Fighting Words

by Kimberly Baker Bradley

Scott County Library paperback 259 plus Author's Note, discussion questions, and acknowledgements

Published: 2020

Genre: YA realistic fiction

Wow. I already knew that I really like this author. This book didn't grab me immediately, but it drew me in more and more. Protagonist Della is ten years old and has a very saucy vocabulary. Her older sister Suki has been her closest friend and protector. Right away, Della warns us that the "bad stuff" is coming in her story as she explains about how they got to Francine's foster home. 

The "bad stuff" is bad indeed, but the unfolding of the story is so incredibly powerful. I was even intensely moved by the author's note and acknowledgements. This book is phenomenal!

Page 144: '"Not really,' I said. 'I just wondered what, you know, normal families ate.' Nevaeh's mom laughed. 'Oh, honey. There's no such thing as a normal family.'"

I love that line! What is normal, anyhow? I completely understood Della's curiosity and perspective. At ten, she knows that what her childhood has included is NOT normal to most people.

Page 175: "I told you, nobody goes into foster care for good reasons. Foster care might be better than anything you've ever had in your life so far, and it will still never be as good as what you should have had. If the family you were born into was what it should have been."

Francine is an amazing foster mom! Tough, yes, but real. And steady. And concerned about the girls. After this, when Della says what happened was her fault, Francine tries to convince her that it was NOT! It makes me sad when kids take responsibility for the horrible things that adults do.

Page 201: "The good news is, people can and do heal. They can and do get better."

We didn't see a lot of Dr. Fremont, the psychologist working with Della, but she is a gem. Her encouragement and patience helped Della to work through her fears and guilt.

Page 209: "'Not your sister,' Maybelline said. 'I hope she's well, but I'm asking about you.'"

I loved Maybelline (the lady at the grocery store deli counter)! She treated Della with respect and love!

Page 209: "'It'll probably make you glow in the dark! Nothing that color is meant to go inside your mouth.'"

I agree with Teena - Mountain Dew is not for human consumption!

Page 213: "I'd been thinking about it. Brains were shut up inside the hard bone-box that was your skull. If someone or something banged you upside the head, stands to reason your brain could be hurt. But just someone scaring you? Touching you where they shouldn't?"

'It's complicated,' Dr. Fremont said, 'but it's true.'

She said that when bad things happened to people, it could make their brains change for the worse. 'Especially if the bad things happen when you're young,' she said."

So much about how trauma affects children makes me deeply, incredibly sad. I don't understand how people can let their addictions or selfish desires harm little kids.

Page 227: "Francine said, 'I wished someone had helped me when I was Suki's age. Or yours.' She blew out a cloud of cigarette smoke. 'Wish I'd had someone on my side.'"

Francine may not be an ideal person to raise children, but her heart is most definitely in the right place. She is providing care and stability for Della and Suki . . . like she wished she'd had when she was young. This book is so full of pain and sorrow, but it's not a downer!

Page 230: "'Well, sure,' Maybelline said. 'That's why I never got one. I changed my mind more often that some people changed their underwear.'"

They're talking about tattoos and this line made me laugh! Maybelline was such a delight.

Page 245: "I said, 'Even Ms. Davonte couldn't ignore all of us.' We'd worked as a pack, all us girls. A wolf pack."

I loved that Della resisted the urge to deck Trevor and used words! (And not swear words this time.) It would be fun to discuss this book and the meaning of the title. What a fantastic part of the story! I know some girls who could learn a lot from Della's "wolf pack" analogy.

Page 259: "Standing just inside the fourth-grade classroom, I look up at Ms. Davonte. I smile. I say, '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.

And that right there, that's the very best part of this story."

Yes! I love the hope enmeshed in that answer. I love that Della and Suki are looking toward the future and things they would like to do. This story is beautifully and powerfully written. I may buy a copy to keep and share.