"Touching Snow" by M. Sindy Felin

Thirteen-year-old Karina is barely making it at school. What her teachers don't know is that she and her sisters spend every night trying to avoid beatings from their stepfather -- "The Daddy" -- who uses open hands, fists, or a belt for every little infraction. One evening, older sister Enid takes the fall when the kids fail to eat every bite of the huge meal their mother left for them before going to work. The Daddy ends up beating and burning Enid very, very badly. He goes to jail, but things are complicated. Karina's large Haitian family -- especially her mother -- expect her to take the blame for hurting Enid so "The Daddy" can come back home.