Glow Girl by award-winning author Michelle Weidenbenner is the first book in the Droit series. It blends the appeal of a traditional middle-school storyline ( a girl must grapple with the weight and responsibilities of accepting, acknowledging, and using her “gift.”}
Her struggles propel the story. In addition to her own reluctance to identify her “otherness” and publicly declare that she is a Droit, Willow must balance her parents’ reluctance for her to accept her Droit status. They yearn for her to be just like them. However, Willow is an adoptee and her abilities are DNA driven.
Willow learns that it takes tremendous energy to repress her talents. Because her parents do not share Willow’s “gift”, they cannot provide her with advice on how to grow into it; all they can offer is their fear of the gift and their yearning to keep Willow safe and “normal.” Willow’s fear of rejection by her adoptive parents weighs heavy but so does her need to be her true self and to nurture her talents and use them to benefit others. She hates her “gift” and the “otherness” it causes and simultaneously finds the need to use them irresistible.
Weidenbenner has created a memorable group of characters who engage the reader and give the story substance: the boyfriend, the best friends, parents (temporarily) removed from her life, and an eccentric guardian more than willing to be her “partner in crime.”
The story also tackles the issue of social ostracism and school bullying— what drives it and how kids cope or succumb.
AQ Lens: This is an engaging read whether one is adopted or not. Identity issues are a big deal at this age. It will particularly resonate with adoptees who wrestle with many of the same emotions and concerns as Willow: the burden of “otherness,” the fear of rejection, the desire to “fit in,” the curiosity of one’s biological ancestry and family. Although these issues are not the focus, they provide important threads that propel and shape this well-paced story.
I read the book in one sitting and look forward to reading the next book in the series. — Gayle H. Swift, adoptive family coach, and author, “We’re Adopted, So What” and “ABC, Adoption & Me” and “Reimagining Adoption: What Adoptees Seek from Families and Faith.”
