Fighting Words

OOOF. If there had been a book with this summary/content from almost any other author, I probably wouldn't have picked it up–I don't tend to go for books about super dark topics, especially not in 2020 because, jeez. BUT I loved Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's previous books so much that I knew I had to read this one, and it is SO GOOD. Like, yes, emotionally devastating and I sobbed for like the last half of if. But at the same time there is a hopefulness and a strength here that keeps it from being just totally crushing, as well as a sense of humor to Della's narration that keeps it moving. This book is so, so powerful and so important to read for I think not only its middle grade target audience but also for adults who work with kids, and just for most everyone? It's so sharp at pointing out the specific ways that the smallest adult actions can change a kid's life for the worse or for the better. UGH. SO GOOD. This book will stay with me for a long, long time.

That said–and this should be pretty clear just from reading the plot summary–this book definitely has a content warning for child sexual abuse, so keep that in mind if that's a trigger for you.

The author's afterword about her own experience as a survivor is also really powerful and something that will probably mean a lot to kids who have also survived abuse.