Former child welfare worker Patricia Morrison marks her authorial debut with Shadow Girl, about an 11-year-old girl named Jules whose difficult life is dominated by her unpredictable, alcoholic single father.

When Jules asks for a second helping of dinner following a rare grocery shop, her volatile father threatens to force-feed her as punishment for her gluttony. Jules struggles with the range of emotions she feels for her father as she battles perpetual hunger and tries to keep up appearances at school.

Morrison’s background in social services has given her obvious insight into this difficult subject matter. Jules often retreats to her bedroom, where she can be alone with her thoughts, hiding out in blanket forts with her beloved doll. In these scenes, the author powerfully captures a young girl’s internal monologue, particularly when she feels “outside of everything.”

Jules’s grim reality is presented throughout the book, and it’s only in the last few chapters that her story offers a glimmer of hope. While at the local mall, she meets Mrs. Adamson, an exceptionally kind and astute department store clerk. Jules finds an advocate in the woman, who rescues her from her horrible situation.

Set in Toronto in the late 1960s, this story could easily take place in 2013. The specifics of the narrative feel incredibly real, and may in fact be too raw and shocking for readers at the younger end of the intended middle-grade audience. However, the book is definitely a worthwhile read for those mature enough to handle the weighty material.