The Beat I Drum by Dusti Bowling

In The Beat I Drum, Dusti Bowling follows a character from her earlier best-seller as he navigates a move and a new relationship with his father.

The Beat I Drum by Dusti Bowling. Union Square Kids, 2025, 262 pages

Readling Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 12-15

Readers who fell in love with Aven Green, of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, will remember how the indomitable girl with no arms suddenly found herself regarded as a freak after moving from Kansas to Arizona. Finding a friend is the best cure for sudden alienation, and she finds one in Connor, a boy with Tourette’s syndrome. His main tic is barking. To explain what a tic feels like, he compares it to taking a swallow of water that goes down the wrong way, and

you instantly start hacking and coughing and your eyes water and you can’t stop. Next time that happens, concentrate every bit of energy you have on not coughing. Just ignore that searing tickle in your lung. Can you imagine feeling that way all the time? I mean All. The.Time. Welcome to my life.

Connor’s life just got a lot more complicated, because his parents split up and his mom got a new job in a new town (meaning a new school—high school, no less—where the kids don’t know about his tics). Their income has been cut and they’re living in a one-bedroom apartment. All this is his dad’s fault. We know no details about the breakup, but everything is Dad’s fault because Dad never accepted Connor’s Tourette’s and thought the barking was a thing he could stop. Never even tried to understand. Even worse, now that they’re no longer in the same house Dad seems to be trying to form a relationship with him. Why can’t he just leave them alone and let Connor get on with his life?

Like Aven, Connor finds an anchor in friendship—first with Amanda, who also has Tourette’s even though it’s not as obvious. Next with Rory, a bubbling personality with an arresting  birthmark over half her face which Connor finds beautiful. Another significant connection is with his music teacher Ms. Chen, who senses he might make an excellent drummer. Drumming is just the outlet he needs to beat out his frustrations; while banging out a rhythm he doesn’t bark at all. But still, what’s up with Dad?

In her acknowledgements the author gives thanks to God, “for leaving us with these words, ‘Forgive, and you will be forgiven.’ That is the true heart of this story.” Connor’s dad acknowledges his failures, but Connor can’t forgive until he discovers the effect his own bitterness has on his friends. Then the walls begin to crumble. The road to forgiveness is rocky, and the conclusion may be a little too neat, but Connor’s story is a reminder that we can only forgive when we understand how much we need forgiveness.

Bottom Line: A sensitive and engaging portrait of a young man with Dad issues.

Consideraton:

• Connor and Rory get romantically involved, with some kissing. It doesn’t go beyond that, but since they’re only fourteen, a nervous parent wonders how far it will go. Though the reading level is ages 10-12, I would recommend it for a slightly older age group.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Concurrently with Connor’s move across town, Aven Green’s adventures continue in Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus. See also the Aven Green series of chapter books.
• Reviews: We Could Be Heroes presents two engaging and neurologically diverse characters. Out of My Mind (starred review), Ugly: A Memoir, and Not So Different offer perspectives from characters with obvious disabilities.

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