The Ballad of a Broken Nose

Reach for this book when your middle schooler is navigating feelings of social shame, economic anxiety, or the heavy weight of keeping home-life secrets from peers. Thirteen year old Bart lives in a public housing complex with a mother who is loving but deeply struggling, forcing him to balance the harsh realities of poverty and bullying with his secret, soaring passion for opera. It is a gritty, realistic, yet ultimately hopeful exploration of how a child can find their own voice when their world feels overwhelmingly loud and chaotic. Parents will appreciate how it validates the resilience of children who do not have a perfect safety net, offering a roadmap for finding dignity in difficult circumstances.