“Insightful…Readers will find it easy to empathize with both protagonists as Frederick gradually comes to terms with being gay—and shares his secret with Xio…For the most part this is a well-crafted novel. The author maps out spot-on issues for this age group, from name-calling to self-questioning to worrying about what others think. These believable narrators face realistic and complicated problems—and demonstrate an inspiring model of acceptance.” Publishers Weekly
Description
Frederick is the shy new boy in school, and Xio is the bubbly chica who lends him a pen on the first day of class. They become fast friends—but when Xio decides she wants to be more than friends, Frederick isn’t so sure. He loves hanging out with Xio and her crew, but he doesn’t like her in that way. Instead he finds himself thinking more and more about Victor, the captain of the soccer team. But does that mean Frederick is gay? He hopes not—he sees how everyone makes fun of Iggy, a boy all the other kids think is gay. Frederick has to deal with some tough choices: even though he is curious about Iggy, he has just started fitting in at his new school, and he doesn’t want to lose Xio, his best friend.
In So Hard to Say, Alex Sanchez, acclaimed author of the groundbreaking novels Rainbow High and Rainbow Boys, of which School Library Journal said, “It can open eyes and change lives,” helps younger readers look at self-discovery, come to terms with being gay, and accept people who are different from them.
Praise
“Insightful…Readers will find it easy to empathize with both protagonists as Frederick gradually comes to terms with being gay—and shares his secret with Xio…For the most part this is a well-crafted novel. The author maps out spot-on issues for this age group, from name-calling to self-questioning to worrying about what others think. These believable narrators face realistic and complicated problems—and demonstrate an inspiring model of acceptance.” Publishers Weekly
“Adventurous, multifaceted, funny, and unpredictably insightful, Sanchez’s novel drops melodramatic pretense and gels well-rounded characterizations with the universal excitement of first love.” School Library Journal
“This novel is a well-structured, beautifully rendered story of two wonderful young people. Readers will come to love them. Sanchez creates a nice story about genuine teens who do not let each other or themselves down.” VOYA
“In alternate chapters by Frederick and Xio, the novel’s plot unfolds easily and realistically, as both characters arrive at their revelations independently.” Children’s Literature
“Most young adolescents routinely agonize over questions like ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What am I?’ Sometimes, as Sanchez dramatizes in this story of emotional exploration, the answers are difficult to discover…By alternating between Xio’s and Frederick’s first-person point of view, Sanchez does a good job of exploring both the evolution of their tangled emotions and the nature of friendship…Sanchez understands the inner lives of kids, and, in writing one of the few middle-grade novels on this aspect of sexual identity, he does a service for questioning youth.” Booklist
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Nov 30, 2012 |
| Release Date | December 1, 2012 |
| Release Date Machine | 1354320000 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Children's Books, Growing Up & Facts of Life, Geography & Cultures, Children/YA, Children 8-12, Fiction - All, Fiction - Child |
Author Bio
Alex Sanchez spent almost fifteen years working with youth. He is the author of the teen novels Boyfriends with Girlfriends, Bait, The God Box, Getting It, Rainbow Boys, Rainbow High, and Rainbow Road, as well as the Lambda Award–winning middle-grade novel So Hard to Say. Lambda Literary Foundation honored Alex with an Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists’ Prize. He lives in Thailand and Hollywood, Florida.
Narrator Bio
Barrie Kreinik is an actor, singer, playwright, and voice-dialect coach based in New York City. Her audiobook narrations have earned an AudioFile Earphones Award. A graduate of the Brown/Trinity MFA acting program, she is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
August Ross is a performer who enjoys listening to natural science and science fiction podcasts while washing the dishes at home.
Overview
Frederick is the shy new boy in school, and Xio is the bubbly chica who lends him a pen on the first day of class. They become fast friends—but when Xio decides she wants to be more than friends, Frederick isn’t so sure. He loves hanging out with Xio and her crew, but he doesn’t like her in that way. Instead he finds himself thinking more and more about Victor, the captain of the soccer team. But does that mean Frederick is gay? He hopes not—he sees how everyone makes fun of Iggy, a boy all the other kids think is gay. Frederick has to deal with some tough choices: even though he is curious about Iggy, he has just started fitting in at his new school, and he doesn’t want to lose Xio, his best friend.
In So Hard to Say, Alex Sanchez, acclaimed author of the groundbreaking novels Rainbow High and Rainbow Boys, of which School Library Journal said, “It can open eyes and change lives,” helps younger readers look at self-discovery, come to terms with being gay, and accept people who are different from them.
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