Quaking by Kathryn Erskine

DO NOT call her Mattilda.  Her name is Matt, and she has had a hard enough life already.  She does not need the kind of attention that a name like Mattilda will give her--especially from Richard, better known to Matt as the Rat.  She also does not need the kind of attention that she gets from living with a couple of Quakers in a town that is very pro-war.

As the response to those holding the local peace vigil begins to grow violent, Matt is forced into looking at what true strength of character can accomplish.

This can be a tough book to read because of Matt's somewhat quirky sense of humor and her sometimes scattered thoughts.  It's worth hanging with the story, though, as Matt's tough exterior is explained in a series of flashbacks that show how tough domestic violence survivors can truly be.


AWARDS: VOYA - 2007, ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers - 2008