A Step Toward Falling - Hardcover

McGovern, Cammie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 006227113X ISBN 13: 9780062271136

Publisher: Harperteen, 2015

Synopsis

"A beautiful, big-hearted book with important lessons embedded in compelling stories of two irresistible girls. Expertly executed and movingly realized." --New York Times Book Review

Cammie McGovern follows up her breakout young adult debut, Say What You Will, with this powerful and unforgettable novel about learning from your mistakes and learning to forgive.

Emily has always been the kind of girl who tries to do the right thing--until one night when she does the worst thing possible. She sees Belinda, a classmate with developmental disabilities, being attacked. Inexplicably, she does nothing at all.

Belinda, however, manages to save herself. When their high school finds out what happened, Emily and Lucas, a football player who was also there that night, are required to perform community service at a center for disabled people.

Soon Lucas and Emily begin to feel like maybe they're starting to make a real difference. Like they would be able to do the right thing, if they could do that night all over again. But can they do anything that will actually help the one person they hurt the most?

Told in alternating points of view, A Step Toward Falling is a poignant, hopeful, and altogether stunning work that will appeal to fans of books by Jennifer Niven, Robyn Schneider, and Jandy Nelson.

About this title

Review:

"A unique and unforgettable love."--Teen Vogue

"It's a little bit 'Perks of Being a Wallflower, ' a little bit 'Eleanor & Park' and a lot of something else entirely. A young adult book with grown-up lessons."--Metro US

"Wonder meets Eleanor and Park in this authentic romance with beautifully crafted characters."--IndieBound.org

"McGovern's triumph is how well she normalizes and highlights the variety of disability experiences among teens and their often circuitous journeys toward claiming their voices and right to self-determination. Ultimately, a deeply engaging and rewarding story."--Kirkus Reviews

"A beautifully written story about two teens who find each other in spite of what might seem like insurmountable problems."--Examiner.com (5 star review)

Praise for SAY WHAT YOU WILL: "This is a book to read, savor, and pass on and on until it has gone around the world twice."--Ron Koertge, author of Stoner & Spaz

PRAISE FOR A STEP TOWARD FALLING: "Universal human emotions and challenges link the characters across boundaries of gender, class, and I.Q. This is a beautiful, big-hearted book with important lessons embedded in compelling stories of two irresistible girls. Expertly executed and movingly realized."--New York Times Book Review

"Cammie McGovern's second nuanced, thought-provoking young adult novel. A co-founder of Whole Children, a Massachusetts community center similar to the one about which she writes, McGovern obviously draws upon personal experience to create characters who are complex and fully realized."--Chicago Tribune

"So much love for this wise and powerful book. Most of all for Belinda--a girl with a cognitive disability who shows how full a life can be, and who loves Pride and Prejudice and Colin Firth as much as we do. For fans of Jennifer Niven and Jandy Nelson."--Justine Magazine

"Alternating viewpoints illustrate how braving the uncertainty of relationships, expectations, and life after high school transcends class or ability. The sensitive overview of tough issues gracefully balances romance with reality. Fans of Jane Austen will appreciate this unconventional homage."--Kirkus Reviews

From the Back Cover:

Sometimes one mistake can change everything.
Emily doesn't know why she froze. Or why Lucas did too. Afterward, she thought of different ways to rationalize it. But the truth is, they could have helped Belinda, and they didn't. It's a mistake they'll both have to live with.

Sometimes doing nothing is the only way to cope.
Belinda doesn't want to talk about what happened. Because when she does, it feels like it's happening all over again.

Sometimes good can come from bad.
Emily and Lucas's punishment is community service at a center for people with disabilities. People like Belinda. Soon they feel like maybe they're starting to make a real difference. Like they would be able to do the right thing if they could do that night all over again. Like they could help not only those at the center but also each other.

But when Belinda returns to school, Emily and Lucas have to figure out if they can do anything that will actually help the one person they hurt most.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harperteen
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 006227113X
• ISBN 13: 9780062271136
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 364