ABOUT THE BOOK

This powerful novel by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley tackles the stigma surrounding child sexual abuse with compassion and humor. It tells the intense story of two sisters, linked by love and trauma, who must find their own voices before they can find their way back to each other.

Ten-year-old Della has always relied on 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 committed an awful act that forced them to flee, Della had Suki. Suki is Della's protector, her "wolf." But who has been protecting Suki?

Della, often reprimanded for swearing at school, has always known when to keep quiet. However, when Suki attempts suicide, Della's world is completely upended. She begins to question if she has been silent about the wrong things and realizes it might be time for her to speak up.

_{Photos Source:
Penguin Random House}

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1967. I loved to read—I was the sort of kid who would skip recess to go talk with my school librarian—but I didn’t know any writers, and I didn’t think it was the sort of job I could have. I loved chemistry, too, and I majored in chemistry in college. I was lucky, though, to go to Smith, a liberal arts school where I was encouraged to learn everything that interested me, and I took lots of writing classes, and, fortunately, a class on children’s literature taught by none other than Newbery medalist Patricia MacLachlan. She and Jane Yolen, who ran a writer’s group nearby, encouraged my very early (and very bad!) efforts.

I married my high-school sweetheart, and he started medical school. For awhile I worked as a research chemist and wrote stories late at night and on weekends. But I realized I really wanted to be a writer. By the time I was pregnant with our son I was getting enough freelance and ghostwriting jobs that I could quit being a chemist. A few years later, my husband finished his training to become an eye surgeon, and we moved so he could join a practice in Bristol, Tennessee. I was pregnant with my second child, our daughter, and my first book, Ruthie’s Gift, was under contract. It was a pretty exciting time.

Now my children are grown. My husband and I are still in Bristol, where we live on a 52-acre farm with an assortment of horses, two dogs, and too many cats. We love to travel, and I especially love learning about history from all over the world. My most recent book, The Night War, is my twentieth published book, and more are in progress. I am so grateful that I get to spend my life doing what I love to do.  - from her website, kimberlybrubakerbradleycom.wordpress.com