Safe

by Susan Shaw

Overview

Safe. To Tracy, safe means having Mama close by. Years after her mother's death, Tracy still feels her presence. But the moment Tracy is forced into a car as she is walking home from school one day, safe is ripped away. In the aftermath of an unspeakable crime, thirteen-year-old Tracy must fight her way back to safety and find comfort in her mother's memory once again.

Susan Shaw returns with a raw and moving story of a young rape victim's journey toward healing, empowered by poetry and music, family and friends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440679223
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/04/2007
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	235 KB
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Susan Shaw works as a music educator and is the author of one previous book for young readers. She lives with her family near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

After her devastating look at the effects of child abuse in The Boy from the Basement (2006), Shaw deftly tackles another difficult topic: the psychological wounds caused by a violent rape. Without really describing the attack or even using the word "rape" until late in the narrative, she focuses on 13-year-old Tracy's inability to cope with her trauma, nearly eliminating any suspense about the crime or the criminal. Instead, suspense centers on Tracy's emotional turmoil as the girl retreats into a solitary world after the attack. Nearly unable to leave her house, Tracy becomes obsessed with playing the piano, an activity she previously disliked. She's comfortable only with her father and her best friend Caroline, and she isn't too sure about Caroline. Visits to a therapist appear to make her worse. Readers may become as frustrated as Tracy with her slow progress, but the girl's courageous struggle will keep them reading. Compelling and affecting, especially for Shaw's audience. (Fiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews