Jacky the Brave

Tragedy strikes twelve-year-old Jacky unexpectedly, just as he enters the whirlwind of change called middle school. Up until now, Jacky's life had been easy; but as responsibility piles up, Jacky realizes that the stress of his mother's illness and the increasing pressure of school makes it impossible for him to juggle his duties. In Jacky the Brave, things fall apart quickly. Jacky and his father are more like strangers than family, and even his closest friends fall off the radar. In order to salvage the relationship with his father, Jacky turns to a desperate plan: bagpipes. This moving story depicts a contemporary young Canadian boy coming to age amidst trying circumstances.