Cover Image: Say It Out Loud

Say It Out Loud

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Member Reviews

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

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Great read for middle graders. Loved how sending positivity into the world came back to the MC. Supporting author’s note shares about their own experience in school. Readers who enjoy drama club will see themselves within. Share with those who are trying to stick up for the underdogs.

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The perfect read aloud for any middle grade classroom.
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Charlotte Andrews likes blending in because as someone with a stutter, the last thing she wants to do is stand out, but when she and her best friend, Maddie, see a boy being bullied on the bus, it’s Maddie who stands up for him, not Charlotte. The decision to stay quiet effects her friendship with Maddie to where the two stop talking altogether. Charlotte knows she was wrong to stay quiet, but with the help of musical theatre, her speech teacher and writing down her feelings, Charlotte is about to stand up for herself and others and face her fear of being noticed.
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Wow! How has this MG book not been everywhere? I’ll be booktalking this one like crazy when I go back to school. It’s perfect for fans of Wonder and Jake Burt’s The Tornado. It deals perfectly with what many of us went through in middle school from friendships to drama to bullying to trying to do the right thing. What a masterpiece that belongs in every upper elementary and middle school classroom & library. Also if you haven’t read this author’s other book Property of the Rebel Librarian I highly recommend it as well—now more than ever.

CW: bullying

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Excellent read for students struggling with being bullied or witnessing things and not knowing what to do about it. I especially loved the notes of kindness and encouragement being left everywhere.

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This book represented the importance of telling your truth and speaking out in order to take a stand and make a difference.

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Navigating friendships and bullies are always hard but can be especially hard when you want to be in the shadows and coast. Charlotte Andrews is content with not being seen and content with her best friend. But when her best friend speaks up against the bullies she is forced to take a stand or lose the only friend she has. Say it out loud examines what it means to use your voice for advocacy and finding who you are through the struggles you encounter. Varnes delicately presents tough topics children will face both in school and in their personal life. Readers will resonate with Charlotte because of her authenticity and depth.

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I really liked this book! Charlotte is a great main character and I loved the idea of writing inspiring messages to random people.. It was a sweet read and I enjoyed it a lot.

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This book represented the importance of telling your truth and speaking out in order to take a stand and make a difference.

Maggie and Charlotte were best friends since third grade but a bullying incident tore them apart. Maggie spoke up while Charlotte wanted to remain under the radar of the bullies. She did not want the bullies to target her stuttering. So in her effort to save herself from the bullies, Charlotte left Maddie on her own to be tormented and bullied on a daily basis until Maggie reached her breaking point in an emotional video that went viral. Even though Charlotte knew her actions were wrong, she struggled with how to correct them…until she found her voice.

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Middle schooler Charlotte learns that sometimes sorry is not enough, but friendships are worth fighting for. When she and her friends are bullied, she is afraid to stand up to the tormentors. She’s already self-conscious about being new to middle school, her parents forcing her to be in a musical theater class, and the fact that she’s trying to hide the fact that she gets speech services for a stutter.
When she loses her best friend due to a poor decision she wishes she could take back, it feels as though her world is crumbling and she is crippled with regret. Things settle at musical theater as she makes friends and takes the lead role not in the play, but in spearheading a letter writing campaign to save the theater program. She also vows to try to be a better person and writes anonymous letters and notes of encouragement to people to brighten their days and make them feel noticed. She learns how powerful her words can be and that you should speak out instead of staying silent.
This reminds me of some recent favorites such as A Chance to Fly, A Drop of Kindness, Flight of the Puffin, The Way I Say It, and I Talk Like a River.

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My Thoughts:
Charlotte is a 6th grader who is afraid to be noticed, afraid that she will be picked on, afraid that she will be teased about her stutter. The one thing she is not afraid of is her friendship with Maddie. Maddie has been her BFF forever. Nothing can change that until Charlotte makes a split second decision to be afraid that changes their relationship.

One thing her parents know about Charlotte is that she is kind. So when she is not kind, how does she stop being afraid to speak up and speak out? And how does she take her own advice to mend her friendship with Maddie?

This book about being invisible, being brave and using your voice is perfect for middle grades girls. The message is on point. Kindness always wins.

