"Award-winning author Barbara Dee’s spring middle grade novel, Tear This Down (2/25/25, Aladdin / Simon & Schuster), is full of girl power, activism, and the importance of sticking to your beliefs."
5 stars
"Because if it's history, it needs to be accurate, right?"
Ask questions, start discussing that force to think, reason, do something about it, and never quit. Short chapters and great writing make this relevant educational middle-grade grade easy to read and discuss in a middle-grade book club or classroom. Thought-provoking and essential.
Great characters and moments, the journal entry is one of my favorites: "April 11, 1919. My fifth day in jail, and my fourth of my hunger strike." This is one of the most emotional chapters.
This book is available for Pre-order. Will be release Fev 25. Get your copy now.
A girl who makes the choice to speak out against a problematic historical hometown figure, no matter the cost. Full of girl power, activism, and the importance of sticking to your beliefs, Tear This Down is a timely call to action, reminding girls that their voices matter and can spark change.
ABOUT TEAR THIS DOWN
For as long as Freya can remember, she has loved living in her cozy hometown of Wellstone. Not only is the town itself named for local and historical hero Benjamin Wellstone, but so are the schools, beaches, and stores. There’s even a giant statue of him to remind everyone of the good things he did. But while doing research for a big school project, Freya discovers that Benjamin isn’t the big hero everyone has been taught to believe. He had some redeeming qualities, but he also believed women shouldn’t have the right to vote—or even to exist outside of the home. Disappointed by her revelation, Freya wonders if she could figure out a way to not only show what the hometown hero was really like but replace his statue with one of an unsung hero: local suffragist Octavia Padgett.
About Barbara Dee
Barbara Dee is the award-winning author of fourteen middle grade novels, all
published by Simon & Schuster. Her books have earned several starred reviews
and have been named to many best-of lists, including The Washington Post’s
Best Children’s Books, ALA Notable Children’s Books, ALA Rise: A Feminist Book
Project List, School Library Journal’s Best Middle Grade Books, and the ALA
Rainbow List Top Ten. Her books appear on numerous state awards lists as well.
Barbara graduated magna cum laude from Yale with honors in English. She has a
MA degree from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English and a JD
degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where she was an associate
editor of the law review. She has taught high school English and has practiced law. Barbara is one of
the founders and a former board member of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, now the largest
children’s book festival in the country.
TEAR THIS DOWN
By Barbara Dee
Aladdin / Simon & Schuster | February 25, 2025
Ages 9-13 | $17.99 | ISBN 9781665917674
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