Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Image: Penguin Random House

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. 256 p. Dial Books/ Penguin Random House, August, 2020 9781984816582. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Middle Grade Monday wishes a belated happy book birthday (8/11) to Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  Fans of Ms. Bradley's The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won already know they are in for an unforgettable reading experience. Ms. Bradley has a gift for rendering complex, memorable characters while also keeping the plot moving. Ada was a narrator who moved into my heart-space. Now she needs to make room for Della.

Ten-year-old Della, short for Delicious, "What was my mother thinking?" narrates this compelling, devastating and important new book. Della captivates from the very first line, "My new tattoo is covered by a Band-Aid, but halfway through recess, the Band-Aid falls off." Remember I said she's ten? She is blunt and prone to using salty language, even in the classroom and even with the principal. Suki, her sixteen-year-old sister, tries her best to protect and advise Della. Della doesn't really remember her mother, who "had the brains of a hamster" according to Suki. Della was very young when she and Suki nearly lost their lives. Their mother set their motel room on fire while cooking meth. The two ended up living with Clifton, their mom's long-haul truck driving boyfriend until something happened and now they live with Francine, their foster mother. Della eases into the bad parts slowly allowing tween readers as well as herself to process what happened. Her blunt observations are quite often laugh-out-loud funny, which helps when we get to the really tough parts. 

Della and Suki are incredibly brave and resilient. Yet even the strongest steel has a breaking point. The two are lucky to have landed with Francine, their no-nonsense but caring foster mother. The girls have been so used to fending for themselves that they are wary of Francine. But Francine knows the ropes and what to request for the girls even though Child Protective Services is slow to act. 

Children need to feel safe and loved as much as they need food and shelter. Higher levels of functioning, like learning is impossible in survival mode and both Della and Suki have learning deficits. I'd like to think that most children in the communities in which I live and work are growing up in a stable, secure home; but the reality is that even the appearance of affluence is not indicative of an environment where a child can thrive. It is a dangerous assumption. 

This story about child neglect, abuse and sexual assault will not be a comfortable read. Know that from the start. These are tough topics to broach with children. They are topics usually relegated to a YA audience. But waiting for a child to be a young adult in order to see themselves in literature and learn that such treatment is not okay, not their fault and is not a secret that should be kept, is way too late. This year has seen the release of several excellent middle grade books that deal with the topic (When You Know What I Know and Chirp). Every teacher should read them all. Indeed, every adult who works with or has a child in their life should. 

Both Della and Suki will reside in my heart for a very long time. And Francine is one fierce woman! I hope Fighting Words gets the readership it deserves. And all the awards. It has earned seven starred reviews (!) so the committees ought to be taking a look at it.

I listened to a sample of the audio book narrated by Bahni Turpin when I visited the publisher website for the cover image. I am definitely rereading this one with my ears. Ms. Turpin is an outstanding narrator and Della is a memorable character. Check out the sample by clicking on the link below the cover image above. 

Friday Memes: Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Penguin Random House

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. 256 p. Dial Book for Young Readers/ Penguin Random House, August 11, 2020. 9781984815682.

Publisher synopsis: Ten-tear-old Della has always had her older sister, Suki: When their mom went to prison, Della had Suki. When their mom’s boyfriend took them in, Della had Suki. When that same boyfriend did something so awful they had to run fast, Della had Suki. Suki is Della’s own wolf–her protector. But who has been protecting Suki? Della might get told off for swearing at school, but she has always known how to keep quiet where it counts. Then Suki tries to kill herself, and Della’s world turns so far upside down, it feels like it’s shaking her by the ankles. Maybe she’s been quiet about the wrong things. Maybe it’s time to be loud.

In this powerful novel that explodes the stigma around child sexual abuse and leavens an intense tale with compassion and humor, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley tells a story about two sisters, linked by love and trauma, who must find their own voices before they can find their way back to each other.

First Line: My new tattoo is covered by a Band-Aid, but halfway through recess, the Band-Aid falls off.

