44th out of 373 books
—
1,076 voters
So Hard to Say
by
Alex Sanchez (Goodreads Author)
When Frederick shows up at school, Xio is thrilled. The new boy is shy, cute, and definitely good boyfriend material. Before long, she pulls him into her lively circle of friends.
Frederick knows he should be flattered by Xio's attention. After all, she's popular, pretty, and a lot of fun. So why can't he stop thinking about Victor, the captain of the soccer team, instead?
Frederick knows he should be flattered by Xio's attention. After all, she's popular, pretty, and a lot of fun. So why can't he stop thinking about Victor, the captain of the soccer team, instead?
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
April 25th 2006
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
(first published September 28th 2004)
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I really enjoyed this book because it had two different sides on the story. One was Xio and the other was Fredericks. I liked the combination on how the author took the sides and made them thier view of the story. Basically its about a girl who is falling inlove with the new kid in school and becomes closer to him. As they become closer and closer Frederick dosen't know what to do because while he is flattered that Xio likes him, all he can ever think and want to be with is Victor. He is stuck b...more
So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez
Interest level: Grades 7-9
Lexile: 690
Eighth-grader Frederick moves from Wisconsin to a new town in California and thirteen-year-old Xio befriends him right away, taking him into her group of girlfriends. Actually, Xio wants to be more than friends, but Frederick is not into her – he can’t stop thinking about Victor, the captain of the soccer team. Xio is determined to make Frederick her boyfriend, but Frederick is beginning to wonder why he’s never wanted to kiss an...more
Interest level: Grades 7-9
Lexile: 690
Eighth-grader Frederick moves from Wisconsin to a new town in California and thirteen-year-old Xio befriends him right away, taking him into her group of girlfriends. Actually, Xio wants to be more than friends, but Frederick is not into her – he can’t stop thinking about Victor, the captain of the soccer team. Xio is determined to make Frederick her boyfriend, but Frederick is beginning to wonder why he’s never wanted to kiss an...more
It Happened
Here's the thing--this book is by the same author of a well known gay young adult trilogy so the suspense factor surrounding the male lead's possible sexuality is pretty much unimportant. The writing on the wall is there from the first chapter or two so that element of surprise is---
Gone
But what is interesting about the story is that he tells the action between two very distinct and thought out leads. Xio and Fredrick each have a very particular POV when it comes to the events in the...more
Here's the thing--this book is by the same author of a well known gay young adult trilogy so the suspense factor surrounding the male lead's possible sexuality is pretty much unimportant. The writing on the wall is there from the first chapter or two so that element of surprise is---
Gone
But what is interesting about the story is that he tells the action between two very distinct and thought out leads. Xio and Fredrick each have a very particular POV when it comes to the events in the...more
This was a very cute easy to read book. How easy? I picked it up at 5 from the library after work and finished it by 9:45. I also ate dinner and went grocery shopping in there. But then again, this is a young adult book (aimed at 13 year olds, I'd guess).
Having read alot of Sanchez in the past two weeks, I've noticed some patterns in his stories and some psuedo crossovers. Such as in this book the narrator mentions a news article about a basketball player who came out (just like Jason did in Ra...more
Having read alot of Sanchez in the past two weeks, I've noticed some patterns in his stories and some psuedo crossovers. Such as in this book the narrator mentions a news article about a basketball player who came out (just like Jason did in Ra...more
THIS REVIEW HALFWAY CONTAINS SPOILERS!! (basically it's me talking about the characters but there are a few things you could glean from this that might be considered spoilers, though they're small. but if you're supersensitive about stuff like that, then don't freak out and read it.)
oh my gosh. Xio is SO crazy and a little delusional all because she tells herself he's shy due to his cancerousness. no WONDER she got into that mess, she just didn't get it!!
and Frederick...kindof a waste of a nice...more
oh my gosh. Xio is SO crazy and a little delusional all because she tells herself he's shy due to his cancerousness. no WONDER she got into that mess, she just didn't get it!!
