SAY IT OUT LOUD

Courage, kindness, and finding your voice are hard lessons for the “Biggest Chicken at Carol Burnett Middle” to learn.

Charlotte Andrews, sixth grader and lover of musicals, is starting middle school with her best friend, Maddie. Both are nervous, but Charlotte has extra anxiety due to her stuttering, a source of insecurity. When Charlotte and Maddie witness another student being bullied, Maddie reports it against the wishes of Charlotte, who wants to keep a low profile. The bullies then focus on the girls, realizing Maddie turned them in. Charlotte makes a choice she immediately regrets, abandoning Maddie to endless torment and losing her only friend. Charlotte’s surprising refuge is the school musical: She never stutters when she sings and finds herself enjoying it. But when the news breaks that the musical theater program is being cancelled, Charlotte realizes she has a great deal to say. Still afraid to speak up, Charlotte writes secret letters to her classmates—even the bullies—as well as pleas to the school board, sharing her truth through the written word. In her author’s note, Varnes describes how she used her own experiences with stuttering to honestly show its impact on Charlotte’s self-worth. Readers will embrace Charlotte, with all her flaws, as she navigates self-doubt, owns up to her mistakes, and inspires those around her. Most characters read as White.

A heartfelt story about personal courage that shows it is never too late to express kindness and empathy.