From award-winning Norwegian author Arne Svingen comes âan uplifting coming-of-age storyâ (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, heâs had a hard life. But Bart knows that things wonât 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 positiveâŠand he loves opera.
Listening toâand singingâopera is Bartâs greatest escape, but heâs too shy to share this with anyone. Then popular Ada befriends him and encourages him to perform at the school talent show. Ada canât 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.
