My Book of Life by Angel, written by Martine Leavitt. Groundwood, 2012.. $14.95 ages 14 and up

"In the window of the store
where we bought milk
we saw a missing children's poster,
each little child in her own square
as herself and as the computer
aged her
and with new computer hair.
Melli's picture wasn't on it.
Neither was mine.
None of the faces were mine."

This is another of those 'don't start reading it unless you can read it all the way through' books! You will not want to leave Angel's side once you begin her story. It is so sad: she is a teen runaway whose mother has died, whose father cannot cope with her behaviors, and who has been lured into into the drug scene by Call. They meet at the mall, he treats her with kindness and understanding; then,  convinces her to try his 'candy' before forcing her into prostitution.

As bullies know, a threat can keep their 'prey' scared and unwilling to stand up to them. Angel feels she has no recourse. Call threatens the life of her little brother Jeremy, if she doesn't do as he asks. She stays with him, and prostitutes herself for him, feeling she has no options. When he brings an 11 year old to their apartment with the intention of adding another child prostitute to his harem , Angel falls into deeper despair, worrying that Melli is fated to be just like Angel. As she struggles to earn twice as much money in order to keep Melli safe, she begins to formulate a plan for escape for both of them. It is not easy.

As I read this powerful novel in verse, I was terrified, furious and frustrated. When women started disappearing on Vancouver's East Side, the authorities were reluctant to believe that there was a serial killer at large. Martine Leavitt bases Angel's story on the murders that happened between 1983 and 2002, when evidence started pointing to Robert Pickton as the killer. She includes the names of the 67 missing women; the remains and DNA of thirty-two were found on his pig farm.

It is tragic, and haunting; offering a bleak look at the life that many children live in our world today.
The topic is treated with grace and empathy by an incredibly accomplished writer who does her homework, and gives us an admirable character who makes the best of the life she is dealt, and manages to see a pathway to a better future.