While several young adult novels have been written about the problems of physical abuse in families, little fiction has addressed the problem of emotional abuse. That this novel addresses emotional abuse within the setting of a minister's family makes the book even more powerful. However, Newton's novel is not about religion but about the decline of a family and the realization that problems can develop in any home. Like many works in the genre of the problem novel, the book does not analyze the abuse or present solutions; rather, its intent is to bring the problem into the open and provide a vehicle for discussion.

While I Will Call It Georgie's Blues does not really discuss religion, the book does ask the reader to deal with the stereotype of the "preacher's kid."

Although Aileen seems intent on doing everything that she can to be the opposite...