praise!

Kirkus | STARRED review

★ “The story’s pitch-perfect tone balances sad and funny moments impeccably. Fallon demonstrates incredible depth and a rollicking sense of humor . . . Darkness and light interplay with perfection.”

Publishers Weekly | STARRED review

★ “Graff infuses viscerally rendered realities of lingering trauma with moments of lightheartedness to deliver a meticulously calibrated work about a girl who refuses to be defined by her past . . . Funny and compassionate Fallon’s sunny narration accessibly explores heavy topics such as abuse at the hands of a family member, the psychological effects of a lasting injury, and the weight of keeping secrets.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books | STARRED review

★ “Fallon is an approachable narrator dealing with a terrible secret and yet shows remarkable growth, and her complicated story deals with difficult topics sensitively, neither blowing past them nor delving into trauma for its own sake. She learns to navigate speaking the truth—about her uncle’s actions, about her aunt’s inaction, about the problematic play in which she was cast as the lead—while accepting that actions, even when well-intentioned or necessary, have consequences . . . Especially glorious here is the weaving together of laughter and pain, of dealing with difficulties small (when her two best friends start dating) and large (her mom’s chronic illness), as is Fallon’s ultimate choice to be honest but also, as much as possible, tilt toward joy.”

Booklist | STARRED review

★ “Fallon’s feisty, funny personality shines through her first-person narration, but she also possesses a frankness that makes readers party to the complex issues she is working through . . . There’s no denying that this is a weighty novel, but it respects kids’ abilities to handle reading about tough subjects; indeed, many are living with their own secrets and trauma, and Fallon’s story may help them feel empowered and less alone.”

Kirby Larson | Newbery Honoree for Hattie Big Sky

“With Fallon’s story, Lisa Graff breaks our hearts and heals them, all in one compelling story.”

Betsy Bird | author of Long Road to the Circus and creator of the renowned School Library Journal blog Fuse#8

"Wit and heart are such disparate things to combine appropriately in the span of a single novel for kids. What Lisa Graff has managed here isn't merely extraordinary. It's monumental. A book that somehow straddles the serious and the silly with enviable aplomb."

Sarah Weeks | award-winning author of Pie and So B. It

“A Scar Like a River is quintessential Lisa Graff. Quirky, funny, timely, and deeply moving.”

Lindsey Stoddard | author of Just Like Jackie and Brave Like That 

“A gentle invitation for kids to feel, and speak, and heal through all of the complicated emotions surrounding the traumas that leave us scarred.”