Black-eyed Suzie

Suzie is a dark-eyed twelve-year-old who desperately needs to feel safe and worthy of love. Seeking only to be "good enough," she remains motionless and silent for hours on end, feeling the walls of her psychological prison pressing against her. Ultimately, Suzie finds herself in a mental hospital where she begins a long and fear-filled journey. To make sense of her world, Suzie must piece together a puzzle that involves seemingly unrelated clues--a broken bicycle, a torn picture, peacock feathers, and more--which together reveal a secret that is likely to change Suzie's life forever, and give her an opportunity to regain her voice and reclaim here spirit.

Susan Shaw and her husband live in Wayne, Pennsylvania. She is the author of The Boy from the Basement, a New York Public LIbrary Best Book for the Teen Age, and the newly released Safe.