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Picture a Girl

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Addie's mom is good at two things (three, if you count making French toast): surfing and telling stories.

Addie and her brother, Billy, live with their mom in a shabby rental cabin in the tourist town of Cedarveil, BC, right off the beach. Their lives are a little different than some—they often visit the food bank, and they don't have a phone or TV. For entertainment, their mom tells them stories before bed...if she's in a good mood, or home at all. Sometimes Mama copes with her depression by drinking; sometimes, she just disappears.

When Addie wakes up one Monday, she senses a stillness that tells her Mama's gone again. Addie knows it's up to her to take care of everything until her mom gets back. It's either not let on that anything's amiss or she and Billy will be separated from one another. Once again she makes it through until her mom's return a week later, knowing that she's strong enough to survive alone—but she's hoping this will be the last time.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

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    • Booklist

      April 1, 2024
      Grades 4-7 This heartbreaking but uplifting middle-grade novel about the power of the stories we tell ourselves and others transports readers to a coastal Canadian town and into the dilapidated cabin that Addie, Billy, and their often-absentee mother call home. The children wake up to find their mother is gone again, and with empty cabinets, school meetings, and a surf competition on the docket for the week, Addie has to find a balance between caring for Billy, protecting their family from the outside world, and being the 11-year-old girl she rarely gets to truly be. Interwoven with stories told by their mother and then increasingly by Addie, this is a timeless tale of resilience in the face of not only poverty but substance abuse, and while the too-pat ending may leave older readers unsatisfied, readers who appreciate the power of storytelling will love the way Addie learns to weave her own tales. Manzer's writing is crisp but flows like the waves Addie yearns to ride. Perfect for fans of Lisa Fipps, Ellen Hopkins' middle-grade work, and Paul Acampora.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      May 1, 2024

      Gr 3-7-Readers spend a week in the life of Adelaide Scratch, a sixth grader living in a coastal community in British Columbia. During the tourist season, Adelaide's mom can find odd jobs; but during the off-season, work is scarce. Adelaide loves her mother for her warmth and compassion, as well as her gift for nightly stories. But her mother has a tendency to disappear for days at a time, leaving Adelaide to figure out how to care for her younger brother, Billy, without letting anyone know they have been abandoned. When she wakes up Monday morning, Adelaide knows her mom has gone again. Without much food in the house, it's up to Adelaide to find something to eat, get herself and Billy to school, and get home safely each day. Compounding Adelaide's worries is the fact that the landlord keeps trying to collect back rent. When her mother does return, the stress of the week has given Adelaide the courage to speak up and tell her mother how she feels. Deftly working in familial context as bedtime stories from Adelaide and her mom, Manzer fills this title with lyrical prose and an engaging story to keep readers locked in until the very last page. VERDICT Readers will root for Adelaide to catch a break and be able to return to the life of an 11-year-old instead of an overwhelmed person with adult responsibilities. Recommended for realistic fiction shelves.-Charla Hollingsworth

      Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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