From the Publisher:
Charlotte Andrews is perfectly fine being quiet--in fact, she prefers it. When she doesn't speak, people can't make fun of her stutter. But when she witnesses bullying on the school bus and doesn't say anything, her silence comes between her and her best friend.

As if that wasn't bad enough, her parents signed her up for musical theater. Charlotte doesn't want to speak onstage, but at least she doesn't stutter when she sings. Then, just as she starts to find her voice, the arts program is cut. Charlotte can't stay silent anymore.

So she begins to write. Anonymous encouraging notes to her classmates. Letters to the school board to save the school musical. And an essay about the end of her best friendship--and her hope that she can still save it.

Words could save Charlotte Andrews and everything she believes in . . . if she just believes in herself enough to speak up.

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I really enjoyed this book, the main character was very relatable and allowed me to picture myself back as a middle schooler. I did feel like the other character on the other hand could have used a little more development. All in all I really enjoyed the message of the book, and can see myself recommending it to any middle schoolers I know.

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This a book about a girl with a stutter. Her parents sign her up for musical theater because they think it will help her build the confidence to speak up. She finds inspiration to speak up when bullies arrive.

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This book was an excellent read. I feel it would be a great for children grade 4-7. The story centers around bullying but looks at it from the perspective of the bystander. There are not too many books from the bystander point of view in middle grade fiction. It felt fresh.

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Say It Out Loud is a heartwarming middle grade book about making mistakes and working to take responsibility for them. It centers a young girl who stutters, a friendship fracture, as well as a middle school musical. This story scores points for positive relationships between parents and their kids and helping readers recognize that people are rarely ever just good or bad. I would definitely recommend this one.

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We all know we should speak up when we witness bullying or any sort of injustice. Right? But what if speaking up draws attention to our own flaws? What if we can’t get the words out right and people laugh at us? Charlotte Andrews has chosen to stay quiet for most of her life to keep people from hearing her embarrassing stutter. However, when she refuses to speak up over a school bus incident she witnessed, she damages her relationship with her very best friend. Is protecting your pride really worth ending a friendship?

This story highlighted the power of the written word. Because even when we’re nervous about saying things out loud, we can still write! Also emphasized is the importance of being a friend who LISTENS. There are multiple ways to support those who are bullied and oppressed and this book was a real call to action. This is also an #ownvoices book as Allison Varnes has struggled with stuttering. If, like me, you enjoyed reading Allison Varnes’s Property of the Rebel Librarian, I dare say Say It Out Loud was even better! I’m happy to recommend this one.

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OMG I loved this book! I think all adults can relate to one or more characters here! I loved Charlotte's honesty with her feelings, I loved the drama teacher, I loved the notes Charlotte wrote. All of this! As a mama to a middle schooler and a mama to a kiddo with a speech challenge, this book hit home in a very big way!

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What a great book! I really enjoyed how the message came across well, but not too preachy. I think my students could read this and then get the message but not realize they're getting a message.
I loved Charlotte's development throughout the book and love how she began to understand herself more and more as the book went on. I also loved how she connected with and made friends with kids she hadn't chosen to spend time with before and as a result, gained friends who liked her for who she was.
Looking forward to purchasing this one for my 2 elementary school libraries.

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I have learned far more about life from reading middle grade and young adult fiction than from adult books. Say It Out Loud was a wonderful book about finding your voice.

Let's face it, kids ARE CRUEL! Middle school is rough and there are some who don't leave unscathed. Charlotte Andrews enters middle school with her best friend Maddie. Charlotte and Maddie are bullied on the school bus and Charlotte also stutters. I felt for this poor girl.

Charlotte endures a rough time for awhile but then decided to turn lemons into lemonade. This was such a feel good story and I was rooting for her. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this well written story.

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I can't say enough good things about this book. I laughed, I cried, I felt all that Middle School angst all over again.
You should buy this book. buy it for yourself, for your kids, for the children and grownups in your life.
I really, really, really loved, loved, LOVED this book!

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Say it Out Loud tackles bullying from the bystander’s perspective. Charlotte is a shy, reserved middle schooler whose friend is a target of bullying. Rather than take a stand, Charlotte tries to disappear and not be heard because of her stutter. When Charlotte decides to finally speak out, she does it in her own way.

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