The Girl in Between

April 17, 2017
Carroll’s poignant and unsentimental debut, about an unnamed homeless girl and her alcoholic Ma, offers an unfiltered glimpse into the daily realities of life on the streets and, for much of the book, in an abandoned mill the twosome dub the “Castle.” The protagonist holds fond memories of the comforting routines of Gran’s house, where she and Ma once lived, going to school, sleeping in her own bed, and never being hungry; Ma’s drinking only minimally affected her. That secure life ends when Ma, for an unrevealed reason, fights with Gran and takes off with her daughter. Living in constant fear of run-ins with the “Authorities” who will take her away from Ma, and of a ghost she is sure haunts the Castle, the girl spends much of her time observing other people’s lives with a pair of cast-off binoculars and drawing on the Castle walls. Carroll is especially perceptive about the mix of deep love and anger a child bears for an abusive parent. The unsettling story’s chronological jumps make for an ambiguous, though moving, ending. Ages 12–up. Agent: Claire Wilson, Rogers, Coleridge and White.

April 15, 2017
A skillful debut presents a nuanced view of homelessness.An unnamed girl, whose age and race are not given, lives in an unnamed town with her mother. Dubbed the Castle because of its spaciousness, their current place to live is actually an abandoned mill. While the girl's mother spends the day outside, begging for spare change, the girl knows to remain invisible, hiding in the shadows or staying inside so the Authorities don't try to take her away again. Related in the girl's naive voice, indicative of someone who has been sheltered much of her life, the story alternates between the pair's current state and the girl's harsh memories. These realistic remembrances reveal a mother who wants what's best for her child but lets her guilt and depression give way to alcohol, drugs, and other bad decisions. The girl counters the isolation, poverty, and fear with an insatiable curiosity, friendliness toward a neighboring squatter, and her hypothesis that the Castle may be haunted. Although the story features a child protagonist, it's meant for older, thoughtful readers who can sift through the despair. Its fairly slow pace may lose readers along the way, but those who persist through the heartbreakingly beautiful prose will discover a chilling conclusion. The blend of dark and lovely will appeal to David Almond fans. (Fiction. 13-adult)

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May 1, 2017

Gr 6 Up-An unnamed homeless girl who tends to blur reality and imagination follows her unstable mother throughout a bustling city that's seemingly crawling with "Authorities" and social workers. The girl spends most of her time exploring the depths of an abandoned factory she sees as her castle. Her main priority is to stay invisible to the outside world. She ruminates on the days before the safety of the castle, when she watched her Ma slowly descend into a world of alcoholism and drug addiction. Carroll depicts a young girl at the mercy of adults. The girl's thoughts and actions are reminiscent of the subject's of Jeanette Walls's The Glass Castle as she is forced to assume the responsibilities of a parent. Carroll's writing shines with true originality. The plot is comprised mostly of the protagonist conquering her various fears, many of which spawn from her imagination and memories. There is very little dialogue driving the story, so the narrative is propelled by the girl's introspection and somewhat confusing dips back into her past. There are several heartrending reveals that keep the novel from becoming stagnant, but the tinges of magical realism may not be appreciated by all readers. VERDICT For libraries looking to add literary and gritty YA to collections lacking in books about teen poverty or homelessness.-Michael Marie Jacobs, Darlington School, GA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2017
Grades 8-11 It's been one year and eight months since the night in the alleyway and since Ma's had a drink. After sleeping along sand dunes and squatting in sheds, Carroll's eponymous girlthe unnamed narrator of this debutand Ma have at last secured shelter in an abandoned mill. With its high gates and trapdoors, the girl, smitten with fairy tales, dubs the mill the Castle and she's certain it has a story. But the girl has a story, too. As Ma's alcoholism resurfaces and the mill simmers with seemingly supernatural phenomena, past traumas come reeling into the present. Though a somewhat cliche final twist seems mismatched with the book's earlier charms, Carroll's lovely prose, laced with gothic imagery and canny clues, will carry readers through this slow-burning exploration of homelessness, the haunting hold of memory, and what it means to forget, to forgive, and, just maybe, to move on. Like the stories our unlikely heroine adores, this part fractured fairy tale, part fable is sure to cast a delightful yet devastating spell all its own.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
An unnamed girl lives with her mother in an abandoned mill and must stay inside to avoid the "Authorities." The first-person narrative is clearly a child's voice, but a perceptive one, with naively poignant observations about people she sees outside, her "drowning" Ma, their harsh reality, and her own "invisibility." Ultimately, developers come for the mill, leading to a devastating conclusion. A mature, chilling, and compassionate depiction of homelessness.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2017
An unnamed young girl and her mother live in "the Castle": an abandoned, dilapidated mill in a city that's flourishing all around them. Though she misses living at Gran's, the narrator is grateful for their Castle and for Ma's devotion: even when Ma goes out and sees drug dealer "Monkey Man," she always returns. The girl must stay inside the mill to avoid the "Authorities," but she entertains herself well enough: her rich imagination has her investigating a possible ghost, and she enjoys observing people outside through the binoculars Ma gives her. The first-person narrative is clearly a child's voice, but a perceptive one, with naively poignant observations about people she sees, Ma (who is a sympathetic character that even the girl can see is "drowning"), their harsh reality, and her own "invisibility." As flashback chapters periodically recall one step after another in the pair's homelessness, each anecdote heartbreaking in its credibility, readers will mourn how the characters' situation has deteriorated. Ultimately, developers come for the mill (machines are "creeping closer, as if there's a building that's bleeding and they can smell it and they are coming to devour it"), which leads to a devastating conclusion that urges reexamination of the story. This mature, chilling, and compassionate depiction of homelessness will remain in minds and hearts. katrina hedeen

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)