Something to Say

Written by Lisa Moore Ramée

Narrated by Sisi A. Johnson

From the author of A Good Kind of Trouble, a Walter Dean Myers Honor Book, comes another unforgettable story about finding your voice—and finding your people. Perfect for fans of Sharon Draper, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds.

Eleven-year-old Jenae doesn’t have any friends—and she’s just fine with that. She’s so good at being invisible in school, it’s almost like she has a superpower, like her idol, Astrid Dane. At home, Jenae has plenty of company, like her no-nonsense mama; her older brother, Malcolm, who is home from college after a basketball injury; and her beloved grandpa, Gee.

Then a new student shows up at school—a boy named Aubrey with fiery red hair and a smile that won’t quit. Jenae can’t figure out why he keeps popping up everywhere she goes. The more she tries to push him away, the more he seems determined to be her friend. Despite herself, Jenae starts getting used to having him around.

But when the two are paired up for a class debate about the proposed name change for their school, Jenae knows this new friendship has an expiration date. Aubrey is desperate to win and earn a coveted spot on the debate team.

There’s just one problem: Jenae would do almost anything to avoid speaking up in front of an audience—including risking the first real friendship she’s ever had.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jul 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063003170

Lisa Moore Ramée

Lisa Moore Ramée was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in Northern California with her husband, daughter, obnoxious cat, and rambunctious (but sweet) dog. She's a devout believer in dreams coming true and is the author of A Good Kind of Trouble, a Walter Dean Myers Honor Book, The Everybody Experiment, Something to Say, and MapMaker. You can visit her online at lisamooreramee.com.

Reviews for Something to Say

[Jackie Bethke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like Jenae's prickly personality, Aubrey's over-the-top enthusiasm, the family dynamics and the plot of this book, which hinges on speaking up for change. Loved that it centered on a name change at school and talks about Sylvia Mendez. Loved that Jenae is so authentically not into public speaking and very into good food, loved the cartoon hero figure of Astrid Dane. I felt like it was read well on the audio version, but it did move kind of slowly. After a while, it dragged a bit, but I'm not the intended audience, so middle school kids might not find it slow.

Advanced listening copy provided by Libro.fm

[sammusher · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Short, well-written story about a first close friendship and figuring out how to be an upstander. May not be enough to keep young readers turning the pages, though.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jenae has long been friendless and is supposedly okay with that. She may eat lunch alone at school but at home she has her grandpa Gee, her mother and older brother Malcolm. Then Aubrey is the new kid at school. When he sees she also has an Astrid Dane bag (their favorite cartoon) he exuberantly latches on to Jenae, much to her dismay because she doesn't need friends after all. The friendship is tentative on her part but having someone to laugh with begins to have appeal. However a debate assignment in class has Jenae panicked and she's willing to lose Aubrey's friendship in order to avoid presenting the debate. Jenae and Aubrey are a couple of lost souls in their own ways. Their coming together has a certain natural rapport so that when Jenae plans to betray her friend, it is painful to consider the outcome.

[sjgirl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Middle school student Jenae has a number of worries on her plate, her grandfather is behaving strangely, she thinks she’s to blame for her brother losing out on a basketball career and her new English teacher insists on practicing public speaking in class which is beyond uncomfortable for Jenae, but with the help of family and a friend, and with a cause worth fighting for, she just might make it through okay.

Jenae’s charcuterie style lunches along with her feelings at the prospect of speaking publicly, the nervous stomach, playing sick from school, that was so me as a kid (actually it’s pretty close to adult me, too), I could definitely relate. Although Jenae’s arc was a tiny bit predictable in how it unfolded, the pacing mattered more to me, and the author did a really good job of making any changes in Jenae feel gradual and well motivated.

Aubrey, Jenae’s friend, got on my nerves somewhat saying “sway” and “quack”, still I liked their friendship, I liked that they both make mistakes with one another yet they’re willing to listen and forgive.

While I enjoyed all the family scenes, my favorites featured Jenae with her grandfather, the emotional bond they share came through so clearly and I really liked how their relationship tied into the controversy over her school’s name.

I’m glad I gave this book a try, I loved Jenae and as an added bonus I learned about Sylvia Mendez, a history changer who should be more well known.