but rather days or weeks or months before it! I liked how the story showed that anxiety isn’t always transferable. Some kids may have anxiety about tests but NOT being on stage.

Bravo, Jalen illustrates the reality of text anxiety in a relatable way that children can understand and provides a brilliant acronym to help them feel more prepared and comfortable for any assessment. Not only would this book be a fantastic addition to my lesson about test-taking tips for our annual state-mandates assessment, but also useful guide for my teenage daughter who experiences test anxiety. I highly recommend this book for teachers from second grade and beyond; even middle and high schoolers love a good read aloud!

Jalen is very nervous for his school's testing days! He always freezes up and is filled with anxiety. His friend helps him learn ways to prepare and relax to be able to do his very best.

I can tell that this is written by someone who works or has worked in a school. As a former elementary school teacher, I could definitely see myself using this book the day before the test to talk about strategies and good practices. When Jalen's computer is low battery on the first day, we can talk about what would have been good options for him instead of rushing through the test. It feels very relatable for today's students. Often materials that I was encouraged to use to help with test anxiety or other school related anxiety had situations that just weren't relevant in today's schools.

The illustrations are fun and I think would appeal to test-age kids as a read aloud. Overall, I think that I would definitely recommend this to any teachers coming into my library asking for good books for testing season.

There are likely some people who enjoy taking tests and perform well, but according to some research studies, on average, around 40% of polled participants experience test anxiety, with symptoms ranging from mild to moderate to severe. Ashley Bartley is a seasoned professional with childhood challenges. Bartley holds an M.Ed while working as an active school counselor, she utilizes her experiences and situations in a story format for young readers (and readers of any age) to comprehend and take away lifelong narratives.

In her previous works, Bertley has tackled topics such as tattling, feeling overwhelmed, racing thoughts (and everything else!), stress, separation anxiety, and worry. Her newest book, "Bravo, Jalen!", focuses on the uncomfortable sensation known as test anxiety, which affects even the most capable students. The inclusion of problem-solving solutions makes for a well-rounded book.

Being in the mental health field who works with kids, I appreciate the importance of this story and its potential to shift kids' perceptions of school and improve self-esteem and self-confidence by eliminating the immediate excuse, "There's nothing I can do about it!" Reading with my kids (9 and 10-year-olds), they mentioned learning helpful tips and tricks to feel prepared to manage anxiety if they encounter it at any stage of their lives.

Before I launch into my review, I would like to say a warm thank you to Ashley Bartley, Boys Town Press Publishing, and Netgalley for the Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For anyone with their eye on this title, here is my personal review of the book to help you decide whether you are interested or not. All opinions offered are my own.

I selected this book because I have children of an age where they are about to start sitting various types of tests at primary school. I wanted a resource that would help them to alleviate any stress of fear and ultimately reduce any pressure they might be feeling.

Aside from the really small font that is quite bunched together, I do not have a bad word to say about this book. The author employs bold font and colorful words to emphasize certain points and ideas such as feelings and behaviors. However, there are a few occasions where the author might have used more contrasting colors to make the small text stand out.

I enjoyed the bright, vibrant illustrations that worked well with the text. I also appreciated how they likened completing a test to performing in a play. I didn’t get the initial scene-setting, but it was made clear quite quickly and delivered an ‘a-ha!’ moment.

The book is well pitched for children preparing to sit phonic tests and SATS, but the lessons are just as valuable for older children and adolescents taking high school and college tests. I highly recommend the book and value the supporting tips for parents and educators. Overall, it is a fabulous resource.

Bravo, Jalen! Does a great job of explaining test anxiety, identifying stressors and explaining some solutions. I read it to my friend’s daughter and she enjoyed the story and the illustrations!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

This was a great book for kids that teaches them how to deal with test anxiety. I would say this book could be read by anyone older than first grade. I enjoyed the illustrations in the book and I thought the book was easy for kids to follow.

This book could be a great help for kids and families of kids who struggle with test anxiety (and anxiety in general). It's approachable, gives actionable steps you can take, and Jalen is adorable.

This was absolutely adorable and I think the lesson is SO important for kids!!! And the helpful sheet at the back for parents is genius.

I received an electronic ARC from Boys Town Press Publishing through NetGalley.
Jalen suffers from serious test anxiety. he panics and either rushes through or takes so much time he doesn't finish. A friend helps him learn how to calm himself and prepare for tests much like preparing for roles in theater productions. I appreciate the skills shared but struggle with the adults not recognizing and supporting him as the story unfolds. The informative text at the end is useful for parents and teachers.

I have a couple issues with this but I think putting them on goodreads would be unfair because it’s more writer to writer. The concept is clever, cute, I love the beginning and end being traced to his name meaning calm. I like the message and that it tries to teach kids how to cope with test anxiety. The overall meaning of it is lovely. I think I fall short in execution.

The pacing of this is just a little offputting, and Im not sure Im clear on what age your audience is. On page 20-27 the explanation of SHARP (which is a clever acronym, by the way, but i think the sentences for each letter could be shorter) seems to be geared towards a kid who would need to study hard and cram for a test, which puts in mind for me a kid in high school or college. Maybe school has changed since I was a kid, Im 22 and we certainly didnt get to use laptops for exams, but the book’s aesthetic reads more for kids younger than that. I think you may want to stay closer to the younger age group’s realm of expertise because that’s who I feel would like the book in its current form.

Jalen tells us of his test anxiety and his love for drama. When he talks to his friend Molly, Molly reminds him of what their drama teacher tells them to manage their anxiety.
Nice messages using an easy-to-remember acronym and steps for managing test anxiety.
The ending was slightly abrupt because we were invested in the story and wished to see more of Jalen. Though, considering the acronym, the steps were complete (arc was complete). This may also be due to this being a review copy.
We appreciated that this book was focused on test anxiety.

What a great picture book about an important topic! So many kids get test anxiety, but it doesn't need to be this way. A lot of the anxiety comes from pressure from adults, but if we instead are helping them prepare and be calm then they will be able to handle things a little bit better. Even when the anxiety isn't from an outside source, many kids are just anxious, they still need someone to help them through this. This helpful story is just the thing to show kids that many people get stressed and they can overcome it!

This is a very lovely book which will help you deal with taking a test anxiety and other anxiety, for that matter. The comparison to putting on a school play is helful and the book is well written and illustrated. It is a therapeutic book, but it is easily understood and it gives you steps to take to make your life better and less anxious. Winner.

In “Bravo, Jalen!”, Ashley Bartley explores a common anxiety faced by many students of all ages: test anxiety.

By comparing taking a test with performing on stage, Bartley was able to compare something that may be a new concept for kids (studying and preparing for a test) with something they may be familiar with (performing a bit or act for others). I would have liked to have seen test preparation compared to a few other concepts outside of theater as not all children may be familiar with the work that goes into preparing for a play, especially if they have yet to have the opportunity to take part in a play.

The illustrations paired well with the story and helped provide a visual element of what test anxiety feels like that will resonate with young readers, particularly those who may just be entering school and facing exams for the first time.

The inclusion of the tips for educators and parents at the end of the book was also a fun and insightful surprise, and personally, I am eager to utilize this information when it comes time for my children to begin school.

Overall, this story did a beautiful job seamlessly blending story and tips into one cohesive, fun guide that is sure to resonate with school age children.