Books with title Husky Hero

"[G]enuinely funny, heart-wrenching . . ." - Kirkus Reviews "[A] moving journey of self-discovery and a gratifying coming-of-age story." - Publishers Weekly "Husky . . . is a superb addition to the middle grade literary canon." - VOYA Reviews "There is not a false note in the writing . . ." - Lambda Literary A beautifully voiced debut captures an intimate story of change and acceptance. Twelve-year-old Davis lives in an old brownstone with his mother and grandmother in Brooklyn. He loves people-watching in Prospect Park, visiting his mom in the bakery she owns, and listening to the biggest operas he can find as he walks everywhere. But Davis is having a difficult summer. As questions of sexuality begin to enter his mind, he worries people don’t see him as anything other than “husky.” To make matters worse, his best girlfriends are starting to hang out with mean girls and popular boys. Davis is equally concerned about the distance forming between him and his single mother as she begins dating again, and about his changing relationship with his amusingly loud Irish grandmother, Nanny. Ultimately, Davis learns to see himself outside of his one defining adjective. He’s a kid with unique interests, admirable qualities, and people who will love him no matter what changes life brings about.

"[G]enuinely funny, heart-wrenching . . ." - Kirkus Reviews"[A] moving journey of self-discovery and a gratifying coming-of-age story." - Publishers Weekly"Husky . . . is a superb addition to the middle grade literary canon." - VOYA Reviews"There is not a false note in the writing . . ." - Lambda LiteraryA beautifully voiced debut captures an intimate story of change and acceptance. Twelve-year-old Davis lives in an old brownstone with his mother and grandmother in Brooklyn. He loves people-watching in Prospect Park, visiting his mom in the bakery she owns, and listening to the biggest operas he can find as he walks everywhere. But Davis is having a difficult summer. As questions of sexuality begin to enter his mind, he worries people don’t see him as anything other than “husky.” To make matters worse, his best girlfriends are starting to hang out with mean girls and popular boys. Davis is equally concerned about the distance forming between him and his single mother as she begins dating again, and about his changing relationship with his amusingly loud Irish grandmother, Nanny. Ultimately, Davis learns to see himself outside of his one defining adjective. He’s a kid with unique interests, admirable qualities, and people who will love him no matter what changes life brings about.

Clothing sizes when you’re young are pretty straightforward (small, medium, and large) until you reach a certain weight faster than your classmates and have to start shopping with your mom in the husky section. According to the dictionary, husky is defined as being strong or hefty. I guess whoever was in charge of deciding on names for children’s clothing sizes must’ve had that in mind, instead of the other definition: a dog with a thick double coat.So you’re in the department store, trying to figure out how to get a pair of pants that fit you, without revealing to anyone that you’re now in a size named after a thick animal, at the same time as trying to brush off your mom who keeps asking why you are acting so strangely.You’re in quite the pickle. Your heartbeat quickens and your hands are getting moist as you approach the checkout line, realizing you actually know the cute girl who’ll be ringing up your mother at the register. Your brain immediately goes into survival mode and you quickly think up a plan to get out of the line before that girl grabs the elastic waistband of your plus-sized jeans. In a hushed voice, you ask your mom if you can have the keys to go wait out in the car for her, but this only escalates the danger of the situation because she then, in an above-average decibel level, asks you what your deal is. Everyone in the line gives a half-glance towards you and you realize that all hope of subtlety has vanished. Immediately aborting that plan, but still not ready to accept defeat, you naturally begin to execute plan B: pretend like you don’t care. You look up, and the girl is already scanning the items of your cart. You hold your breath as the pants are scanned, and then relief washes over you as you see that she didn’t notice.And then, of course, the unthinkable happens: Your mom reaches over and pulls those pants back, examining the tag - she’s made a mistake and you know it. Fear strikes as she turns towards you - you have a solid idea of what’s happened, but are too afraid to admit that possibility. She may as well have shouted the words that single-handedly destroy all of your plans in one fowl swoop: “These pants are too small for you, go back and get the husky-sized ones, okay?” If you’ve ever been in a situation similar to this one, or are currently facing these kinds of situations, this book is for you. It’s a compilation of stories from people who were dealt the heavy hand in life, these stories are all true and for the most part, end in some kind of disaster: the natural occurrence of the various aspects of puberty going head-to-head with peers. All of the contributors to this book have finished their public education and made it out alive. Their purpose in compiling these stories isn’t just to have a good laugh, but to show kids who are struggling with similar problems that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.This book is structured like a director’s commentary. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that phrase, it’s basically when the director watches the final movie and, scene by scene, tells of troubles experienced as well as possible solutions to what they could’ve done differently. While going through the fickle scenes of the lives of the authors, various solutions that may have affected the outcome for the better will be proposed. The purpose of the solutions is to give the reader the upper hand when confronted by a similar circumstance. These solutions are unique to the circumstances of the authors and may not apply to you, the reader, but if nothing else, they can at least hope to give you a good laugh at their own expense. All of the stories are told through the eyes of the compiler: Bruce Hammerwolf.