BILLION DOLLAR GIRL

River’s bad day leads to a life-changing summer and brighter future.

Near the end of seventh grade, River has a terrible day. Her best friend, Emi, dumps her because of their socio-economic differences: Sunny, River’s single mom, is a bar waitress who often works nights, and River can’t afford to pay her way when she’s with Emi’s wealthy family. Then Principal Martinez, worried about River’s frequent absences, makes a home visit—but unreliable Sunny is a no-show. Fed up, River runs away. Although Sunny never discusses her family, she’s kept a letter sent from Great Bear Island, so River heads there. By unbelievable chance, when she arrives, she’s mistaken for Liv, a high school student who had accepted, then rejected, a job at the Great Bear Lodge run by Sunny’s sister, Jemma. To give herself time to assess her newfound family, River assumes Liv’s identity, saying she changed her mind about working there. No sooner has River come to love her relatives, their Norwegian and Tsimshian heritage, and the island, than Sunny shows up to drag her home. All seems lost until a lottery ticket given to River by a stranger wins! Descriptions of island life are captivating, and likable River narrates with spirit and honesty. Wishful thinkers will buy into her story despite the many times they must suspend disbelief, including the unconvincing change in Sunny after the windfall. Names cue some diversity in the cast.

Implausible but dreamy.