A Step Toward Falling

"A beautiful, big-hearted book with important lessons embedded in compelling stories of two irresistible girls. Expertly executed and movingly realized." --New York Times Book Review

Cammie McGovern follows up her breakout young adult debut, Say What You Will, with this powerful and unforgettable novel about learning from your mistakes and learning to forgive.

Emily has always been the kind of girl who tries to do the right thing--until one night when she does the worst thing possible. She sees Belinda, a classmate with developmental disabilities, being attacked. Inexplicably, she does nothing at all.

Belinda, however, manages to save herself. When their high school finds out what happened, Emily and Lucas, a football player who was also there that night, are required to perform community service at a center for disabled people.

Soon Lucas and Emily begin to feel like maybe they're starting to make a real difference. Like they would be able to do the right thing, if they could do that night all over again. But can they do anything that will actually help the one person they hurt the most?

Told in alternating points of view, A Step Toward Falling is a poignant, hopeful, and altogether stunning work that will appeal to fans of books by Jennifer Niven, Robyn Schneider, and Jandy Nelson.

• Reluctant Allies: He's a popular football player, she's a girl haunted by her own inaction. Lucas and Emily were both there the night Belinda was attacked, and now their shared guilt is the only thing they have in common.
• Forced Proximity: Required to volunteer together at a center for people with disabilities, Emily and Lucas must confront their mistake--and the unexpected feelings developing between them.
• A Story About Redemption: As they work with the center's members, Emily and Lucas start to see a path toward making amends. But can they ever truly make things right with Belinda, and with themselves?
• Social Issues Fiction for Teens: A thought-provoking and moving YA contemporary novel that tackles tough topics like bystander inaction, disability, and the courage to forgive yourself.

"Exhilarating and heartrending.This novel is stunning." - ALA Booklist (starred review)

"Readers will be surprised, moved, amused, worried, hopeful, and grateful." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"McGovern's triumph is how well she normalizes and highlights the variety of disability experiences among teens and their often circuitous journeys toward claiming their voices and right to self-determination. Ultimately, a deeply engaging and rewarding story." - Kirkus Reviews

"What this book does best is move beyond the typical concerns and stigmas people with disabilities inevitably encounter to present an honest portrayal of the difficulties of growing up faced by these particular characters. Matthew's apprehension about his future (with or without Amy) is poignantly balanced with his crippling fear of being left behind, while Amy's insistent drive toward independence pushes her abilities and loneliness to the breaking point." - The Horn Book

"Cammie McGovern channels her knowledge and passion for specialneeds kids in Say What You Will. Amy is trying to break out of the confines of her cerebral palsied body. Matthew is secretly trapped by the rituals of his OCD. Brought together, they push each other to overcome their fears and embrace life and love. Like the deservedly best-selling Wonder by R.J. Palacio--required reading for every family--this doesn't just get you talking, it gets you thinking, feeling and rejoicing." - Family Circle

"A beautifully written story about two teens who find each other in spite of what might seem like insurmountable problems." - Examiner.com (5 star review)

"A sensitive exploration of frailty and strength, setback and recovery. Ultimately, it's a story of young people reexamining themselves, their preconceptions, and their possibilities, and readers will recognize their vulnerabilities and applaud their commitment." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Told in alternating sections of Emily's and Belinda's voices, this book explores how even good people can fail morally. Belinda is written thoughtfully and respectfully. She has a distinct voice that reflects her cognitive disabilities but without condescension. The parallel romances are charming and appropriate. Highly recommended for realistic fiction collections." - School Library Journal (starred review)

"Beautifully written. Although this story has its dark side, to be sure, it also is a story told by McGovern with much love and humor. Everyone who reads this book will be touched and forced to question her/his own stereotypes." - Examiner.com

"Readers will fall more in love with the characters the more they read." - TeenReads.com

"It's hard not to fall in love with McGovern's story. What she's painted here is a beautiful portrait of a real teenage world that is capable of hopefulness and healing. Fans of Rainbow Rowell and Jandy Nelson's brand of realistic YA fiction should find a new favorite in Cammie McGovern's lovely A Step Toward Falling." - BookBrowse.com

"It's hard not to fall in love with McGovern's story. A beautiful portrait of a real teenage world that is capable of hopefulness and healing. Fans of Rainbow Rowell and Jandy Nelson's brand of realistic YA fiction should find a new favorite in Cammie McGovern's lovely A Step Toward Falling." - BookBrowse.com

"Cammie McGovern's second nuanced, thought-provoking young adult novel. A co-founder of Whole Children, a Massachusetts community center similar to the one about which she writes, McGovern obviously draws upon personal experience to create characters who are complex and fully realized." - Chicago Tribune

