DECEMBER 2015 - AudioFile
Narrators Amanda Wallace and Ashley Clements team up for this realistic story of ethical dilemmas and what it means to be disabled. Emily, a high school senior, is a good person who, nonetheless, fails to act forcefully after witnessing Belinda, a developmentally challenged student, being assaulted at a football game. Clements channels her inner teen when narrating Emily's chapters, believably capturing the cadence and vocal register of the girl as she struggles with self-acceptance and a better understanding of those who are different from her. Particularly impressive is the respectful manner with which Wallace conveys Belinda's disabilities, unique voice, and maturing emotions as she learns to trust her instincts and inner strength. This affecting audiobook is a reminder that first impressions can be deceiving. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - Priscilla Gilman
Universal human emotions and challenges—the desire to be accepted and loved, the pressure of expectations, the longing to be seen as one really is—link the characters across boundaries of gender, class and I.Q. McGovern has created two heroines and two suitors whose struggles and growth allow her gracefully to make polemical points: the need to provide better transition services for special education students, the urgency of having "a sense of productivity," the importance of creating our own definitions of success and what constitutes a worthy life…this is a beautiful, big-hearted book with important lessons embedded in the compelling stories of two irresistible girls. Its moral is not surprising, perhaps, but it is expertly executed and movingly realized.
Publishers Weekly
★ 07/27/2015
Emily knows that she isn’t good at everything (boys, for instance), but she generally thinks she’s a good person—until the night she does nothing when Belinda, a classmate with special needs, is being assaulted at a football game. Now Emily and Lucas, a star football player who also failed to act, must volunteer at a social skills class for adults with developmental disabilities. Interacting with Lucas and the class members is initially awkward for Emily, but she comes to see past her preconceptions about all of them. But this isn’t just Emily’s story: it’s also Belinda’s. Alternating passages follow Belinda as she recovers from the attack—which she successfully fended off—and returns to school, eventually befriending Emily and Lucas. No mere empathy builder for Emily and Lucas, Belinda is a fully developed character—good at some things (better than Emily and Lucas, in fact), bad at others. Without evading or sugarcoating difficult topics, McGovern (Say What You Will) shows that disabled and able aren’t binary states but part of a continuum—a human one. Ages 14–up. Agent: Margaret Riley King, William Morris Endeavor. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
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
“Without evading or sugarcoating difficult topics, McGovern shows that disabled and able aren’t binary states but part of a continuum—a human one.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Told in alternating sections of Emily’s and Belinda’s voices, this book explores how even good people can fail morally. Belinda is written thoughtfully and respectfully. She has a distinct voice that reflects her cognitive disabilities but without condescension. Highly recommended for realistic fiction collections.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“Through alternating chapters, Emily comes to understand her inaction, prejudices, and failings, and Belinda learns to face her fears, find her voice, and take charge of her future. McGovern’s ample experience with special needs youth is evident, as it allows this unique story shine from within.” — ALA Booklist (starred 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
“Belinda’s voice is perfectly pitched: it’s clear that she’s thought her world through on her own terms. By including a wide variety of distinct characters, the novel shows that the presence or absence of a disability is just one of many aspects of who a person is.” — The Horn Book
“This book might lead to an interesting discussion about responsibility, about standing up for someone, about doing the right thing.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
“McGovern uses her experience working with youth with special needs to illuminate the everyday thought processes and internal lives of young adults who function differently in society. She gives readers characters, not archetypes. It’s a poignant, warm, compelling book that insists that mistakes and redemption can go hand in hand.” — The Globe and Mail
“A sensitive exploration of frailty and strength, setback and recovery. Ultimately, it’s a story of young people reexamining themselves, their preconceptions, and their possibilities, and readers will recognize their vulnerabilities and applaud their commitment.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Beautifully written. Although this story has its dark side, to be sure, it also is a story told by McGovern with much love and humor. Everyone who reads this book will be touched and forced to question her/his own stereotypes.” — Examiner.com
“Readers will fall more in love with the characters the more they read.” — TeenReads.com
“It’s hard not to fall in love with McGovern’s story. A beautiful portrait of a real teenage world that is capable of hopefulness and healing. Fans of Rainbow Rowell and Jandy Nelson’s brand of realistic YA fiction should find a new favorite in Cammie McGovern’s lovely A Step Toward Falling.” — BookBrowse.com
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
“A unique and unforgettable love.” — Teen Vogue
“Exhilarating and heartrending.This novel is stunning.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)
“Readers will be surprised, moved, amused, worried, hopeful, and grateful.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“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)
“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
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
This book might lead to an interesting discussion about responsibility, about standing up for someone, about doing the right thing.
The Globe and Mail
McGovern uses her experience working with youth with special needs to illuminate the everyday thought processes and internal lives of young adults who function differently in society. She gives readers characters, not archetypes. It’s a poignant, warm, compelling book that insists that mistakes and redemption can go hand in hand.
Chicago Tribune
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.
Justine Magazine
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.
