The Glass Girl

Gr 9 Up–Would you want a Polaroid of yourself if half your face resembled “a crushed eggplant”? Neither does 15-year-old Bella, but she doesn’t have a choice. Every day at Sonoran, a residential facility in the Arizona desert for teenagers with substance abuse issues, there’s another Polaroid—to document each kid’s progress in a 30-day recovery program, any infraction of which results in starting over at Day 1. Bella incurred her injury after a party when she was dumped in front of her own house, passed out from alcohol poisoning. Yet at Sonoran she’s nicknamed “Baby Bella” because she’s young and “only” into vodka. Addicts, Glasgow emphasizes, display a will all their own, as evidenced by the lengths they’ll go to procure substances. That profile fits young Bella, whose lies and deceptions affect anyone who cares about her, especially her best friend Amber. Glasgow doesn’t sensationalize Bella’s downward spiral, focusing instead on her slow, realistic climb towards a different life, giving the poignant novel a hopeful tone.