No money. No options. How far will Liz go to save the one life that matters more than her own?
Sixteen-year-old Liz just wants what all the other kids at her high school seem to have — food, shelter and maybe even a parent who actually cares.
After escaping her abusive mother, Liz thinks she's found something like freedom: a cramped apartment, a stoner roommate and a solid group of friends. It isn't much, but it's hers. She goes to school, fights the pull of her roommate's drugs and has even caught the eye of Danny — a guy who offers a glimpse of the normal life she craves.
Liz is trying. Trying hard to stay in school, build some kind of a life and toss away the things that are not serving her.
Then the precarious life she's built comes apart when Winnie, her beloved cat, is injured. Liz has a choice: let Winnie suffer or face a vet bill she can't possibly pay. To make matters worse, her delivery bike — her only source of income — is stolen.
With Winnie's condition getting worse, Liz is out of time and out of options. Desperation pushes her toward the two things she swore she'd never do: selling her Ritalin, and crawling back to the mother she’d finally got away from.
Key Text Features
author’s note
biographical note
chapters
dialogue
epigraph
No money. No options. How far will Liz go to save the one life that matters more than her own?
Sixteen-year-old Liz just wants what all the other kids at her high school seem to have — food, shelter and maybe even a parent who actually cares.
After escaping her abusive mother, Liz thinks she's found something like freedom: a cramped apartment, a stoner roommate and a solid group of friends. It isn't much, but it's hers. She goes to school, fights the pull of her roommate's drugs and has even caught the eye of Danny — a guy who offers a glimpse of the normal life she craves.
Liz is trying. Trying hard to stay in school, build some kind of a life and toss away the things that are not serving her.
Then the precarious life she's built comes apart when Winnie, her beloved cat, is injured. Liz has a choice: let Winnie suffer or face a vet bill she can't possibly pay. To make matters worse, her delivery bike — her only source of income — is stolen.
With Winnie's condition getting worse, Liz is out of time and out of options. Desperation pushes her toward the two things she swore she'd never do: selling her Ritalin, and crawling back to the mother she’d finally got away from.
Key Text Features
author’s note
biographical note
chapters
dialogue
epigraph
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Feb 2, 2027 |
| Specifications |
| Written By |
ELAINE VAN DER GELD’s short stories, essays and poems regularly appear in online and print magazines, including The Kenyon Review, Michigan Quarterly Review and Grain. She has received notable mentions in Best American Essays and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Elaine now teaches English at the International School of Brussels. Broke Girls Can't Quit is her debut novel. |
| Written By |
|
ELAINE VAN DER GELD’s short stories, essays and poems regularly appear in online and print magazines, including The Kenyon Review, Michigan Quarterly Review and Grain. She has received notable mentions in Best American Essays and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Elaine now teaches English at the International School of Brussels. Broke Girls Can't Quit is her debut novel. |
| Audience | ages 14 to 18 / grades 8 to 12 |
| Key Text Features | author’s note; biographical note; chapters; dialogue; epigraph |