The Horn Book
Belinda’s voice is perfectly pitched: it’s clear that she’s thought her world through on her own terms. By including a wide variety of distinct characters, the novel shows that the presence or absence of a disability is just one of many aspects of who a person is.
New York Times Book Review
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.
ALA Booklist (starred review)
Through alternating chapters, Emily comes to understand her inaction, prejudices, and failings, and Belinda learns to face her fears, find her voice, and take charge of her future. McGovern’s ample experience with special needs youth is evident, as it allows this unique story shine from within.
Chicago Tribune
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.
BookBrowse.com
It’s hard not to fall in love with McGovern’s story. A beautiful portrait of a real teenage world that is capable of hopefulness and healing. Fans of Rainbow Rowell and Jandy Nelson’s brand of realistic YA fiction should find a new favorite in Cammie McGovern’s lovely A Step Toward Falling.
IndieBound.org
Wonder meets Eleanor and Park in this authentic romance with beautifully crafted characters.
TeenReads.com
Readers will fall more in love with the characters the more they read.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
A sensitive exploration of frailty and strength, setback and recovery. Ultimately, it’s a story of young people reexamining themselves, their preconceptions, and their possibilities, and readers will recognize their vulnerabilities and applaud their commitment.
Examiner.com (5 star review)
A beautifully written story about two teens who find each other in spite of what might seem like insurmountable problems.
Ron Koertge
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.
Examiner.com
Beautifully written. Although this story has its dark side, to be sure, it also is a story told by McGovern with much love and humor. Everyone who reads this book will be touched and forced to question her/his own stereotypes.
Teen Vogue
A unique and unforgettable love.
Metro US
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.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
A sensitive exploration of frailty and strength, setback and recovery. Ultimately, it’s a story of young people reexamining themselves, their preconceptions, and their possibilities, and readers will recognize their vulnerabilities and applaud their commitment.
Booklist (starred review)
Exhilarating and heartrending.This novel is stunning.
School Library Journal
★ 09/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—Emily knew when she saw Belinda, a classmate with developmental disabilities, being assaulted under the bleachers she needed to intervene, but she froze, and now she's doing community service and trying to figure out how to live with herself. Belinda is attempting to determine how to go forward after rescuing herself. Told in alternating sections of Emily's and Belinda's voices, this book explores how even good people can fail morally. Emily and Lucas (who was also present that night) are wrong, and that is made clear throughout; their inaction is understandable but inexcusable, and that subtle distinction is an important one. In addition, Belinda is written thoughtfully and respectfully. She has a distinct voice that reflects her cognitive disabilities but without condescension. Given that portrayals of people with developmental disabilities so often either depict them as perfect angels or use them as a device by which the neurotypical characters better themselves, Belinda's full-fledged personality is important for readers to engage with. The parallel romances are charming and appropriate, and while Emily and Lucas's treads the well-worn paths of smart girl plus hot, sensitive jock, it is not an unpleasant trope to revisit. The secondary plots of Belinda's family conflict and Emily distancing herself from her friends are well-executed ways to flesh out the two protagonists' growth. VERDICT Highly recommended for realistic fiction collections.—L. Lee Butler, Hart Middle School, Washington, DC
DECEMBER 2015 - AudioFile
Narrators Amanda Wallace and Ashley Clements team up for this realistic story of ethical dilemmas and what it means to be disabled. Emily, a high school senior, is a good person who, nonetheless, fails to act forcefully after witnessing Belinda, a developmentally challenged student, being assaulted at a football game. Clements channels her inner teen when narrating Emily's chapters, believably capturing the cadence and vocal register of the girl as she struggles with self-acceptance and a better understanding of those who are different from her. Particularly impressive is the respectful manner with which Wallace conveys Belinda's disabilities, unique voice, and maturing emotions as she learns to trust her instincts and inner strength. This affecting audiobook is a reminder that first impressions can be deceiving. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2015-06-10
McGovern explores dating, disability, activism, and impending adulthood with a bow to Jane Austen. When intellectual but shallow Emily witnesses the sexual assault of Belinda, a student with unspecified developmental disabilities, she can't react; an AP course load and the Youth Action Coalition haven't prepared her for "Real World Issues." She atones by doing community service at the Lifelong Learning Center for young adults with developmental disabilities. Belinda, a naïve romantic who takes her cues from watching Pride and Prejudice, copes with the aftermath by listening to Colin Firth. The gradual details of Belinda's assault are as minimal as popcorn but sharp against her matter-of-fact bewilderment, and the author handles such topics as boundaries, (lack of) support, post-traumatic stress, and disclosure gently. Jane Austen references abound as Emily's and Belinda's alternating viewpoints illustrate how braving the uncertainty of relationships, expectations, and life after high school transcends class or ability. Both girls learn to look past their respective prejudices, each with her own humor, and—à la Austen—each girl gets a guy. Unfortunately, the book's uplifting ending turns upon contrivances and risks making Belinda a prop for Emily's growth. Fortunately, Belinda is engaging in her own right, and the sensitive overview of tough issues gracefully balances romance with reality. Fans of Jane Austen will appreciate this unconventional homage. (Romance. 14-18)
