Book Descriptions
for The Ballad of a Broken Nose by Arne Svingen
From The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
While thirteen-year-old Bart's life is far from easy, he is the eternal optimist. He cares for his dysfunctional mom who is out of work, helps out at the public housing development where they live, and takes boxing lessons for self-defense. And he loves to sing operatic arias. Secretly, of course! When his new friend (who can't keep a secret) signs him up for the school talent show, the bullies come out. Secrets become known, worries escalate, and Bart realizes his life might be changed forever . . . maybe for the better.
2017 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book, 2017 USBBY Outstanding International Book, and recipient of the Norwegian Ministry of Culture's Best Young Adult Fiction Award.
The author is one of Norway's most prominent writers for children and young adults.
Norway. Originally published in Norwegian as Sangen om en Brukkt Nese by Gyldendal Norsk Forlag in 2012. English translation by Kari Dickson published in the United States by Margaret K. McElderry Books in 2016.
© USBBY, 2022. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
From award-winning Norwegian author Arne Svingen comes “an uplifting coming-of-age story” (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, he’s had a hard life. But Bart knows that things won’t 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 positive…and he loves opera.
Listening to—and singing—opera is Bart’s greatest escape, but he’s too shy to share this with anyone. Then popular Ada befriends him and encourages him to perform at the school talent show. Ada can’t 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.
Bart is an eternal optimist. At thirteen years old, he’s had a hard life. But Bart knows that things won’t 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 positive…and he loves opera.
Listening to—and singing—opera is Bart’s greatest escape, but he’s too shy to share this with anyone. Then popular Ada befriends him and encourages him to perform at the school talent show. Ada can’t 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.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
