A candid, at times confronting, teen novel about sisterhood and sexual abuse, by Newbery winner and #1 New York Times bestselling author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, who says of her latest work- ‘Parts of this story are scary, but trust me- no one needs to be afraid. Hope and love win out.’

Bestselling author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s confronting, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting story for young adults.

Della can’t work out why her adored older sixteen-year-old sister Suki screams in her sleep. Suki has always been Della’s protector, especially after their mother went to prison and her boyfriend took the sisters in. But who has been protecting Suki?

Della is in trouble at school for having a big mouth, but after she stands up to the class bully other girls rally to her cause. When Suki tries to kill herself, Della decides it’s time to tell their secrets and speak out about the terrible things that happened to Suki. Bound by love and trauma, these two sisters must find their own voices before they can find their way back to each other.

Based on the author’s personal experience, this gripping and essential story explodes the stigma around child sexual abuse. Written from the heart, with tenderness, compassion and humour, Fighting Words is about finding the words to talk about the most difficult things in young adults’ lives.

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is a Newbery Honor winner and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is popular for her fiction and non-fiction. Her novels The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won are Middle-Grade bestsellers. Fighting Words is her first Young-Adult book in Australia and New Zealand. Kimberly lives with her family on a farm in Tennessee.