The Way I Say It

Middle school can be a minefield, especially when something sets a kid apart. In this honest and funny novel, first-time author Nancy Tandon's empathic account of one boy's trials is likely to strike a chord with many readers.

Starting sixth grade with a speech impediment and an ex-best friend who mocks you with his new friends is the kind of worst-case scenario no kid wants. Eleven-year-old Rory is dreading the school year, so he's surprised when his favorite time of day turns out to be speech therapy. Mr. Simms's unorthodox approach to helping him master his "stupid r sound" and find his sense of self is just what Rory needs. But when his former friend Brent sustains a traumatic head injury and joins him in speech therapy, Rory is not sure he can muster the strength to be supportive, even though Brent is now being bullied by the very friends he left Rory for. "No one made him do... any of the other awful stuff he's done to me. So why should I care if he's hurting now?" Working together on a project about boxer Muhammad Ali brings the boys together as they begin to understand Ali's--and each other's--struggles.

Tandon's experience as a speech-language pathologist and a professor of child language development makes her especially qualified to write about Rory's challenges. But it's her ability to connect readers to the characters and their concerns meaningfully that makes The Way I Say It an exquisite read for any kid. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor

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