Book Review of A Little Potato and Hard to Peel
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The Children’s Book Review
A Little Potato and Hard to Peel
Written by David Harrell
Ages: 8-12 | 120 Pages
Publisher: Mascot Books (2025) | ISBN: 978-1-64543-405-4
What to Expect: Disability, Baseball, Bullying, Overcoming Adversity.
Based on the true-life experiences of actor and advocate David Harrell, this middle-grade novel delivers a compelling narrative about the power of self-belief, being yourself, and loving the life you have.
David wants only two things: a girlfriend and a letterman jacket. However, as he enters middle school, he starts to believe that he will never achieve those goals because David has only one hand. As a kid, he learned to play baseball and football with his prosthetic, but now it’s getting harder to compete with the other kids. Even worse, his new middle school has brought new bullies into his life—kids who see his disability as something to laugh about. It’s not until his grandfather dies that David starts to realize that it’s not his differences holding him back—it’s his own fear. That’s when David decides to run for student council—he’s determined to find out, once and for all, what it really means to be liked for who you are.
As a narrator, David is endearingly honest, humble, and warm, and readers are sure to relate to just how long it takes him to believe in himself—and celebrate with him as his dreams begin coming true. For many middle-school students, it can be easy to feel isolated and alone, but this novel reminds readers that we are always surrounded by people willing to love us, whether those people are family and friends, strangers we’re afraid of, or even the bullies we think will never be on our side.
A Little Potato and Hard to Peel is not only an engaging story for sports fans—it’s also a deeply uplifting and thought-provoking story about growth and positivity.
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About the Author
David Harrell is an actor, writer, speaker, and disability advocate. In 2021, he was honored by the Casting Society of America as one of the Top 20 Actors from underrepresented populations. Television credits include The Gilded Age, FBI: Most Wanted, The Code, Bull, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. On stage, he has performed Off-Broadway and regionally across the country.
His award-winning solo plays A Little Potato and Hard to Peel and The Boy Who Would Be Captain Hook continue to entertain audiences of all ages. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the New Jersey Governor’s Awards for Arts in Education in 2019. He was nominated in 2010 for a New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Solo Performance and won the 2014 Journalist Choice Award for his work in a solo play festival in Pärnu, Estonia. He currently lives in Savannah, Georgia, with his family.
For more information, visit davidharrellonline.com.
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