Jennifer Corgan

Sarah and her sister do not want to become another child abuse statistic.

Twelve-year-old Sarah and eight-year-old Rachel are horribly abused by their father while their mother turns a blind eye. Sarah tries to protect her sister and when social services and the police are called they fail the girls miserably. The violence and abuse escalate and Sarah decides to take matters into her own hands by killing her father and almost killing her mother. Sarah must face the consequences of her actions. In court, the abuse comes out and there are videos and pictures, and their mother admits to the abuse, and she is acquitted based on self-defense. Sarah’s teacher and her husband open their home up to the girls. Sarah struggles with what she did and develops mental health issues and is hospitalized. She comes through it and starts healing with the help of her new parents who end up adopting the girls. Sarah ends up forgiving her mother and they develop a good relationship when her mother apologizes to her for the past. Sarah and Rachel go on to a happy life with a new family and while the past still pains them, it soon becomes a distant memory, This is one of those books with a happy ending and one of those books that will make you cry. It is a story of survival and surviving child abuse. It can almost be considered similar to true crime books because it is happening all over the country. This story has a strong female protagonist and it is similar to a Child Called It but with some major differences.