Author: Nancy Tandon
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher
The Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J Baptist
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Rory still can't say his r's, but that's just the beginning of his troubles. First Rory's ex-best-friend Brent started hanging out with the mean lacrosse kids. But then, a terrible accident takes Brent out of school, and Rory struggles with how to feel.
Rory and his new speech teacher put their heads together on Rory's r's (as well as a serious love of hard rock and boxing legend Muhammad Ali), but nobody seems to be able to solve the problem of Rory's complicated feelings about Brent. Brent's accident left him with a brain injury and he's struggling. Should Rory stand up for his old friend at school--even after Brent failed to do the same for him?
My opinion: A few years ago, we saw an influx of books about kids who stutter. Tandon is doing the same here with speech impediments. Rory may have problems with speech but he is otherwise a regular middle schooler. He isn't morally superior. He's a typical kid, facing fear, social pressure, bullies, resentment, jealousy. He's constantly confronted with a kid who betrayed him. It's his conflict with Brent that really makes this book, a subtle exploration of justice and what a person "deserves". While some of the plot points are overly convenient, accelerated or portrayed in an unrealistic manner, it's overall pretty solid and teaching us a degree of compassion.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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