FIERCELY FICTIONAL celebrates fierce, inspiring fictional girls we know you’ll love. To us, “fierce” isn’t just about slaying dragons or solving mysteries. It’s about breaking free from your comfort zone, discovering your confidence, fighting for what you believe in, & discovering your emotional strength. Any girl can shine bright & be fierce, & in this series, we’ll connect you with a new fiercely fictional character every month!
FIERCELY FICTIONAL is back, and this month, we’re highlighting the fearless and empowering Freya Stillman from Tear This Down, the newest by Barbara Dee.
Have you ever sat in class questioning why so many of the historical figures we celebrate were actually kind of problematic once you dig a little deeper into their stories? That’s what happens to Freya in Tear This Down. Her cozy hometown of Wellstone is named after founder and abolitionist Benjamin Wellstone, a local historical hero celebrated by the town for generations.
But when Freya researches him for a project, she’s disappointed to learn the truth about him. Sure, he did actually do the good things he’s honored for, but he also holds some pretty terrible views, like thinking that women shouldn’t have the right to vote or pretty much any of the things that women have fought so hard to have throughout history. This big revelation leaves Freya frustrated but empowered to find a way to bring his true story to light, and she starts to make noise about his true colors. From bold articles to boycotting class assignments and working towards having his statue removed and replaced with a local suffragette she discovered during her research, Octavia Padgett, Freya is inspired and unwilling to give up her fight.
Tear This Down:
From Barbara Dee, the critically acclaimed author of Maybe He Just Likes You, comes a middle grade novel about a girl who makes the choice to speak out against a problematic historical hometown figure no matter the cost—perfect for readers of Dress Coded.
For as long as Freya can remember, she has loved living in her cozy hometown of Wellstone. Not only is the town itself named for local and historical hero Benjamin Wellstone but everything in it: schools, beaches, and stores. There’s even a giant statue of him to remind everyone of the good things he did.
But while doing research for a big school project, Freya discovers that Benjamin isn’t the big hero everyone has been taught to believe. He had some redeeming qualities, but he also held incredibly problematic views towards women, believing they shouldn’t have the right to vote—or even to exist outside of the home. Disappointed by her revelation, Freya wonders if she could figure out a way to not only show what the hometown hero was really like but replace his statue with one of an unsung hero: local suffragette Octavia Padgett.
Though Freya knows not everyone will agree with her, she is shocked when her efforts cause even bigger issues than she could have imagined. Even her own parents seem uneasy with Freya’s cause. With the help of her beloved Nan, friends new and old, and the coolest librarian she’s ever met, can Freya stand firm and tear down outdated views?
Tear This Down
AUTHOR: Barbara Dee
PUBLISHER: Aladdin
DATE: February 25, 2025
Fighting against injustice is never easy, though, and Freya ruffles a few feathers along the way, riling up the townsfolk who disagree with her. Even her parents aren’t exactly on board with her plans. Thankfully, she’s used to being alienated for her willingness to speak up, and a little pushback doesn’t shake her. Plus, she has a supportive Nan, a super cool librarian, and a few friends who are ready to stand by her no matter how things turn out.
Tear This Down is an empowering and relevant read for anyone who has ever wanted to speak up against injustice or stand up for their friends. Freya is curious in the best way. She’s never afraid to ask tough questions and is always eager to take action, even when it means people see her as “difficult.” She’s fearless, but that doesn’t mean she’s perfect – she makes a ton of mistakes and messes along the way, but she learns from them and uses that knowledge to do better next time. The best thing about her? Her bravery doesn’t just apply to her activism – she uses that same fierceness to stand up for her friends, too.
We’re excited to share that author Barbara Dee is here to share a peek between the pages of Tear This Down and all the reasons Freya is totally fierce!
Five Reasons Freya Stillman is Totally Fierce:
She asks tough questions:
Freya asks the sort of questions that are actually opinions, like: Why is ‘bossy’ an insult for girls, but no one uses that word for boys? And: Why aren’t half of the presidents women?
When she notices that all the books in her ELA class feature boys, she asks her teacher: How come we never read any books about girls? The teacher tries to explain that there’s a curriculum she needs to follow; also, “the goal is to keep the whole class reading, and books about boys appeal to everyone.” Freya responds: “So you mean books about boys appeal to girls, but books about girls don’t appeal to boys? How come?”
Freya’s refusal to back down and to accept because-I-told-you-so responses, especially from grownups, earns her a reputation for being difficult, and makes her unpopular with some of her classmates.
She stands up to authority:
Freya boldly challenges the way her town worships its namesake, Benjamin Wellstone, an influential 19th century editor and political figure who didn’t believe women should vote. She boycotts her social studies research assignment so that she doesn’t have to write Wellstone’s sexist words in her notebook, then she stands up to her scary teacher when he argues that Wellstone was merely “a creature of his time.”
In addition, Freya argues back when the town’s mayor tries to censor her anti-Wellstone posts on the town website. She also organizes a protest in front of Town Hall, so that the mayor will see she’s not intimidated.
She stands up for her friends:
When Freya’s friend Jax confides to her that he wants to join her mom’s Mother Daughter Craft Club, Freya fights with her mom to let him in. She argues that even if the club was designed as a “safe space” for girls, her mom shouldn’t “make the rules about what different genders are allowed to do.” When her mom continues to express some hesitation, Freya makes a personal sacrifice in order to include Jax.
Freya also defends her new friend Callie when her old friends accuse Callie of being unfriendly and “private.” Freya refuses to gossip about Callie’s ADHD, and informs her friends that she’s “going to stay friends with Callie, who happens to be a really good, smart person.”
She takes risks:
Freya is nervous about her various protests, especially the one she has planned for Wellstone Day, the town’s annual celebration of Benjamin Wellstone’s birthday. But she understands that if her message is going to have any impact, her protest needs to be bold– and public. When it fails, she has to switch gears, learn something new, and do something that she’s never found comfortable.
She doesn’t give up:
Freya tries to get her town to erase Benjamin Wellstone’s name and to honor a woman suffragist instead. She succeeds in some ways and fails in other ways—but whenever she fails, she thinks about how the suffragists never gave up, and she keeps trying. From her research about the suffragists, Freya also learns that it helps to surround yourself with others who care about the same things you do, so that if you ever get discouraged, someone will be there to lift you up.
📚Need another fierce read to add to your shelf after Tear This Down? Catch up on our FIERCELY FICTIONAL series!
