The Girl in the Backseat
by Norma Charles
Ronsdale Press, 2008
ISBN 978-1-55380-056-9
$10.95 (paperback) 183 pp, ages 12 – 15
www.ronsdalepress.com
Careful handling of a controversial subject makes this story an excellent read. A young girl, Toby, is desperate to flee from her religious community in British Columbia when she learns she’s to be married at fourteen to a much older man—someone she’s never met. Toby makes her escape by hiding in the back seat of a Mini driven by Minerva and Jacob, siblings on a family road trip to take Minerva to university in Manitoba. Suspenseful and adventurous, this novel deals with contemporary issues—blended families, polygamous religious communities and prejudice—with humour and understanding.
This review is from Canadian Teacher Magazine’s May 2009 issue.
