* Newbery Honor Book* A candid and fierce middle grade novel about sisterhood and sexual abuse, by two-time Newbery Honor winner and #1 New York Times best seller Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, author of The War that Saved My Life Kirkus Prize Finalist

* Newbery Honor Book* A candid and fierce middle grade novel about sisterhood and sexual abuse, by two-time Newbery Honor winner and #1 New York Times best seller Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, author of The War that Saved My Life Kirkus Prize Finalist

Boston Globe Best Book of the Year

Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of the Year

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Booklist Best Book of the Year

Kirkus Best Book of the Year

BookPage Best Book of the Year

New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

Golden Kite Honor Book

Rise: Feminist Book Project Selection

ALSC Notable Book

Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices Selection

Junior Library Guild Selection Fighting Words is raw, it is real, it is necessary, a must-read for children and their adults--a total triumph in all ways. --Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s Ten-year-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. 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 One of the most important books ever written for kids.--Colby Sharp of Nerdy Book Club

One for the history books....One of the best of the year.--Betsy Bird for A Fuse #8 Production/SLJ

Gripping. Life-changing...I am awe-struck.--Donna Gephart, author of Lily and Dunkin

Compassionate, truthful, and beautiful.--El