A Scar like a River

Praise for A Scar Like a River
* “The short chapters with pithy titles build intrigue and momentum … The story’s pitch-perfect tone balances sad and funny moments impeccably. Fallon demonstrates incredible depth and a rollicking sense of humor…. Darkness and light interplay with perfection.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “Graff infuses viscerally rendered realities of lingering trauma with moments of lightheartedness to deliver a meticulously calibrated work about a girl who refuses to be defined by her past.... Funny and compassionate Fallon’s sunny narration accessibly explores heavy topics such as abuse at the hands of a family member, the psychological effects of a lasting injury, and the weight of keeping secrets.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Fallon is an approachable narrator ... her complicated story deals with difficult topics sensitively, neither blowing past them nor delving into trauma for its own sake.…Especially glorious here is the weaving together of laughter and pain, of dealing with difficulties small and large, as is Fallon’s ultimate choice to be honest but also, as much as possible, tilt toward joy.”—BCCB, starred review

* “Fallon’s feisty, funny personality shines through her first-person narration, but she also possesses a frankness that makes readers party to the complex issues she is working through…. There’s no denying that this is a weighty novel, but it respects kids’ abilities to handle reading about tough subjects … Fallon’s story may help them feel empowered and less alone.”—Booklist, starred review

"Graff strikes a thoughtful balance between the heaviness of Fallon’s hurt and the humor and awkwardness intrinsic to middle school.”—The Horn Book

"Wit and heart are such disparate things to combine appropriately in the span of a single novel for kids. What Lisa Graff has managed here isn’t merely extraordinary—it’s monumental. A book that somehow straddles the serious and the silly with enviable aplomb.”

“Graff breaks our hearts and heals them, all in one compelling story.”

“Quintessential Lisa Graff. Quirky, funny, timely, and deeply moving.”

“A gentle invitation for kids to feel and speak and heal through all the complicated emotions surrounding the traumas that leave us scarred.”