Book Review: Box Girl by Sarah Withrow

Genre:
Realistic Fiction, Canadian Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 10 and up

Reading Level:
Grades 4-9

Book Theme:
Friendship, LGBT parents, absent parents, abandonment

Books with Similar Themes: 
The Man Who Loved Clowns by June Rae Wood, The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

Bibliographic Information:
Withrow, S. (2001). Box girl. Buffalo: Douglas & McIntyre .

Plot:  
Gwen is a thirteen-year-old Canadian girl who decides she isn't going to have friends when she starts her eighth grade year old school so she can be ready for her mom to get her at a moment's notice. Her mom ran away when she was five and has been sending postcards from France, which is the only way she communicates with her daughter. Each night Gwen makes a box out of the postcards, imagines herself inside it, and says a special spell she created to bring her mother to her. Gwen's postcards are a secret and she fears that telling anyone about them will break her spell, another reason why she doesn't want friends. Her plans start to waiver when Clara, a new girl from school, attaches herself to Gwen and wants to become friends. Gwen tries to ignore her but finds herself becoming friends with her anyway. She kind of likes having a friend, but she is also terrified that her friend will find out her secret and her mother will never come. What she doesn't realize is that Clara could really use a friend too, and that maybe they can help each other.

Review:  
Box Girl is a wonderful story that tells of a heartbroken girl who tries to hide from the world and push people away at a time when she needs them most. The story includes many tween related-issues, such as the parental abandonment seen by Gwen's mother, the need for friendship in tough times, and  the life of a tween being raised by LGBT parents (Gwen's father is gay). Another highlight of the story is that it does a great job showing how Gwen is both angry and vulnerable at the same time. Her friendship with the new girl Clara also shows how fragile yet crucial friendships can be in the tween years. The way the two girls help each other through their difficulties is emotional and touching. Box Girl is a great story for any tween whose parent has disappeared or who wants to shut out the world because of the pain in their lives. It shows that the power of friendship can heal even the deepest of wounds.