Rory can't say his name or any of his r's. While working to build his confidence in his speech with speech therapy, Rory also navigates bullies, friendships, and crushes in his first year of middle school. When Rory's former friend Brent, now his bully, suffers a brain injury after being in an accident, Brent becomes the new target of bullying. Now a witness to the bullying, Rory struggles with conflicting feelings about his failed friendship. Will he do what's right and stand up for someone who needs help even though no one stood up for him? While Rory's journey to overcome his obstacle is the main storyline, The Way I Say It also addresses topics such as complicated friendships, bullying, and the power of empathy, while being set within a challenging transitional period in adolescence. With a background in speech therapy, Tandon authentically writes about the experience of a child with a speech impediment. The numerous challenges that these realistic characters face will resonate with all types of readers.

Sixth grader Rory struggles with a severe speech impediment.It centers on his difficulty pronouncing R's-which feels particularly unfair given his name. Middle school is no fun for a kid with a speech difficulty, but before, he could at least count on his best friend, Brent. But things have changed ever since Brent started to hang out with mean, cool kids who bully Rory; even worse, Brent is joining in their cruelty. As the bullying intensifies and their friendship recedes into the distance, it becomes increasingly hard for Rory to understand what is happening or to sort out his own complex feelings. Everything pivots into sharper relief when Brent suffers a traumatic brain injury and becomes disabled. Rory is still stung by the memory of when Brent chose to betray rather than defend him. However, when the boys are thrown together in speech therapy, their relationship changes. While this debut is a sensitive, honest, and developmentally appropriate look at two different disabilities in all their painful complexities, it is also fundamentally about relationships and emotional as well as physical healing. The text concludes with a short explanation of the complexities of creating the R sound and the many ways it appears in speech. Main characters read as White.A touching and respectful story about friendship, feelings, and support. (Fiction. 9-12)

Gr 37 Navigating friendships in middle school is no easy feat, especially when those friendships are everything. For sixth grader Rory, his friendship with Brent meant the world to him. Now, his exbest friend has decided to spend time with some of the lacrosse players instead, and Rory does not think they are very nice people at all. Then, a terrible accident leaves Brent with a brain injury, which immediately takes him out of the classroom and leaves Rory confused about his feelings. Should he be worried, mad at the world, or upset overall? Should he reach out? Besides this inner struggle, Rory is also dealing with his speaking skills; his speech teacher is trying their best to get him through it and they bond over similar interests, such as heavy rock and roll music. Readers are shown Rory's thoughts and struggles as he navigates whether to stick up for his old friend and his new serious problems, even when Brent was not there for him at times. He is also exploring a new mentorship with his speech teacher, which is changing his perspective. VERDICT A resonant book about speech challenges, the beauty of inner growth, and how close friendships are sometimes complicated and hard to define. Recommended for tweens seeking an emotional, uplifting read. Aurora Dominguez