"Without evading or sugarcoating difficult topics, McGovern shows that disabled and able aren't binary states but part of a continuum--a human one." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

PRAISE FOR A STEP TOWARD FALLING: "Universal human emotions and challenges--the desire to be accepted and loved, the pressure of expectations, the longing to be seen as one really is--link the characters across boundaries of gender, class, and I.Q. This is a beautiful, big-hearted book with important lessons embedded in compelling stories of two irresistible girls. Expertly executed and movingly realized." - New York Times Book Review

PRAISE FOR A STEP TOWARD FALLING: "Universal human emotions and challenges link the characters across boundaries of gender, class, and I.Q. This is a beautiful, big-hearted book with important lessons embedded in compelling stories of two irresistible girls. Expertly executed and movingly realized." - New York Times Book Review

"Belinda's voice is perfectly pitched: it's clear that she's thought her world through on her own terms. By including a wide variety of distinct characters, some with disabilities and some without, the novel shows that the presence or absence of a disability is just one of many aspects of who a person is." - The Horn Book

"Belinda's voice is perfectly pitched: it's clear that she's thought her world through on her own terms. By including a wide variety of distinct characters, the novel shows that the presence or absence of a disability is just one of many aspects of who a person is." - The Horn Book

"Told in alternating sections of Emily's and Belinda's voices, this book explores how even good people can fail morally. Belinda is written thoughtfully and respectfully. She has a distinct voice that reflects her cognitive disabilities but without condescension. Highly recommended for realistic fiction collections." - School Library Journal (starred review)

"Through alternating chapters, Emily comes to understand her inaction, prejudices, and failings, and Belinda learns to face her fears, find her voice, and take charge of her future. McGovern's ample experience with special needs youth is evident, as it allows this unique story shine from within." - ALA Booklist (starred review)

"Through alternating chapters, Emily comes to understand her inaction, prejudices, and failings, and Belinda learns to face her fears, find her voice, and take charge of her future. The growth undergone by the girls is deliberately similar and carefully paced, as each faces her own shortcomings and opens to the possibility of love with someone other than her romantic ideal. In a final exploration of support and maturation, Emily orchestrates a meaningful way to make amends to Belinda. McGovern's ample experience with special needs youth is evident, as it allows this unique story shine from within." - ALA Booklist (starred review)

"This book might lead to an interesting discussion about responsibility, about standing up for someone, about doing the right thing." - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

"So much love for this wise and powerful book. Most of all for Belinda--a girl with a cognitive disability who shows how full a life can be, and who loves Pride and Prejudice and Colin Firth as much as we do. For fans of Jennifer Niven and Jandy Nelson." - Justine Magazine

"McGovern uses her experience working with youth with special needs to illuminate the everyday thought processes and internal lives of young adults who function differently in society. She gives readers characters, not archetypes. It's a poignant, warm, compelling book that insists that mistakes and redemption can go hand in hand." - The Globe and Mail

"McGovern uses her experience working with youth with special needs to illuminate the everyday thought processes and internal lives of young adults who function differently in society. She gives readers characters, not archetypes and this is no after-school special with a heavy-handed message. It's a poignant, warm, compelling book that insists that mistakes and redemption can go hand in hand." - The Globe and Mail

"It's a little bit 'Perks of Being a Wallflower, ' a little bit 'Eleanor & Park' and a lot of something else entirely. A young adult book with grown-up lessons." - Metro US

"Cammie McGovern crafts a story that takes a realistic look at people who have disabilities but who are not their disability. It is a bit of a roller coaster ride as you laugh, cry and feel the pain that these characters do. And while many stories like this would be about someone saving Amy, this story isn't about rescuing anyone. It is about setting aside fears, limitations, and appearances, and taking a chance at opening up. Overall this book is a must read for fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell. Say What You Will is an important book to share and everyone should meet Amy and Matt." - Hypable.com

"Wonder meets Eleanor and Park in this authentic romance with beautifully crafted characters." - IndieBound.org

Praise for SAY WHAT YOU WILL: "This is a book to read, savor, and pass on and on until it has gone around the world twice." - Ron Koertge, author of Stoner & Spaz

"A unique and unforgettable love." - Teen Vogue

"Alternating viewpoints illustrate how braving the uncertainty of relationships, expectations, and life after high school transcends class or ability. The sensitive overview of tough issues gracefully balances romance with reality. Fans of Jane Austen will appreciate this unconventional homage." - Kirkus Reviews