By Lisa Graff
Christy Ottaviano Books / Little, Brown, 2026
392 pages
978-0-316-57080-0
Ages 9-13
Thirteen-year-old Fallon (white) has three secrets. She’s shared one of them—about who gave her the scar across her face—with her best friend. But when Fallon’s uncle Geebie dies, the trauma from her past resurfaces. Worse, Fallon’s aunt Lune, whom Fallon hates, has moved in. Fallon has been cast in the lead role in her school’s production of Hello, Dolly!, but she takes offense at her character’s manipulative, gaslighting behavior and decides instead to protest the play along with fellow cast member Stella. Stella and Fallon, former adversaries, found common ground after running into each other at therapy, where Stella invited Fallon to join her in a session for sexual assault survivors. When word of the protest trickles out, and the school board cancels the play, Aunt Lune, a journalist, writes a piece questioning whether “the kids” have “gone too far.” In angry retaliation, Fallon searches through Lune’s old writing to find an example of an overreaction, hoping to call her out; instead, she finds a piece revealing how Uncle Geebie molested Aunt Lune when they were children. Suddenly, Fallon’s secrets come to devastating light: Geebie had assaulted Fallon, too, and Aunt Lune had known but done nothing to protect her. Geebie had also been the one to swing a knife at Fallon’s face. With extraordinary skill, nuance, and compassion, this outstandingly powerful narrative gives voice to a girl who is both healing from and learning to accept the emotional and physical scars of a life-altering traumatic experience. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center