and Frederick...kindof a waste of a nice...more
IRB - So hard to say by Alex Sanchez
People are always judged all around the world just because they aren't the same as everyone else. They are looked and known as the “weird ones”. This kind of behavior is unnecessary and unacceptable in this society, but the so called normal ones still continue on picking on them. The Bi, lesbian, travesty and the gay are the ones who are pushed around and many attempt to end there lives because they cant take the bullying anymore. Reading “So hard to say” by...more
People are always judged all around the world just because they aren't the same as everyone else. They are looked and known as the “weird ones”. This kind of behavior is unnecessary and unacceptable in this society, but the so called normal ones still continue on picking on them. The Bi, lesbian, travesty and the gay are the ones who are pushed around and many attempt to end there lives because they cant take the bullying anymore. Reading “So hard to say” by...more
Once again, Sanchez has written a wonderful story of identity confusion and realization, as we4ll as of friendship. He really has a knack for tapping into the psychological and sociological issues that confront LGBT teens as well as their relationships with all other teens in the high school/teen environment. Furthermore, he is also expert at considering how parents may or may not deal with the issue of their teen's identity issues.
I particularly like this novel in its aspect of a female teen fa...more
I particularly like this novel in its aspect of a female teen fa...more
To start with, I hadn't been prepared for Frederick and Xio to be quite so young, but having the young perspective was nice after the slew of high school books I've been reading. At first I found Xio to be a little annoying but then I stepped back and realised now well Alex Sanchez managed to capture a 13 year old girl's voice. Not long after that did I start remembering myself being exactly like Xio when I was 13.
To top it off, I can vouch for how realistic "So Hard to Say" is as from when I w...more
To top it off, I can vouch for how realistic "So Hard to Say" is as from when I w...more
"Half of me thought I knew everything. But the other half of me believed I wouldn't ever know anything at all."
―So Hard to Say, P. 147
A year before the publication of James Howe's Totally Joe, which would cause significant change in people's perception of the market for a book of this kind aimed at middle-grade readers, Alex Sanchez had already written and released So Hard to Say, a story that bravely and with much emotional honesty faces issues that might not have made it to print a few year...more
―So Hard to Say, P. 147
A year before the publication of James Howe's Totally Joe, which would cause significant change in people's perception of the market for a book of this kind aimed at middle-grade readers, Alex Sanchez had already written and released So Hard to Say, a story that bravely and with much emotional honesty faces issues that might not have made it to print a few year...more
I was so glad to find this book. LBGT is not represented enough in middle school libraries (classroom or school) and I've been searching for books that could be put in middle schools. First, I found Boy meets Boy by David Levithan and then someone told me about this book. I was skeptical, because I knew about Alex Sanchez's Rainbow Boy books and some of the explicit things in there, but I researched and everywhere said ages 10-15 for this book. So, I got it, read it and LOVED IT!
This book is th...more
This book is th...more
This book is talk about a girl called Xio comes to a new school, and there is a boy called Frederick always help her, so they become very friend to each other. Therefore, Xio begins love this boy, and they already kiss each other, so it makes Xio feels Frederick loves her too. However, Frederick thinks that just a friend kiss, it makes Xio very sad. Frederick also love a boy and kiss to him, it makes Xio thinks he is gay, and reminds her father is gay too. However, it makes Xio understand to let...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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My favorite character of this book is Carmen,and Xio. They are my favorite character because each one of them have different personality. First, Carmen is the type of girl that is not shy on asking or telling people what other thing about them. For example, she asked Frederick if he was gay and he stay shut and she didn't feel like it was a bad moment to ask. Another funny thing about Carmen is that she has this boyfriend his name is Victor and she saw him in the mall holding a girls hand. Then...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Just like the book title, sometimes there are many things hard to tell other because you feel embarrassed or the things might hurt other. In this book, a 8th grade girl named Xio fall in love with a new student called Frederick. They kiss each other, and Xio feel that Frederick must be love her too. Unfortunately, Frederick thinks that just a friend kiss, he figure out he love a boy. Xio feel sad at first, but finally let it go, started to become friend with Frederick again.
