Painting Caitlyn »

Kimberly Joy Peters grew up in Southern Ontario, and after winning top-ten honors in the Toronto Star's Short Story Contest, she began to write professionally. She teaches French and Art in Beaverton, Ontario near the shores of Lake Simcoe, where she lives with her husband, their dog, and a couple of happy goldfish.

Like many teen girls, Caitlyn is having a tough time. She feels ignored by her mother and step-father who are obsessed with having a baby, her best friend is always blowing her off for a boyfriend, and she's struggling in art, her favorite subject. Caitlyn is completely depressed, when Tyler enters her life, and seems to make her problems disappear. Older, gorgeous, and totally into Caitlyn, he makes Caitlyn feel important, needed, and special. But just as things get serious, Caitlyn discovers Tyler’s jealous side. Once she realizes her "perfect" boyfriend is as controlling as he is caring, she is faced with a choice: she can either let this relationship define her, or find the courage to break away. This emotionally-charged story about teen dating and abusive relationships touches upon first love, sexual peer pressure, family dysfunction, and the need for young women to empower themselves.

KLIATT

Caitlyn's life is quickly spiraling out of her control. Having been her mother's only child for so long and never feeling like her stepfather ever accepted her as his own, she is not sure where she will fit into a new family picture when their baby is born. Her best friend is seeing a guy and she seems consumed by him. Then Caitlyn meets Tyler, who is focused on her and gives her the attention she craves. She feels like they fit together. But when the attention becomes too intense and Tyler is abusive and ultra possessive, Caitlyn begins to define herself differently and through Tyler's eyes. Peters draws a realistic and powerful picture of how subtle and confusing abuse in its different forms can be. Caitlyn's struggle to find herself and the strength needed to feel good about who she is and how she fits into the different pictures of her life will stay with readers long after the book is closed. With nothing too graphic, this would be a title that public and school librarians alike should purchase and add to any subject booklist focusing on raising awareness of dating abuse.