Burn Girl
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2016 Westchester Fiction Award
After her drug addict mother dies of an overdose and her uncle becomes her guardian, Arlie must adjust to the new stability in her life and the pressures of going to school with a face disfigured by a meth lab explosion.
Arlie's face was disfigured by burns when her stepfather's meth lab exploded. After that, Arlie discovered the street smarts and survival skills she needed to shelter her addict mother, since the law and Lloyd, her deranged stepfather, are both looking for them. People died in the explosion and everyone wants answers. But Arlie's carefully constructed world is ripped apart when her mother overdoses shortly after Arlie's 16th birthday. Now she can no longer remain hidden. Social Services steps in and before Arlie can make sense of anything, she is following the rules, going to school, and living in a 31-foot Airstream trailer with an eccentric uncle she didn't even know she had. Then she meets a boy who doesn't care about her scars or her past. Just when she begins to think a normal life might be possible, Lloyd shows up. He's looking for the drug money he insists Arlie's mother stole. Will Arlie be able to shield her Uncle and her boyfriend from Lloyd? Did Lloyd somehow play a role in her mother's death? And can she get rid of him once and for all before her world blows apart again?
About this Author
Mandy Mikulencak has been a writer her entire working life. First, as a journalist then as an editor and PR specialist for two national nonprofits and a United Nations agency. Today she lives in the mountains of Southwest Colorado with her husband, Andy. She writes YA and adult fiction.
Format: Young adult hardcover
Pages: 288
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2015-09-01
Reviews
2016 Westchester Fiction Award
"The well-drawn supporting characters hold everything together, notably best friend Mo, love interest Cody, and grandmother figure Dora. Frank, however, is the life of the story. As a first-time father to a teen niece he's just met, he's a wonderfully awkward mix of clueless and clued-in as he navigates his new role and works to create a home for Arlie."--Kirkus Reviews
"A serviceable problem novel with elements of romance and suspense."--School Library Journal
"While Arlie's decision to try to face Lloyd alone will frustrate some readers, Mikulencak's debut effectively reveals the fear and hard-learned self-reliance that fuel Arlie's actions. There aren't many YA novels from this perspective, and Mikulencak does a good job of illuminating Arlie's matter-of-fact point of view and surrounding her with supportive, multifaceted characters. Compassionate and moving."--Booklist
"Readers will like the part survival, part romance, part friendship story."--VOYA
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