Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley -⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Prologue: First, I don’t normally read MG books. It’s not that I don’t like them. More that there’s only so many hours in a day and my TBR pile would be more daunting if I started to add all the books from every category that I wanted to read. And I’d be poor(er).
But this book was recommended at the SCBWI conference in 2021 so I went ahead and splurged (Treat Yo Self) to a few books as…ahem…research material and this was one.
Since I already had a daunting pile of books I had purchased but hadn’t read (shhhhh) this one got put on the shelf.
But this one got pulled out when I became determined to read the books I had as opposed to buying more. I know…a novel concept.
The Meat:
First, this book will not be for everyone. And here’s why – TW// sexual abuse of children
The author is amazing at keeping the actual incident out of the spotlight. We know something has happened but only as far as a 9 year old understands and comprehends the outside world.
*****
At first glance the art work on the cover of this book is clean and compelling. And when you read the book you look at it with a new appreciation.
I started this book on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Fully expecting to read a few chapters and then put it down to get some other stuff done. But that didn’t happen. I couldn’t put it down.
At one point during the last third of the book I felt something on my face – tears. Not like, sobbing-I-need-to-put-the-book-down tears (a la Book Thief) but this was a softer sadness full of humour and hope.
The author is a master at writing a story of truama while keeping it non-traumatizing. The reader gets a sense of what has happened and can fill in the gaps but the main character does not quite grasp the gravity of it all.
Which brings us to the main character, Della. Her voice is humourous and alive. The auuhor did an amazing job of bringing the feisty character off the page. Also, probably the most inventive way to take bad words out of a book (just take a look at the sample I posted on Instagram for a little chuckle).
The message from the book is a hard one to hear but I feel like it’s necessary. It explains to children why it’s important to stand up for yourself and share if something is wrong. It also teaches that this horrific thing that happens a) is not their fault and b) is nothing to be ashamed of.
Honestly, I know that this book won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I highly recommend it. Yes, it caused tears but I also laughed out loud many times. Plus, I don’t think the feisty character of Delicious (Della) Nevaeh Roberts will ever leave my head – or my heart.