Fans of Rebecca Stead and Ali Benjamin will love Weirdly Walter, a disarmingly funny and surprisingly heartfelt middle grade novel about a boy whose life is turned upside down when he gets packed off to live with his grandfather and attend a weird (but wonderful) performing arts school while, unbeknownst to him, his dad is away at rehab, from the acclaimed author of Words on Bathroom Walls, Julia Walton.
It’s Walter Ellis’s third time starting fifth grade, only this time it’s at Apple Grove Performing Arts Academy. He’s staying with his grandpa, a retired marine, and not his rock star dad, who left Walter behind for the first time ever.
On his first day, Walter impresses the entire school with hilarious impersonations during the morning announcements, and soon he finds himself tapped to try out for the school musical. But when a school bully exposes the true reason why Walter’s dad is gone, will Walter be able to face the music?
Weirdly Walter is a heartfelt story about unconditional love, forgiveness, and how our heroes aren’t always as perfect as we wish they were, from the acclaimed author of Words on Bathroom Walls, Julia Walton.