#tbt: So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez

Image: Simon & Schuster

So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez. 240 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. (Own)

Happy Thursday TMS Readers and congratulations eighth graders on your commencement last night. #tbt features So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez. Mr. Sanchez wrote two YA novels prior to making his middle grade debut with So Hard to Say in 2004. It's a dual-narrative where the POV shifts between Frederick, who has just moved to California from Wisconsin and Xio, the pretty and popular girl who is determined to make him her first boyfriend. The two become good friends and Frederick joins a pick-up soccer team, but as Xio begins to push her agenda, Frederick realizes that he spends more time dreaming about his teammate, Victor that about his best friend, Xio.

So Hard to Say was one of the first middle grade novels to explore sexual identity. Mr. Sanchez created appealing, relatable characters and while there's plenty of adolescent angst, there's plenty of warmth and humor as well. So Hard to Say won the LAMBDA Literary Award and was named a NYPL Best Book for Teens book.