MCGOVERN, Cammie. A Step Toward Falling. 384p. ebook available. HarperCollins/Harper. Oct. 2015. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780062271136. Gr 9 Up–Emily knew when she saw Belinda, a classmate with developmental disabilities, being assaulted under the bleachers she needed to intervene, but she froze, and now she’s doing community service and trying to figure out how to live with herself. Belinda is attempting to determine how to go forward after rescuing herself. Told in alternating sections of Emily’s and Belinda’s voices, this book explores how even good people can fail morally. Emily and Lucas (who was also present that night) are wrong, and that is made clear throughout; their inaction is understandable but inexcusable, and that subtle distinction is an important one. In addition, Belinda is written thoughtfully and respectfully. She has a distinct voice that reflects her cognitive disabilities but without condescension. Given that portrayals of people with developmental disabilities so often either depict them as perfect angels or use them as a device by which the neurotypical characters better themselves, Belinda’s full-fledged personality is important for readers to engage with. The parallel romances are charming and appropriate, and while Emily and Lucas’s treads the well-worn paths of smart girl plus hot, sensitive jock, it is not an unpleasant trope to revisit. The secondary plots of Belinda’s family conflict and Emily distancing herself from her friends are well-executed ways to flesh out the two protagonists’ growth. VERDICT Highly recommended for realistic fiction collections.–L. Lee Butler, Hart Middle School, Washington, DC This review was published in School Library Journal's September 2015 issue.