Tear This Down by Barbara Dee
ARC provided by Net Galley

Freya has always been outspoken, whether it’s about the ocean not being blue or why girls’ pants don’t have real pockets. But when her friends tell her she always has to be right, Freya stops speaking up. Things change when her teacher, Mr. Clayton, gives a history project. Freya discovers that Benjamin Wellstone, the town’s celebrated founder, had troubling views about women’s roles in society.

At the library, Freya meets Callie, who is still working on her own research. With help from Callie and Mai, the reference librarian, Freya shifts her focus to local suffragists. Finding her voice again, Freya writes a blog post, with Callie’s help, about Mr. Wellstone’s views and suggests removing his statue. The post gets mixed reactions, and Freya has to figure out how to use her voice positively while shining a light on the forgotten suffragist Octavia Padgett.

Barbara Dee does an excellent job showing how a person can accomplish great things while still holding controversial beliefs. She skillfully explores the challenges of expressing opinions thoughtfully, navigating conflicts with friends and family, and growing into one’s voice.

This was a thoughtful, relatable, and timely story about a girl who has so many pointed questions that are partly her opinions that she refers to them as o-questions. One of her o-questions becomes "why are we celebrating a person (whom the town was named after) that was opposed to women's rights?"

The history research project she is assigned sets in motion her own thoughts on the matter, as well as everyone else in town's reactions. It touches on a lot of great discussions for tweens and teens: who should be celebrated, and what if they did good things, as well as bad things? Who has the right to make decisions? Should a historical figure's statue remain in light of troubling information? How do we change our opinion, if at all?

Barbara Dee does a fantastic job looking at the world through an idealistic tween's eyes, while showing adult's point of view in nuanced ways. If Freya does have autism, it might mean she is more apt to look at situations as black and white, right or wrong. Through her interactions with friends, schoolmates, parents, and community members, she starts to look at the situation with more nuance, but remains steadfast in her beliefs. An admirable quality.

There are some smaller storylines interwoven throughout, including a family historical connection to a suffragist, pushback against gender norms, and understanding social skills. Freya likely has autism though it's never explicitly stated, and her friend Callie has ADHD (her diagnosis is explicitly stated). There is also an allusion to libraries coming under attack. Most of the characters are implied to be White, but there is an Asian-American character and an African American character.

Barbara Dee has written another captivating book! Freya shows us what’s it like to have the courage to speak up. She encourages student activism and bravery when she comes up with an idea to honor the real female heroes in her town to show that women mattered years ago.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book will make you think about what it means to make a difference, what it means to be a hero, and how kids’ voices can have power. This captivating story of a questioning girl who won’t be shut down will teach students that they can affect change and be heard and how to do so in a respectful way.

This book makes you think. It is filled with opportunities for discussion and growth. The writing is engaging and flows so that readers will turn the pages eagerly. Great topic. Easy to recommend.

This was a realistic concept and enjoyed the overall feel of this world. The characters had that realism that I was looking for and enjoyed the way they worked in this universe. I thought Barbara Dee wrote this perfectly and enjoyed getting to read this.

Barbara Dee does it again! She tackles such interesting, thoughtful, relevant topics in a digestible and accessible manner. She carries such a non-judgmental tone in writing but simultaneously asks her audience to challenge their perspective of themselves, the world, and others. Will recommend!

Freya's mission to show her town's true history is a great lesson in activism for students. I love her fighting spirit and her voice! I couldn't put this one down!

While working on a Social Studies project to learn about her town's local here, Freya reads that he was opposed to women getting the chance to vote. She is upset by his information, and sets off to convince others to stop treating Benjamin Wellstone as a hero. She convinces some to join her in her activism, and she is met with some pushback as well.

Freya is a bold character who plows ahead when she has an idea. Because of her brash action she has some missteps along the way. Thankfully she has some supportive adults who help to guide her and point her in a positive direction without crushing her spirit and passion.

Ms. Dee perfectly captures the impulses and passions of middle schoolers. Freya is a character who student readers will connect with, and she may just inspire them to make a difference in their towns too.