Out 10/1!

Reading Level: Grade 2-3 • Interest Level: Grade 9-12

Painting Through the Rough

Available: Out 10/1!
Author: David Aro
Specs: 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" • 200 pp. • Excerpts from other Books within this Series, Written in Verse, About the Author Section, Hi-Lo Content
HC ed.: 9781978598072 • $25.80 | $19.40
eBook: 9781978598096 • $25.80 | $19.40
Pbk. ed.: 9781978598089 • $16.35 | $14.20
From school to sports, Dex is a high achiever. With a big executive for a mom and former collegiate athlete for a dad, success might as well be his middle name. But with the constant pressure to push himself, Dex’s temper gets the best of him, again—this time on the green at golf tryouts. While serving a suspension from school sports, Dex discovers a new side of himself after artsy Hazel Green asks for his help on a painting. When her colorful paints mix with his pencil sketches, it grounds him in a way he’s never felt before. But Hazel’s home life threatens her ability to attend their private school. And Dex needs to figure out if he can control his fiery emotions as he returns to sports without her by his side. Can he risk the future he and his parents envisioned to follow his heart?
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection!
“An accessible story for reluctant readers about balancing stress with self-discovery.” —Kirkus Reviews

“...the poetry is a pleasant change of pace for sports fiction, engaging reluctant or middle-grade readers who prefer simple but powerful poetry to large swaths of text.” —Booklist

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About the Author:
David Aro is the author of more than a dozen stories for young readers, including the Alton Heights All-Stars hi-lo middle grade series, the picture book Slam Dunk Sammy, and the middle grade verse novels My Own Spin, The Fabian File, and Cheat Code: Friend. He is a former Collegiate All-American basketball player, conference player of the year, and college coach. When he is not spending time with his family, coaching high school basketball and his children, or playing table tennis, he follows his passion of writing children’s books. You can visit him online at www.davidaro.com.