Frederick shows me th...more
Frederick shows me th...more
This is a great book for anyone to read. It follows the day to day life of a girl who has a crush on a fellow student who is struggling with his true identity. I like the writing style when the author uses each chapter to explain the viewpoint of each character's thoughts and situations. I really fell in love with both main characters. Frederick who is struggling with his real identity is such a lost soul that you want to wrap your arms around him and make his love himself. Carman, the lively gi...more
Super cute and pretty lighthearted but not overly so... this isn't David Levithan's made-up gay high school, but it's not any kind of anguished coming-out story, either. Can we just take a moment to be eternally gratefully that queer adolescent narratives have evolved beyond the days when the only way someone could be gay is if they were miserable and then died at the end? A little bit of whiteness/Latinoness is touched on... not much, but more than you'll find from most white authors. This one...more
I really loved this book. This book is about 2 main characters. I really like how in each chapter, the point of view changes from character to character.
A new boy named Frederick moves into Xio's school and she really likes Frederick. But soon Frederick sees this boy in the school who turns out to be homosexual . After Frederick really meets this boy,Frederick is not so sure about himself anymore. When Xio realizes she likes Frederick ,she starts making "moves". But now Frederick doesn't know wh...more
A new boy named Frederick moves into Xio's school and she really likes Frederick. But soon Frederick sees this boy in the school who turns out to be homosexual . After Frederick really meets this boy,Frederick is not so sure about himself anymore. When Xio realizes she likes Frederick ,she starts making "moves". But now Frederick doesn't know wh...more
It is tough when you are brand new to a high school and you have moved from Wisconsin to California. It is tougher when it seems like everyone is dating and pairing off. And it is even tougher when derogatory language about homosexuality is used around you. Frederick is experiencing all of this and more as he grapples with whether he may be gay or not. His first new friend in the school is Xio who desperately wants to be Frederick's girlfriend. Will it work out? How will both Frederick and Xio m...more
I really loved this book because it shows both characters point of view which makes me very sympathetic. The topic of teens coming out is becoming bigger and this book goes into depth on the topic. This book is about a boy who moves to a new town and a girl falls in love with him, but while she thinks they are dating he is having feelings for the school soccer captain, a guy.I enjoyed this book and i really got into it and couldn't put it down. Anyone who likes social issues books, coming out bo...more
This is an easy to read, light, sweet story. It focuses on a young boy and his first girl friend, not his girlfriend.
The chapters flip flop between the two main characters' point of view of events, giving more of a diary-esque feel to the story.
This book is definitely more suitable for the junior high kids as I think older readers can be easily bored with the format and style.
As all of Alex Sanchez' work, definitely enjoyable and well written. I think any young person would benefit from it, esp...more
The chapters flip flop between the two main characters' point of view of events, giving more of a diary-esque feel to the story.
This book is definitely more suitable for the junior high kids as I think older readers can be easily bored with the format and style.
As all of Alex Sanchez' work, definitely enjoyable and well written. I think any young person would benefit from it, esp...more
I applaud Sanchez for dealing with the issue of homosexuality in young teens in a mid-level book. But the way he does it is didactic and borderline offensive at times. Xio's voice is over-the-top annoying, and I couldn't stand any chapter in which she was narrating. Frederick is bit more tolerable, but his story is one that has been told time and time again. And the way Sanchez writes him, typical of his style, is grating with the constant rhetorical questions. There's better out there to be rea...more
Jun 07, 2011
Chris
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Teens who are questioning themselves, parents with children of self-doubt
This story is about a boy who moves away from all his friends to a new city and has to start all over again with making friends. Only this time his new set of friends are very much different from the ones he grew up around. For one thing, most of the kids in this school are hispanic, whereas, it was the opposite at his old school, where most of his school was all white.