Page 56: The trickiest part of shopping off Francine's list was figuring out exactly where everything was in the grocery store. The trickiest thing was figuring out what Francine actually meant. "Wonder Bread: sounds easy enough until you realize that there's classic white sandwich, small classic white sandwich, and giant white sandwich. Turns out plain classic white was the correct answer, which I guess right based on how many sandwiches that sized loaf would make.

Middle Grade Monday: Chirp by Kate Messner

Image: Bloomsbury

Chirp by Kate Messner. 232 p. Bloomsbury, February, 2020. 9781547602810. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Middle Grade Monday features Chirp by Kate Messner. Most children might experience anxiety or even anger at moving house, especially during the summer between seventh and eighth grades. Mia doesn't mind moving from Boston to Vermont. She'll be able to see her grandmother whenever she wants now and she's ready for a fresh start. She packed a big secret along with her gymnastics uniforms and trophies into the moving boxes. She's eager to learn all about her grandmother's cricket farm, especially when she learns that someone has been sabotaging the business. A mystery to solve is just the ticket to keep her mind from going where she doesn't want it to go. But keeping her secret affects Mia in big and small ways. As she recovers from an injury that allowed her to quit gymnastics without needing to explain why, Mia tries new activities, meets new friends and eventually finds her voice. 

This middle grade novel helps tweens understand consent in an age-appropriate way. Chirp joins a growing list of excellent mg fiction dealing with child sexual assault. This topic should not be relegated to the YA shelves because sexual assault, grooming and abuse occurs to children at any age and those victims need to know that they will be believed and that they are not alone. 

Ms. Messner excels at creating vivid communities peopled with interesting characters and supportive adults. She spins a good mystery too! And, I might be convinced to try eating crickets. Chirp belongs in all school, classroom and public libraries. 

Arc Review: When You Know What I Know by Sonja K. Solter

Image: LBYR

When You Know What I Know by Sonja K. Solter. 216 p. Little, Brown and Company, March 24, 2020. 9780316535441. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher/ ALAMW)

Happy belated book birthday to When You Know What I Know. It released yesterday and I had really hoped to get this review up before its release date but most of my energy has been spent trying to switch to virtual teaching these past weeks. My reading for this month sure has taken a hit as well. My apologies.

When You Know What I Know is a tough book to talk about. It'll be tough a book talk to have if/ when we return to school. But we must. The topic cannot be relegated to YA because children are victimized. Sonja K. Solter's debut, written in blank verse, is Tori's first-person account that begins immediately after her Uncle Andy molests her when he's supposed to be babysitting her. 

It's enough to know it happened without having the details of what exactly happened. It's enough to understand that she's terrified. Then the terror of what happened is compounded when She. Isn't. Believed! Her mom doesn't initially believe it and Tori feels betrayed. Her grandmother refuses to believe it and takes her son's side, causing a rift in an already fragile family. 

She's terrified. She's embarrassed. What if someone finds out? Her best friend senses something is wrong but Tori can't confide and that jeopardizes the friendship. Tori can't learn anything at school. Activities she's previously enjoyed, such as chorus, become unbearable. Memories invade constantly. 

The verse format lends itself well to portraying all the turmoil that Tori is feeling. The delivery is age-appropriate and accessible. She is resilient and, with support, takes steps toward healing. An author's note and resources follow. When You Know What I Know belongs in every library collection. We need to be having these uncomfortable conversations and we need to leave our hearts and doors open for these kids. 

ETA: Here's a link to an SLJ interview of Ms. Solter and another debut author, Mary Cecilia Jackson.

Fact Friday: I Have the Right To: a high school survivor's story of sexual assault, justice and hope by Chessy Prout with Jenn Abelson

Image: Simon & Schuster

I Have the Right To: a high school survivor's story of sexual assault, justice and hope by Chessy Prout with Jenn Abelson. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~11 hours. Read by the author. Simon & Schuster Audio, March, 2018.  9781508246046. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library. Own hc.)

