Today’s middle-schoolers often become bored with the school curriculum – especially the usual reading list . “ They will often complain that storylines don’t move fast enough , ” said Laurie Gifford Adams , an English teacher at Gideon Welles School in Glastonbury . “ I knew my kids needed something different . I looked for an idea for a long time . I wanted to have an effect . ”

That effect came in the form of “ Finding Atticus , ” the book the Manchester resident wrote in response to her students’ frustrations . “ Atticus” centers on a girl , Jamie , of middle-school age , and her dog , Atticus . The two embark on a dramatic adventure , one that caused quite a stir among the jaded kids of Gideon Welles . It came to Adams like an epiphany , one she finds somewhat embarrassing .

“ We were visiting my hometown in fall 2008 . The idea came to me just as my mother , a minister , was starting her sermon one Sunday . I was sitting in church next to my husband Jim , furiously writing notes on the bulletin , ” she said . “ He looked at me as if I was crazy !”

Adams hand-wrote the first chapter in the car on the drive home to Connecticut . “ I had to – it was just right there , ” she explained . “ I returned to Glastonbury and read that first part out to my students . I asked them , ‘ What do youthink will happen next ? ’ They had no idea , and most importantly , they were hooked . ”

Joan Burr , a friend and fellow teacher at Gideon Welles , remembers the time with fondness . “ We went on a road trip together to D . C . that October , so we spent a lot of time in the car tossing ideas about . I watched the whole process , up to the day Laurie unveiled the books to her students . ”

The first incarnation was a homemade effort Adams printed and spiralbound herself . “ It took me an entire weekend , ” she said . “ I printed and made 25 copies , and we used them in class . ”

Adams made life very interesting for her students by introducing a new way to help kids appreciate literature ; she invited her students to participate in the book’s editing process .

“ We went through it together , everyone making marks with their pens . We spontaneously edited the book as a group . They absolutely loved it . When it was finally finished , I dedicated it to them , ” she said .

“ Finding Atticus” has since created a momentum all its own and is now available at online bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon . The book’s popularity is spreading due to the dramatic nature of the plot , which is fictional but has elements of Adams ’ life injected into it .

“ The most important thing for me is that the book teaches something , ” Adams said . “‘ Atticus’ is a book about decisions ; Jamie makes decisions that she thought were right at the time , but which prove horribly wrong . She is forced to take responsibility for her actions – she doesn’t just get away with it . My kids really responded to that , coming as it did at the end of a gripping tale . ”

Adams recently sent a copy of “ Finding Atticus” to the White House in the hope that the Obama girls might read and enjoy it . You never know …

Laurie Gifford Adams will be interviewed on Page 1 TV ( Channel 15 on Cox Cable ) on 8 p . m . on Sept . 3 . She’s also doing a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Manchester on Sept . 25 , from 6-8 p . m .

“ Finding Atticus” can be explored further on Laurie Gifford Adams’ personal Web site at http : // www . lauriegiffordadams . com / .