Peggy Moffitt Earnest

Nonverbal Peggy Moffitt Earnest

2020 Gold Winner Pre-teen and Teen Human Relations Indie Children's Book. 2020 Gold Winner Special Needs Human Relations Indie Book. 2020 Finalist, Inspirational Fiction Category, Next Generation Indie Book Awards. _____________________Fifteen-year-old Jake Prescott may not be able to talk, but nobody would ever call him quiet! Jake is just beginning his freshman year at Brighton High School. He is not just any high school student, he is a young man with Down syndrome who LOVES to sing. Though many in Jake's inner circle find his communication style to be charming, his older sister, Emily, is often embarrassed by his antics. She especially despises having to help Jake sing his words.....even in public. Due to circumstances beyond their control, Emily is forced to be Jake's personal chauffeur to school every day of her senior year. But the year will turn out to be nothing like she or Jake expected, because before the first bell of the new school year rings, they meet a strange and reclusive new student named Julie Wallace. Initially, her behavior is rude and erratic, but Julie captures Jake's attention from their very first meeting. With his intense curiosity and his gift of extreme persistence, Jake gradually begins to unravel the mystery of Julie's odd behavior and changes the course of the rest of the school year for everyone. Along the way, Emily begins to see her brother in a different light. Nonverbal is a fictional story of the many ways Jake influences his friends and family for the better, even without speech. It is geared toward young adults and touches on many current topics such as inclusion, kindness, friendship and bullying. Mostly, it is about the priceless lessons that Jake's attitude can teach the typical world.