Gr 5-9 Told by Joan, a recent transplant from Connecticut to Northern California in 1972, this tale embodies the transformative power of both the written word and friendship. While trekking through the woods near her house, the 11-year-old stumbles upon Sarah, who calls herself Fox. The two girls become inseparable companions in exploring the outdoors and their imaginations. They overcome disparities in background: Joan has a more traditional suburban life with a mother who tries to compensate for a sour, unhappy father; Fox lives with her father, a science-fiction author, in a run-down house, and prefers to believe that the mother who abandoned her years ago did so because she was transformed into a fox. Joan can't penetrate Fox's outsider persona at school, but away from class, they compose a contest-winning story of two girls questing in a magical forest. Their read-aloud performance at a San Francisco ceremony, wearing full lipstick war paint to make them feel suitably wild, gains them admittance to a summer writing program at Berkeley. Their avant-garde instructor urges them to pay attention and ask questions, helping them become stronger writers and more confident people, able to deal with difficult family challenges. Supporting characters are fully formed and intriguing. Murphy evokes her setting with skill and plays out themes of creativity and self-expression with grace and intensity. Readers will applaud the metamorphoses of Fox and Joan, who come to understand themselves and others through their art.-Suzanne Gordon, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA
Twelve-year-old Joan is sure that she is going to hate her new home-but almost right away she finds a kindred spirit.
“You're lucky I didn't just start throwing rocks at you. I can hide in the trees and nail a kid with a rock from thirty feet away.” That's Sarah, who prefers to be called “Fox,” who lives with her writer father in a rundown house in the middle of the woods-near Joan's suburb, but it feels like a totally different world.
Joan and Sarah-Newt and Fox-spend all their spare time outside, and soon start writing stories together. When they win a contest, they're recruited for a summer writing class taught by a free spirit named Verla Volante. “Verla said that you need to open a door so that people can walk into your world. . . . To do that, you have to pay attention.”
The Wild Girls is about friendship, the power of story, and how growing up means finding your own answers-rather than simply taking adults on faith.
"1100309958"
“You're lucky I didn't just start throwing rocks at you. I can hide in the trees and nail a kid with a rock from thirty feet away.” That's Sarah, who prefers to be called “Fox,” who lives with her writer father in a rundown house in the middle of the woods-near Joan's suburb, but it feels like a totally different world.
Joan and Sarah-Newt and Fox-spend all their spare time outside, and soon start writing stories together. When they win a contest, they're recruited for a summer writing class taught by a free spirit named Verla Volante. “Verla said that you need to open a door so that people can walk into your world. . . . To do that, you have to pay attention.”
The Wild Girls is about friendship, the power of story, and how growing up means finding your own answers-rather than simply taking adults on faith.
The Wild Girls
Twelve-year-old Joan is sure that she is going to hate her new home-but almost right away she finds a kindred spirit.
“You're lucky I didn't just start throwing rocks at you. I can hide in the trees and nail a kid with a rock from thirty feet away.” That's Sarah, who prefers to be called “Fox,” who lives with her writer father in a rundown house in the middle of the woods-near Joan's suburb, but it feels like a totally different world.
Joan and Sarah-Newt and Fox-spend all their spare time outside, and soon start writing stories together. When they win a contest, they're recruited for a summer writing class taught by a free spirit named Verla Volante. “Verla said that you need to open a door so that people can walk into your world. . . . To do that, you have to pay attention.”
The Wild Girls is about friendship, the power of story, and how growing up means finding your own answers-rather than simply taking adults on faith.
“You're lucky I didn't just start throwing rocks at you. I can hide in the trees and nail a kid with a rock from thirty feet away.” That's Sarah, who prefers to be called “Fox,” who lives with her writer father in a rundown house in the middle of the woods-near Joan's suburb, but it feels like a totally different world.
Joan and Sarah-Newt and Fox-spend all their spare time outside, and soon start writing stories together. When they win a contest, they're recruited for a summer writing class taught by a free spirit named Verla Volante. “Verla said that you need to open a door so that people can walk into your world. . . . To do that, you have to pay attention.”
The Wild Girls is about friendship, the power of story, and how growing up means finding your own answers-rather than simply taking adults on faith.
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Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940172135590 |
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Publisher: | Penguin Random House |
Publication date: | 10/09/2007 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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