Fostergirls

Gr 8 Up—At 15, Sadie Thompson enters her 13th school and a group home. Her goal is to lie low so that she can fulfill her probation and convince her social worker that she is a candidate for emancipation at 16. All she wants is to be left alone, and she has no intentions of making friends. To cope with the instability and lack of control in her life, she shuts everyone and every emotion out. Over time, she develops a friendship with a classmate, Rhiannon, and learns to trust a guidance counselor instrumental in diagnosing her as learning disabled. When she lands in foster home 13 and learns the truth about her "biomom," a bad choice puts her in the hospital. Shaw's description of Sadie's attitude toward school and the testing process that labels her as learning disabled is detailed, as is her look into the lives of foster children. In fact, the depiction of Sadie's emotional void is so well done that readers learn very little of her past other than the highlights, and some might feel the lack of background and connection hinders the plot. Still, Shaw manages an authentic and accurate story. Overall, Fostergirls will engage many reluctant readers and fans of problem novels, and it will have a special appeal to other "fostergirls" and those struggling with learning disabilities or school.—Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