Short by Holly Goldberg Sloane

Title: Short
By: Holly Goldberg Sloane
Published: 2017
Call #: YA Fiction Sloan H.

There’s one word Julia, never says out loud anymore.  In fact she tries not to even think it. Short. Julia is tired of being short, called short and excluded because she’s short.   While summer has just kicked off for Julia, she’s not really excited for it.  She’s still mourning the loss of her beloved dog, Ramone and her best friends are both gone for the summer.

The outlook for the summer completely changes, when Julia’s mom takes her and her younger brother to try out for a production of The Wizard of Oz.  Julia’s never thought of herself as an actress, singer or dancer, but all that is about to change.   Even though she’s cast as a munchkin, Julia begins to see things in a new light.  Julia’s new friend and munchkin co-star Olive, shows her how being an adult with dwarfism doesn’t stop her from going after her dreams. Plus the director, Shawn Barr, really sees something in Julia and assigns her a second role.  Julia starts to look at herself and her abilities in a whole new way.  Short is a lovely summer and realistic read with characters that can inspire anyone.

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Tags: middle school, diverse, realistic fiction