Skip to main content

Fighting Words

Fighting Words
By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2020. Fiction.

Della has always known she could count on her older sister Suki. Suki kept her safe when their mother was incarcerated and the two girls were left with her long haul truck driver boyfriend Clifton. Five years later, when Suki walks in on Clifton abusing Della, she acts fast to get the two of them out of the house and to safety. Now, the two sisters are in a foster home awaiting Clifton's trial and learning to live with their foster mother Francine. As Della starts to settle into their new life -- making friends, enjoying the safety of life with Francine, and standing up to a physical bully -- Suki starts unravel, being increasingly plagued by nightmares and a mental health decline that results in her attempted suicide. Now Della and Suki are left to learn to speak up and trust that others will help them, even if they aren't sure anyone wants to hear what they have to say.

This book deals with a lot of big, difficult subjects and is best for more mature readers and for young readers to read with a trusted adult. Even so, this is a remarkably raw and hopeful book that provides an essential mirror and window into horrors that are experienced by many young people. 10-year-old Della is a humorous and engaging narrator, alerting readers to the harder parts of her story while pulling no punches. Della, Suki, and Francine are likable characters that lighten up an otherwise dark story, and readers will root for Della and Suki to succeed on every page. Despite its blunt honesty, Fighting Words ultimately ends on a hopeful, even happy, note. This is a powerful and important novel.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.

Dragon Run

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...

Review: Growing Home

Growing Home Written by Beth Ferry Illustrated by The Fan Brothers New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 261 pages. This book has some entertaining characters! We get to read about Toasty, the goldfish who loves to eat cheese puffs, Ivy, a plant with magical powers, and Arthur, the spider who ends up with a broken leg. Jillian is the main human character in the book. She loves Toasty and Ivy, and would probably love Arthur, too, but she doesn't know about him....yet. Her parents own an antique shop, but they are facing some economic hardship.  This charming story is about magic, teamwork, and friendship. I loved that there were all kinds of shenanigans happening. While we are on a journey where the fish, the plant, the spider, and the girl are working to solve one mystery after another, the author beautifully guides us to the realization that words are powerful, friendships can heal hearts, and books have their own magic power to help in all kinds ...