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Husky

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Husky
By Justin Sayre
Grosset & Dunlap, 2015. Fiction. 267 p.

Davis is about to start high school in a few weeks and he is realizing that things are not going to be the same as middle school. His best friend since he was little, Sophie, has become pretty and getting attention from the popular kids. She also wants to do just girl things and not hang out with him. His other friend Ellen has said that in high school, everyone is assigned an adjective that will define them for the next four years; Davis is worried his word is going to be “Husky” for his big build. Things are changing at home, too. His single mother is working more and his larger than life grandmother is becoming more embarrassing (such as how she still calls him Ducks, just because he waddled as a baby—a prime example how one word can define your life). But there is one place he can find solace and escape to: by listening to opera. There the world makes sense and from it he can find the courage to face his own reality.

A charming story of a young man who doesn’t quite fit in with the world around him and has the courage not to change to please other people as he works out the changes happening around him. The humor and Davis’ passion for opera make it a great read-alike for those who enjoy Tim Federle’s works.
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