Booktalk #1

Ten-year-old Della has a big mouth, but that’s a good thing. She uses it to speak her mind, even if she gets in trouble for it. She uses it to stand up for herself and others, like her big sister Suki told her to. And she’s going to use it to put Clifton away in prison for a long time, after what he did. 

Suki has always been Della’s protector. She’s basically raised her since she was a baby, even though Suki’s only six years older. Suki is Della’s whole world. 

Della and Suki’s mom is in prison, and they don’t know their dads, so they’ve had to stay with Clifton all this time. But then he did something, something that made Suki grab Della and run, that got the police involved. It also got the sisters placed in foster care, and upended their lives. 

Now, as Della tries to adjust to all these changes and process what happened at Clifton’s, she feels like she’s losing Suki, who’s been angry and distant. When Suki tries to commit suicide, Della has to reassess everything she thought she knew about her sister. Suki may have always protected Della, but has anyone protected Suki? (New Hampshire Great Stone Face Book Award nominee, 2022)

Booktalk #2

Ten-year-old Della has always been protected by her older sister, Suki, especially when her mother is incarcerated for drugs. But after Della and Suki are placed in a new foster home after escaping from Clifton, their mother’s boyfriend, it might be Suki who needs to be protected. Delia needs to learn that there are some words that she can’t say, but others, although difficult, that must be said. 
(Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, 2022)