Publisher’s Description of THE WAY I SAY IT

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?

Rebecca’s Thoughts on THE WAY I SAY IT

The Way I Say It opens with Rory standing at the front of his classroom on the first day of sixth grade. All eyes are on him as everyone waits for him to introduce himself. His new teacher doesn’t realize his speech impediment makes this a daunting challenge.

Nightmare!

Along with his speech troubles, Rory juggles problems with a bully and his ex-best friend, and tries to figure out his changing relationship with a girl. The start of middle school is a tough time and Nancy Tandon totally captures that. The Way I Say It is great for kids who’d like insight into what it’s like to live with a speech impediment or who are looking for a story that takes someone through the ups and downs of middle-school friendships.

Highly recommended.

I received a free advanced reader copy of The Way I Say It in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Way I Say It was published on January 18, 2022. You can add it to your “want to read” list on Goodreads, or order on Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.

If The Way I Say It sounds good, you might like these other middle grade books we’ve recently reviewed:

To Tell You The Truth by Beth Vrabel
Cole Champion Is Not Super by Rebecca J. Allen
Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca