Jason Loring, about to enter high school, yearns to succeed. The stutter that darkened his life no longer overwhelms him. By his reckoning, he has "kicked stuttering to the side of the road" and won. The year has been one of searching for a way to withstand the chaos, loneliness, and brutality of family life and to rebound from the aftermath of a hate crime. A circle of friends, "The Fresh Air Five," each of whom faces challenges of his or her own, supports him and each other as they wend their way toward high school and beyond. Jason's story is one of bravery, first love, and the refinement of a good heart. Ellen-Marie Silverman first introduced readers to Jason Loring in "Jason's Secret" as a 10-year-old beginning fifth grade in a new school determined to hide his stuttering. Ellen-Marie Silverman has had a stuttering problem that propelled her to become a speech pathologist. She is a poet, painter, photographer, and naturalist who lives in the United States.