Fact Friday features a tough but important read for mature teens. I Have the Right to is Chessy Prout's autobiography. She recounts her happy childhood living in Japan with her loving parents and her two sisters - one older and one younger. She was thrilled to be accepted to St. Paul's School in New Hampshire. It was the boarding school her father attended when he was young. Her sister would be a senior when she arrived for her freshman year. The year went fairly well- Chessy made the volleyball team, she was managing her anxiety, she was fitting in and she was dealing with the sometimes unwanted attention of the boys on campus. There was a not-so-secret competition among the upperclassmen. In the final week of her freshman year, Chessy was assaulted by a popular senior. With the support of her family, she decided to press charges only to have school officials attempt to shame her into silence. Chessy's memoir is searing and honest. She recounts her attack in detail. She faced her attacker in court. She also endured backlash and sometimes feared for her life. 

Mature teen readers, both boys and girls, who have read Speak or SHOUT by Laurie Halse Anderson will want to read this and contemplate consent and boundaries. It's an uncomfortable but important conversation to have both at home and at school.

Chessy Prout narrates her work. It must have been painful to constantly revisit her attack, not only through testimony but also through the writing process. And then, to read it aloud! Her emotion is authentic. So is her resolve. She is a brave young woman.

Teen Tuesday and Arc Review: SHOUT by Laurie Halse Anderson

SHOUT: a poetry memoir by Laurie Halse Anderson. 290 p. Viking/ Penguin Young Readers Group, March 19, 2019. 9780670012107. (Review from arc courtesy of publisher.)

It's always a big deal when Laurie Halse Anderson has a new book out. This memoir will be published in March, around the twentieth anniversary of her Printz Honor winning, National Book Award Finalist, Speak. I read Speak when I was new to school librarianship and before I was blogging. I distinctly recall my telling anyone who would listen that it should be required reading for all rising eighth graders and their parents and teachers. It was raw. It was true. It was groundbreaking. It was needed.

Unfortunately, it is still needed as little has changed in the twenty years. Speak was somewhat unintentionally autobiographical, something Anderson was willing to keep quiet about. Until. Until she started speaking to thousands of teens all over the United States. She'd avoid answering the question about whether it had ever happened to her. Until she didn't. She respects her audience too much. 

So she shared, and, eventually SHOUT was born. Boy, do we need SHOUT! It is raw. It is true. It is groundbreaking. It most definitely is needed. I have heard Anderson speak on a variety of subjects over the years. She is a passionate truth teller and caller outer, whether it's about racism, PTSD, mental health issues or sexual assault. Her words are beautifully angry and inspiring. 

Read Speak. Read Shout. Get angry and do a little SHOUTING yourself.

Teen Tuesday: Speak: a graphic novel by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak: a graphic novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. Illustrated by Emily Carroll. 384 p. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, February, 2018. 978037400289. (Review from copy borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Speak: a graphic novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. Illustrated by Emily Carroll. The novel, Speak, was published nearly twenty years ago, in 1999. It won a Printz Honor. I recall saying to a colleague, "This should be required reading for every rising eighth grader, boys and girls, before heading to high school." Since then, I have reread it several times and find it just as (sadly) relevant and powerful.

Melinda has lost her voice after an awful attack at a big high school summer bash. She starts her freshman year as an outcast because she called the police, not to bust up the party, but to report the attack. She could not speak of it - not to the police, her parents or her best friends. 

Laurie Halse Anderson reworked her novel to accommodate the graphic novel format and updated it to reflect the technology that wasn't available back then. Emily Carroll's haunting black and white illustrations depict Melinda's isolation and loneliness. 

When Speak: a graphic novel published, I was out of budget money.Speak: a graphic novel  will join her sister, Speak at TMS in the fall. Both are must-reads for teens.

#tbt: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. 208 p. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, October, 1999. 9780374371524. (Own.)

Our Teen Tuesday feature is Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Speak should probably be required reading for all eighth grade students as they leave middle school. It was Anderson's YA debut. It was a National Book Award Finalist and won a Printz Honor. It is a diary of sorts, narrated by Melinda Sordino. The book is divided into marking periods. Melinda starts her freshman year as an outcast because of what happened at a senior party during the summer. Yes, she did call the police but not to bust the party. She just can't bring herself to explain what happened. Instead, she has stopped speaking. The narrative is a bit fractured as Melinda struggles to confront her trauma, but gripping from page one. The story was recently turned into a graphic novel.