Weird Sad and Silent
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this touching novel by the acclaimed author of Telephone of the Tree, an intriguing new boy at school helps Daisy cope with both bullying and past trauma.
Daisy has been working on invisibilizing herself—ever since living with her mother’s violent ex-boyfriend, and now to avoid the school bullies who are targeting her. She keeps a low profile, eating lunch with the librarian instead of in the Lunchroom of Terror and secretly counting whenever she’s anxious.
But things are looking up. A new boy has befriended her and seems able to stand up to the bullies, and the stray cat she’s been feeding is starting to almost trust her. Maybe she can finally focus on futurizing rather than invisibilizing.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ever since she stood up to her mother's loud, violent boyfriend two years ago, Daisy Jackson has gotten good at "invisibilizing" herself through silence to stay safe from bullying peers. Now a fifth grader, friendless Daisy (nicknamed "Weird Sad and Silent" by her classmates) finds comfort in patterns and routines such as re-reading her beloved copy of Dear Mr. Henshaw, memorizing Roman numerals, and writing secret, cat-centric haiku as she prepares to tame a feral stray feline she dubs Rumble Paws. But the arrival of new student Austin, whom Daisy perceives as being unapologetically himself, challenges her not only to embrace change but enact it. As Daisy gains agency, she uncovers secrets about her classmates and learns that having a voice and choosing to use it are very different things: "There's power in making people afraid of you... in knowing a secret about someone... in telling everyone else the secret... and in not telling everyone else." Written in compelling, readaloud-ready vignettes that are as compact as they are impactful, McGhee (Telephone of the Tree) delivers a distinctly voiced story of connection and resilience. Daisy's mother is Mexican American. Ages 9–12.
