The Ballad of a Broken Nose
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From award-winning Norwegian author Arne Svingen comes “an uplifting coming-of-age story” (The Wall Street Journal) about a relentlessly positive teenager who uses his love of opera to cope with his less-than-perfect home life.
Bart is an eternal optimist. At thirteen years old, he’s had a hard life. But Bart knows that things won’t get any better if you have a negative attitude. His mother has pushed him into boxing lessons so that Bart can protect himself, but Bart already has defense mechanisms: he is relentlessly positive…and he loves opera.
Listening to—and singing—opera is Bart’s greatest escape, but he’s too shy to share this with anyone. Then popular Ada befriends him and encourages him to perform at the school talent show. Ada can’t keep a secret to save her life, but Bart bonds with her anyway, and her openness helps him realize that his troubles are not burdens that he must bear alone.
The Ballad of a Broken Nose is a sweet story about bravery, fear, bullying, sports, and music. But most of all it is about the important days of your life, days when everything seems to happen at once and nothing will ever be the same again.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Svingen has taken home top prizes in his native Norway, and he makes his English-language debut with a novel that addresses difficult subjects with a gentle hand and understated humor. Twelve-year-old Bart's mother is an alcoholic and possible drug addict who's behind on their bills; Bart cares for her while taking boxing lessons for self-defense and harboring a secret talent for singing opera. His low-key personality is both a defense mechanism and in keeping with Svingen's quiet storytelling. The action of the novel follows Bart's quest to find his father and hide his impoverished home life from the prying eyes of classmates, all while he develops an interest in classmate Ada, who encourages his singing. During a performance at the school talent show, Bart gathers the courage to face his anxiety and sing in public. With deftness and subtlety, Svingen shows a boy hanging onto optimism in the face of adversity and asserting his identity when he's long relied on obscuring himself in the background. Ages 10 up.
