Until Today

August 1, 2013
The realities of child sexual abuse, told from the victim's point of view. Kat has been living with a terrible secret since she was a small child. For most of her life, Greg, her dad's lifelong best friend and law partner, has been abusing her and manipulating her emotionally to keep the crime quiet. Now in high school, Kat tries to stay away from Greg, but she's worried that her 6-year-old sister, Sarah, may become his next victim. Yet she can see no way to stop the abuse, and Greg has kept her terrified and silent. When she meets a small girl who clearly has been beaten by her father, a popular school principal, she learns that her best option indeed is to report the abuse, but Greg is ready with a scenario that finds her to blame. Emotionally estranged from her own parents, she doesn't know where to turn. Fluttert is not graphic with descriptions of the abuse, though readers will be able to guess at much. She keeps Kat's trauma and her reluctance to speak at the center of her tale. The character of the abuser, Greg, always in control, stands out as highly realistic. A solid cautionary tale. (Fiction. 12 & up)

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January 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-Kat has kept a secret since she was eight years old: she is a victim of sexual abuse. She doesn't want to risk disrupting her family yet she wants to protect her young sister from a trusted family friend. Now in high school, she has been convinced that no one would believe the things she has to say about what has been happening to her, so instead she isolates herself from her family and friends, causing relationships to fall apart. In this first-person narrative, readers gain insight into the cause of Kat's pain and anguish as she writes in her diary and interacts with those around her. When she meets a girl who has suffered physical abuse at the hospital where she is a volunteer, Kat encourages her to speak out and realizes that she, too, should speak up. When Kat's journal disappears, she knows that someone will learn the truth. She finds the courage to confide in her longtime friend, Scott, and discovers that he is supportive and protective. The truth is revealed, allowing Kat to realize the love and care she has from her family once she tells them. This is a quick read that deals with a sensitive issue in a realistic way.-Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD

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