Box Girl

by Sarah Withrow

Gwen Bainbridge’s mother ran away five years ago. Now Gwen is receiving postcards from her that promise a reunion — postcards with French stamps and no return address. Every night, Gwen pulls the cards from their hiding spot and chants a spell that will take her to her mother. Gwen is lonely, but she knows she can’t really trust anyone — not since her so-called best friend Anisha turned on her during the summer.
At least, that’s what she thinks until she meets Clara. Despite herself, Gwen feels drawn to Clara, who is a breath of fresh air in a school full of posers. But how is Gwen supposed to invite a girl like Clara home for dinner with her dad and Leon, her dad’s boyfriend?
Gwen discovers that true friendship is a two-way street. It means being there for Clara, too, and taking the risks involved in opening her heart to another person.

Genres: LGBT

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Sarah Withrow started writing her rollicking pre-/post-apocalyptic road trip novels in 2021 after retiring from a 17-year career as a Communications Officer.

From 1998 to 2007, she published four novels for young adults and a baby book. Her YA book Bat Summer, was shortlisted for a Governor General’s Award and has been published in seven countries. Her short stories for adults have also appeared in several Canadian literary journals during this first kick at the can. (None of these stories have cell phones in them.)

Sarah lives in Kingston, Ontario with her luxury-sized cats Gloria and Melman. In addition to writing dystopian novels, she enjoys coffee, walking, yoga, cooking, TikTok and non-serious crafts.