• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 12 to 18

Kelly Paddik is locked up. Sent to a secure facility because she is a "danger to herself," Kelly wants only to escape. But her painful past continues to haunt her until she is forced to face up to the most painful memory of all. A searing look at one girl's struggle for self respect.

In high school Beth Goobie studied and taught piano, wrote stories, and was the recipient of academic and citizenship awards. She worked for a year as a nanny in Holland, then moved to Winnipeg where she studied English literature at the University of Winnipeg (receiving the gold medal) and religious studies at the Mennonite Brethren Bible College. She has worked for many years with physically and sexually abused children and is concerned with issues surrounding the anger and powerlessness of those under legal age. Addressing these issues in her writing, she has published several novels for young adults, including Born Ugly, Mission Impossible, The Lottery and Before Wings, as well as poems and short stories for an adult audience in anthologies and magazines such as Fiddlehead, Malahat Review and Quarry. She lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Beth Goobie's profile page

• Commended, Texas Library Association (TLA) TAYSHAS List
• Commended, Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Our Choice

"Even the most resistant of teen readers will be thoroughly absorbed by 15-year-old Kelly and her situation...Goobie's characterization of Kelly and her powerhouse of rolling impulses and emotions is keenly convincing."

Quill & Quire