suicide – Raising Real Readers

Title: Fighting Words

Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2020

ISBN#: 978-1-9848-1568-2

I don’t think I’ve ever naturally categorized my thoughts about a book into a Top 10 list before, but Fighting Words, a 2021 Newbery Honor, lends itself to a list.

Top 10 List of Things to Know About Fighting Words BEFORE Your Child Dives In

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

Della, the 10-year old main character, is a nickname for Delicious. Her 16-year old’s sister’s name is Suki. Neither know where their names come from. Neither know who their fathers are.
Their mother is incarcerated for blowing up a motel room. Della and Suki were inside, while she was cooking meth in the bathroom. She is in a Kansas prison, while the girls live in Tennessee.
The girls have just been placed with Francine, a foster care provider, following the arrest of Clifton, the man they have lived with since their mother was incarcerated.
Clifton is arrested for sexually molesting Della one time, after Suki takes a photo for evidence.
Clifton has been molesting Suki for years.
Suki attempts suicide with a knife and Della witnesses it. Suki spends weeks in a psychiatric hospital and improves.
Della likes to cuss. It allows her to release her anger. The cuss words are replaced with the word “snow.” For example, Della might call someone an asshole in real life, but in the book, she calls him a “snowman.”
This book also deals with consent in the school setting as well. Trevor, a classmate of Della’s, pinches girls in the back where their bras would be, should they be wearing one. As Della learns about consent in therapy, she teaches the girls in her class (and the staff at the school) that Trevor has no right to touch them without permission.
Suki and Della get tattoos (yes, real tattoos) to symbolize their journey of growth and healing.
The supporting characters in this book are genuine, authentic, and are the people that give hope for healing: Suki’s boss/Della’s basketball mentor at the Y, Maybelline (the deli worker), Teena (neighbor), therapist, and most importantly, Francine, the foster parent.
(A bonus!) It does have a realistic, yet positive, ending for these two sisters.

Let me say that this book is extremely important. It will hopefully help those that have experienced an Adverse Childhood Experience, or ACE, heal and learn. It may help others recognize the importance (and difficulty) of reporting abuse. It may be helpful to those living in foster homes. It may help others who have experienced or witnessed attempts at suicide and the aftermath it leaves behind.

However, a parent or caregiver should be aware of the issues in this book. It would be best to read it together, and that’s IF you feel your child can handle it. While the recommendations for this book are for 10-14, I noticed on Goodreads that the recommendation in the U.K. is for 12 and up. While we know that there are many (too many) 10-year old Dellas in the world, this book is a LOT to handle for many middle grade readers, especially if read independently.

Here, author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley shares her thoughts on why this book is appropriate for even 10-year olds.

“This is to remind me of the best day of my life.”
She looks down at me. For a wonder, she smiles back. “When was that?” she asks.
“Tomorrow,” I say.” (p. 259)
Fighting words, kimberly brubaker bradley (p. 259)

While I give this book a 5/5, something to note is the 4.73/5 rating on Goodreads. With 3,445 raters, that might be the highest rated book I’ve read in a long time. It has 7 starred reviews. Wowzas!

“Della’s matter-of-fact narration manages to be as funny and charming as it is devastatingly sad. . . . This is a novel about trauma and the scars it leaves on bodies, minds and hearts. But more than that, it’s a book about resilience, strength and healing.” —New York Times Book Review

Braden, Ann. The Benefits of Being an Octopus. Sky Pony, 2018Bradley,

Kimberly Brubaker. Fighting Words. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2020

DiCamillo, Kate. Because of Winn-Dixie. Candlewick, 2015.

DiCamillo, Kate. Raymie Nightingale Trilogy. Candlewick, 2019.

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Title: Eventown

Author: Corey Ann Haydu

Publisher: Katherine Teegan Books, 2019

ISBN#: 978-0062689818

Middle grade fantasy comes in a variety of make believe; from talking cats hiding in bathtubs to space invaders from galaxies far, far away. However, in Eventown, the magic is lurking under the surface in just about everything, even if new resident twins Elodee and Naomi don’t quite know it yet.

When the book begins, it’s clear that Elodee and Naomi, along with their parents, have been under stress for the last half-year, although readers don’t find out why until much, much later. Choosing a “fresh start” over more of the same, they leave most of their possessions, including many favorites, behind as they return to Eventown, a place they once visited before. In Eventown, everything seems better and well, perfect. Elodee’s recipes are near flawless and Naomi rarely needs to practice gymnastics in order to produce a perfect routine (which just so happens to be the same routine as all her teammates). The weather is always sunny, teachers are always kind, and the ice cream…well, it never melts.

After Elodee’s sharing session at the Welcoming Center is interrupted, odd things begin happening. The rose bush they brought from Juniper doesn’t look like all the other rose bushes in town. Weeds begin appearing. And then…it begins to rain.

Elodee, along with new sidekick Veena, make a risky decision to get to the bottom of not just this mystery, but a few other nagging issues that result in quite the discovery. Things aren’t what they appear to be in Eventown.

While I greatly enjoyed the mystery lurking underneath this story, the book also serves as a vehicle in tackling some big topics, like mental illness, suicide, and grief. Concepts about identity and embracing your imperfections also heavily define this book. However, my favorite theme in this book is simple: love.

“Love, in the way we take care of each other when we’re hurting. Love, in a town covered in vines and thorns and roses and color. Love, strongest in the worst, scariest, most painful moments. Love, even better when the sky is gray and your heart is breaking.” (p. 324)

While the Lively family is portrayed as white, they become friends with an Indian family. Another secondary character has two moms.

Although Amazon lists this book as being well-suited for kids 8-12 or grades 3-7, I think parents of kids on the younger end of this spectrum should be advised of the heavy-hitting topics. It would make a great book to read together. On the flip side, I think this book could be of high interest to lower readers in the upper grades.

This title earned 3 starred reviews (Publishers’ Weekly, School Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews), but perhaps the best review of this book comes from another esteemed middle grade author, Rebecca Stead:

“A wonderful and inventive story about being a kid in an imperfect world—beautiful, mysterious, and deeply satisfying.”
Rebecca Stead

I gave this book a 5 star review on Goodreads.

Read-alikes for this book could include Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson-Haddix. While this book would be considered historical fiction and not fantasy, the element of “things aren’t as they appear to be” is the same, a very good way to hook kids into finishing the book.

Another fantasy title that deals with grief, love, and identity, albeit in a different way, would be Newbery winner When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller. You can see our review on it here.

Do your kids like a preview or book trailer before they commit? Try this one!

Haydu, Corey Ann. Eventown. Katherine Teegan, 2019.

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Tag: suicide

Fighting Words, 2021 Newbery Honor Book

Book Review: Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu