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I finished this a couple days ago and felt it was very powerful. A raw look at 2 sisters in the foster care system, the book is still geared toward a middle grade audience. The narrator is 10, though her life experiences have caused her to grow up faster than most her age.

A difficult subject but done in such a tender and loving way… a story of two sisters and their path from abuse to healing… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley has a knack for bringing children‘s voices to life and make you feel like characters are real people. This is such an important book on a very important topic.
TW: CSA
#MiddleGradeMay

Absolutisme riveting middle grade novel about the aftermath of abuse and the path to healing.

This is Della's story. Della's mom is an addict who has been incarcerated since Della was five. Della is 11 now and just entering foster care with her 16 year-old sister Suki. They were living with their mom's abusive, long-haul trucker, boyfriend, who left them alone all week. Now that they are in a safe environment they are beginning the process of healing. This important story should be in every classroom from 5th to 12th grade.

Book 14 My first five star read of 2022. Fighting Words is the best I've read of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's work. It's children's literature without simplistic language, relationships, or emotions. It's about childhood sexual abuse and foster care, about which the author writes from personal experience. It's not at all vulgar, and it has a very hopeful message about working together to fight against these atrocities. Highly recommend.

I don‘t cry easily when reading, but this book had me sobbing more than once. It is a book about very tough topics including drug addiction, sexual abuse, and suicide. However, it is written a truly masterful way that addresses those topics more appropriately for middle grade readers than anything else I‘ve read touching on those topics.

I may not say snow or snowflakes without thinking of this book for a long time. ❄️

#TRS2021 #MiddleGrade

This is what I did today. I couldn't put it down. Five stars. It was so snowing good. And powerful. #tomorrowismybestday #ampersand #endthestigma

Della‘s voice will propel you through this story at incredible speed. I couldn‘t not read it, knowing she had more to tell me. It is impressive that a book dealing with such intense topics can be rendered in a way that is for ten year olds. But Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is an amazing author who has created a haven, a door, a window, a starting point for anyone who needs one. 💜

Wow! This is an amazing and important book about neglect, sexual abuse, and a ten-year old trying to process what has happened to her and her family while dealing with foster care and school. I‘m paraphrasing but one of the characters in this books says it helped her to read a book with characters like her in it. This is one of those books. Trigger warning for abuse and suicide. I just wanted to hug Della and her sister, Suki.

I appreciate authors that can write authentic stories dealing with heavy topics for young readers. I put off reading this story because of the subject matter, and for good reason. At times this story is heartbreaking; I cried more than once while reading it. But it is also funny, sweet, and engaging from start to finish. So far, it is the best middle-grade book I‘ve read this year.

#middlegrade #abuse #trauma #realisticfiction

I was a teacher for ten years. It breaks my heart to think about all the little cries for help that I surely missed. Hopefully, none of my students went through what Della is, but I know there must have been things like this that I missed. (Page 11) #buddyread
@BucklingBookshelves

Let‘s just start riiiight at the beginning... this dedication is key, I think. We know from the jacket flap this is not your average middle grade book. We WANT the tough things we know are coming to be a foreign idea to all 10-year olds (and kids both younger & older), but the heartbreaking truth is that far too many kids need stories like this one. It won‘t be easy, but I‘m sure by the end I‘ll be glad this book was written. #buddyread

Got it, @BucklingBookshelves ! I've got to finish my book club book by Friday. 😬 Maybe we could start this weekend?
#buddyread

I probably shouldn‘t rely on my snail mail skills to plan our next #buddyread @smilingshelves 😆

Only 2 left & I have access to both. Do we want to do the heavier read first or save it for last? I‘ll let you choose! Aim for sometime in June, maybe? Let me know what you think! 📚

If you need to cry here is the book for you. It was so good and so Heart breaking. This is probably a book for middle schoolers not younger just because it deals with sexual abuse.

A sad but excellent middle grade book. This novel follows a 10 year old girl named Della who is in foster care with her older sister Suki. They never knew their father and their mother is in jail for blowing up a hotel while cooking meth. The story also deals with sexual assault and suicide.

I‘m partway through this engaging story about two sisters who‘ve had a tough life with their incarcerated mother and are left with her boyfriend after the fact. #fostercare #sisters #family

Littens. This books is So. Powerful. A heartbreaking and empowering and hopeful story of two young sisters who are sexual abuse survivors. The author states that it happened to her, and her writing is so authentic. I love that the characters process what happened to them in their therapy sessions, and they give readers practical language to use regarding consent. So many stars for this book. ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was the most inspirational story about surviving sexual abuse I have ever read. The sisters in this story shared a deep love and supported each other completely.

What an important book!

Fighting words is published in Australia today. Grab a copy from your local book retailer.

https://littlemummymebookchat.wordpress.com/2020/09/01/fighting-words-by-kimberl...

#fightingwords #netgalley #littlemummymebookchat

This book broke me. And then restored me. It‘s a real, raw, and wrenching story of two sisters who endured unthinkable childhoods, who must learn to find their voices, tell their stories, and learn how to heal. While their journey is heartbreaking, I‘m a better person for knowing them through Bradley's powerful narrative. Suki and Della are indelible and sobering images of abused children among us. Ones we must continue to seek and support.