On the first day of school one of the more talkative girls, Zio, there notices the new kid, Frederick, after she sees that he do...more
On the first day of school one of the more talkative girls, Zio, there notices the new kid, Frederick, after she sees that he do...more
I have mixed feelings about this book. First of all, I should start by saying that by saying that I've read a few of Alex Sanchez' LBGT books for teens before, and I thought that they were great. that said, I'm a little disappointed that this one fell so far off the mark.
I can imagine that as a Latino male, Sachez probably wanted to inject more of a cultural feel into Xio, a cute, Mexican girl who narrates half of the story. however, in some moments, this "cultural" feel becomes a little overwh...more
I can imagine that as a Latino male, Sachez probably wanted to inject more of a cultural feel into Xio, a cute, Mexican girl who narrates half of the story. however, in some moments, this "cultural" feel becomes a little overwh...more
From the moment you meet the main character, Sanchez has you feeling protective of him. He's the new kid in school. He's smaller than everyone else. Even the culture in the region of the country he now lives in is unfamiliar to him. He needs the reader to be on his side, ready to care for him, no matter what.
And I did care about this character, even though I thought some of the characteristics were stereotypical. Both the gay teens were neat freaks, well organized, and liked boy bands. (Alex, yo...more
And I did care about this character, even though I thought some of the characteristics were stereotypical. Both the gay teens were neat freaks, well organized, and liked boy bands. (Alex, yo...more
I like how this story has two point of views from a girl and boy.I think this it's unique that the author made a character where he likes hanging out with girls instead of boys.after I finished the book I noticed something.the author has two characters that are gay.I wonder where the author got the idea of it.there's one scene in the book where the two gay people,Frederick and Iggy,were kissing,It was sick!But other than that the book was really interesting.I also wonder why it's called so hard...more
Recommended in Publisher's Weekly by Jordan McAuley, I realized I needed to diversify my reading.
The book was well written. I especially liked the main character viewpoints. Does it stereotype? No more than other coming of age books where all girls enjoy shopping and all guys enjoy sports. I took it in stride that the author was trying to find commonalities as the main character searched for his identity. So Hard to Say is well worth reading.
The book was well written. I especially liked the main character viewpoints. Does it stereotype? No more than other coming of age books where all girls enjoy shopping and all guys enjoy sports. I took it in stride that the author was trying to find commonalities as the main character searched for his identity. So Hard to Say is well worth reading.
Apr 06, 2009
Jain
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Shelves:
american-literature,
fiction,
juvenile-fiction,
poc-author,
lgbt,
northamerican,
2009-reads
Frederick's a fairly bland character, but Xio's a lot more fun to read about (although her excessive teeniness got a little grating at times). The best parts of the book were the scenes featuring Xio and her girlfriends from school.
Unfortunately, the book as a whole felt too insubstantial; it's the first half of a coming out narrative, with the majority of its scenes revolving around painfully clumsy attempts at (mostly heterosexual) adolescent romance.
Unfortunately, the book as a whole felt too insubstantial; it's the first half of a coming out narrative, with the majority of its scenes revolving around painfully clumsy attempts at (mostly heterosexual) adolescent romance.
I remember reading this book when I was in the fifth grade. I was the type of reader that had an 8th grade reading level in the 5th grade. I never read a book like this before, it was all new to me. I feel this book had given me a new perspective on life and self discovery. I was no longer ignorant about the lgbt society and that finding their identity is a big deal. So I'm glad I got to read this book, even if it was at a young age.
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| Wild Things: YA G...: So Hard To Say | 1 | 12 | 21. November, 17:39 Uhr |
Alex Sanchez is the author of the Rainbow Boys trilogy of teen novels, along with The God Box, Getting It, and the Lambda Award-winning middle-grade novel So Hard to Say. His novel, Bait, won the 2009 Florida Book Award Gold Medal for YA fiction. Alex received his master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Old Dominion University and for many years worked as a youth and family counselor. His...more
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14. Oktober, 11:43 Uhr