Living in a dilapidated cabin near a coastal tourist town on Vancouver Island, Adelaide and her younger brother endure an unpredictable existence under their single mother’s care. A devout surfer and free spirit, their mother picks up odd jobs to support her family, drinks to manage her depression, and is prone to taking breaks from her parenting role by disappearing for days at a time. When Adelaide and her brother awake one day to find their mother once again gone, they do their best to keep her absence a secret. With her mother’s return uncertain, food supplies dwindling, and the threat of eviction and being reported to social workers looming, Adelaide enters a surf competition lured by the cash prize. A devastating wipeout on her first wave eliminates Adelaide’s chances of winning and almost forces the revelation of their mother’s absence. When their mother returns, love conquers resentment, and hope for a better future is restored.

Cautions / Content Warnings: Contains content associated with mental health, alcoholism, bullying, food security, parental neglect, and abandonment.
Other End Matter: Acknowledgements
Images: None
Bibliography: No
Index: No

Evaluator: Jennifer W., Literacy Educator And Administrator, BC Books for Schools

Jenny Manzer's profile page

• Runner-up, The Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society (SCWES) Book Awards for BC Authors - Children's & Young Adult

Jenny Manzer is the author of Save Me, Kurt Cobain and My Life as a Diamond, which was shortlisted for numerous awards, including the Diamond Willow Award, Chocolate Lily Award, Victoria Children’s Book Prize and the Silver Birch Award. She has a degree in creative writing and was a finalist for the 2013 CBC Creative Nonfiction Prize, one of Canada’s most prestigious literary competitions. She lives with her family in Victoria, British Columbia.

“Manzer fills this title with lyrical prose and an engaging story to keep readers locked in until the very last page. Readers will root for Adelaide to catch a break and be able to return to the life of an 11-year-old instead of an overwhelmed person with adult responsibilities. Recommended.”

School Library Journal (SLJ)

“Excellently written…The reader will be captivated by the intertwining of storytelling within the story…This book is an excellent choice for librarians to have on their shelves as an offering for individual selection or for teachers or counsellors to initiate discussions about some of the complex topics woven into the story. An excellent choice for group book discussions.”

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)

“This story of children being abandoned by parents, siblings fearing separation if the abandonment is revealed, has been told before but seldom with this emotional intensity, honesty and candor found in Picture a Girl. Highly Recommended.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“An incredibly well-written and beautiful portrait of a girl facing difficult problems.”

Young Adulting Review

“Told skillfully...Manzer details in an age-appropriate way how a young girl copes with responsibilities and situations that no young person should have to.”

BC BookWorld

“This heartbreaking but uplifting middle-grade novel about the power of the stories we tell ourselves and others transports readers to a coastal Canadian town…This is a timeless tale of resilience in the face of not only poverty but substance abuse…Manzer’s writing is crisp but flows like the waves Addie yearns to ride.”

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